Jonah

God loves all of His creation. 

Every thing was created by God. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son as a living sacrifice for all of our sins. He is the consummate gentlemen. He will not force anyone to accept His love given in Christ Jesus. All creation is offered the gift of salvation. we only need to accept Him as our Father, our Savior, our ultimate helper and Teacher. We need to ask forgiveness for our sins. He wants no one to perish. but it is our decision to allow Him to change us precept by precept into the image of His Son.

Jonah

The Book of Jonah challenges God’s people not to exalt themselves over others. The Lord, the great King, is free to bless, to be gracious, and to be patient with all the nations of the earth. More than that, He may show compassion even on the wicked. Indeed, His mercy extends even to animals.

Jonah’s view of God was too restrictive. He believed that God was the Creator of everything, but that He was compassionate only toward the elect of Israel. Jonah believed that since God had chosen Israel from among the wicked nations, He had to show mercy to Israel, even if the people were rebellious. Jonah had failed to appreciate that the Lord may be equally forbearing with other nations as He was with Israel.

The Book of Jonah affirms God’s freedom, sovereignty, and power. God is sovereign because He is the Creator of everything. His power extends over all creation (the storm, the fish, the vine, the worm). God is free and He can never be bound by human misconceptions.

The self-righteous make the grave mistake of rejoicing only in their own deliverance and in God’s answers to prayer. They miss out by narrowing God’s grace and mercy to themselves. Like Jonah, they cannot share in God’s delight in saving the sailors and the city of Nineveh, including infants and even animals. They confess that God is Creator and King of the whole cosmos, but restrict His involvement to judgment, justice, and retribution. In this manner they do not see His acts of compassion, righteousness, and forbearance. The Lord’s final proclamation to Jonah sums up the prophetic message of the book: God is free to bestow His mercy on anyone and anywhere He wills. His concern and mercy extend to all creation.

Jonah’s story contains a strong warning to all godly people. The elect may miss the blessing of seeing God’s grace extended outside their own sphere because of their imposition of limits on God. While Jonah was praying anxiously for his personal deliverance, the sailors had already been experiencing the love of God for three days. Likewise, the people of Nineveh who repented of their sin rejoiced that the impending judgment had not come. Jonah, however, was miserable. As we laugh at him, we may need to wince at ourselves. Jonah’s silly sin is finally no laughing matter. We are condemned along with him if we share in his provincial folly.

 Jonah

Jonah was from Gath Hepher (meaning “winepress of the pit”), a town in lower Galilee near Nazareth (2 Kgs 14:25). The town has been identified with the modern village of el-Meshhed, where the tomb of Jonah is still shown. Gath Hepher was within the tribal territory given to Zebulun (see Josh 19:10, 13), so it is likely Jonah belonged to that tribe. Jonah ministered during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel (793–753 bc; 2 Kgs 14:23–25). Faithlife Bible.

The name Jonah means “dove.”

Nineveh, located on the Tigris River (see Gen. 10:11, 12), was the capital of ancient Assyria (see 2 Kin. 19:36) for about a century (Zeph. 2:13–15; see also the Book of Nahum). Nineveh was over five hundred miles from Gath Hepher, Jonah’s home near Nazareth in Israel. Their wickedness refers to Nineveh’s pride, greed, brutality, and adultery (see 3:8; Nah. 2:11, 12; 3:1–4). has come up before Me: This figurative language pictures evil swelling up to confront the Lord (see Gen. 18:21; compare Lam. 1:22). NKJ Bible.