Highlights from the Theology of Jonah: Worship

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Reckless driving.  Thankful to be alive."

The message of a story is usually communicated by the characters. In the story of Jonah, there are three main characters: God, Jonah and pagans. The characters make the author's points. The first two posts here looked at contrasts between God and God's prophet. Those contrasts show us how Jonah was unlike God, and the contrasts call us to be like God, not like Jonah.

There's another comparison/contrast relationship going on in this story: God's prophet versus the pagans.

In chapter 1, God's prophet receives God's call. God's prophet refuses to obey because he hates the Ninevites (4:2), and he skips the country. This probably indicates that Jonah thought Yahweh, who is the God of Israel, might be merely the God of Israel, and so hemmed in by national boundaries. It turns out that Yahweh is not hemmed in by national boundaries. Jonah is stupid; he believes that God can judge Nineveh (which as it just so happens is outside the nation of Israel), yet also believes that he can run from God by fleeing Israel.

There are two groups of pagans in this story: sailors and Ninevites. How do they respond when they encounter Yahweh? The sailors meet God in chapter 1, and they don't seem to see God as small. They beg Him to absolve them of guilt for (as far as they know) murdering Jonah by throwing him in the sea (1:14). God saves them from the raging storm, and they immediately sacrifice to Yahweh and make vows to Him (1:16) -- probably the extent of their protocol for what to do when you meet an all-powerful God greater than any other and Whom you've never heard of before.

The Ninevites meet God in chapter 3. They hear Jonah's warning of coming judgment and they immediately believe God (3:5), call a citywide fast that includes both people and animals (3:5-8), and turn from their evil ways and violence (3:8). Nineveh's under no delusion -- they recognize they're not in control here. But maybe, just maybe, God will have mercy on them even though they don't deserve it (3:9). 

Both groups of pagans respond with abject humility when they meet God. They don't even know anything about Him except His power to judge (4:11), but they believe in Him and fear Him.

By contrast, Jonah claims to fear God (1:9), but he apparently thinks Yahweh is a little god.

Jonah can pray with all the right theologically-laden words, even quoting Scripture in his prayer (chapter 2), but it turns out he wants to control what God does (4:2 -- "This is why I fled in the first place. I didn't want You to have mercy!") and does not recognize God's judgment as superior to his own (chapter 4). 

The sailors and the Ninevites don't know a lot about Yahweh. They don't know that "salvation is of Yahweh" (2:9) or that Yahweh is "a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity" (4:2). They don't really even know which way is left or right (4:11)! But they respond wholeheartedly to everything they know (3:8).

Jonah's got his eloquent prayer fine-tuned with Scripture quotes, but he's got a heart that doesn't change in response to Yahweh's mercy on him. Nineveh doesn't have the Old Testament Scriptures to quote, but they do have a ground-shaking wail of penitence from both hungry, thirsty people and hungry, thirst animals, and it is matched with heart change (3:8), even when they don't know for sure whether or not they will receive mercy (3:9). 

Jonah's looking really bad here, isn't he?

That's the pointy point. I can know my theology through and through, have the verses about who God is memorized by heart, and even be a member of His people, but that's meaningless if I'm rebelling against God -- if I'm asserting my will over His. Worship without surrender is empty.

Father, Your pointy points are for probing. Probe me. I don't want the blessings I have -- theological knowledge, childhood in a godly family and experiencing Your salvation -- to blind me to how I should relate to You. Salvation is of You! But don't let me forget that "judgment begins at the house of God," (1 Peter 4:17) that much is required from the one "to whom much is given" (Luke 12:48) and that "our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29).