God’s Mercy to Outsiders: The Message of Jonah - Cameron Jungles - 9-10-2013

God’s Mercy to Outsiders: The Message of Jonah (Eastside Baptist/Wed PM/July 10, 2013)

 The Message of Jonah

Ø  Setting and Context

Ø  Structure & Message

Ø  Important Themes

Ø  “Jesus Lens” and New Testament Application

 Setting and Context

Ø  Jonah, son of Amittai

§  From Gath Hepher, 2 Kgs 14:25

§  Prophet to Israel (N. Kingdom)

Ø  During reign of Jeroboam II

§  Prosperous, spiritually dark

§  Enemy Assyria in decline, but the threat still present.

 Structure & Message

Ø  Jonah runs from God.

Ø  Jonah’s prayer and rescue

Ø  Jonah goes & Nineveh repents.

Ø  Jonah’s anger & God’s question

§  Narration of events, not prophetic oracles

§  Lesson in story and final  ?

 Jonah runs from God.

Ø  Jonah’s reluctance is rooted in righteous motives.

Ø  But he fails to understand God’s boundless mercy.

Ø  Irony: Jonah runs from God; pagan sailors sacrifice to God.

Ø  God rescues undeserving Jonah

 Jonah’s Prayer & Rescue

Ø  Prayer from inside the fish

Ø  Prayer for deliverance, formed as a “Psalm of Thanksgiving”

Ø  Irony: Jonah is thankful for the salvation he does not deserve, but unwilling to warn others who are undeserving.

 Jonah goes & Nineveh repents.

Ø  Jonah responds to 2nd call.

Ø  “40 days till’ doom’s day!”

Ø  City-wide demonstration of repentance and sorrow

Ø  Irony: Jonah presumed on God; pagan Ninevehites only hope (9).

Ø  God relents (Jeremiah 18:7-8)

 Jeremiah 18:7-8

If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.

Jonah’s Anger & God’s Question

Ø  Jonah is angry at God, because he is compassionate!

Ø  Jonah would rather die than see Nineveh spared.

Ø  Jonah waits for the fire to fall!

Ø  An object lesson

Ø  A question with no answer

Jonah 4:10

But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.

Jonah 4:11

And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left--and also many animals?"

Important Themes

Ø  God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of all peoples.

Ø  God’s compassion is boundless.

Ø  God will bless all peoples through his blessing to Abraham’s descendants.

Ø  God has mercy and compassion on whom he wills; we are not in a position to question the extent of God’s mercy.

Ø  God is the sovereign Lord, and every force of nature does his bidding.

“Jesus Lens” and Application

Ø  The ultimate display of God’s compassion for the nations was the death, burial (3 days), and resurrection of Christ.

Ø  The gospel message is for the nations, and whoever believes is spared God’s judgment.

Ø  There is no sinner beyond the reach of God’s compassion and grace.

Ø  We may not run from our commission to share the good news with people who may seem to be far away from grace.