This is a great chapter. It sets the stage for the remainder of the book. I'm not going to write out the entire chapter: if you need access to a King James Version of the chapter, it can be found here: Jonah Chapter 1.
This chapter is exemplary of the foundation of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 states that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish [i.e. be destroyed], but have everlasting life." The story of Jonah takes this to the extreme since Nineveh was the enemy that was going to take Israel captive ninety years after this story happens. God knew this - God may have even told Jonah this, which would explain his reaction. (The mention of Jonah in 2 Kings 14:25 does reveal that God made Jonah privy to certain future events that were going to happen.) It also shows that God's salvation has been available at any time in human history (because this story happens in the Old Testament, before Jesus died on the cross). I believe that Jesus' sacrifice brought redemption for one and all times. I also believe that God is not bound by time: while Jesus died at a specific time in our history, the sacrifice is applicable to all time in the spiritual realm, because spirit is not bound to time, and God is not bound by time. Nevertheless...
God tells Jonah to go and preach against Nineveh in verse 2 and Jonah jumps up and runs in the complete opposite direction. Whether Jonah knew that Nineveh (Assyria) was going to conquer Israel or not, he knew that it could, and he knew that they were the enemy. So, in an effort to keep Israel safe, Jonah runs away from God's instruction. I'm guessing that his logic was, "God is angry with Nineveh. If I don't let them know this, God will have to follow through on His plan to destroy Nineveh, and Israel will be safe." We know that he knew that God would not destroy Nineveh if they repented; he says this in verse 2 of chapter 4. Jonah appears to be so stubborn that he is willing to run away from God, putting himself in harm's way, and even to die if he has to, in order to keep Israel safe. While this was defiance of God's instruction, I believe that God allowed Jonah some leeway (by not outright destroying him) because his intentions to protect his people at all costs were pure.
An interesting item to note is that the events in verses 4-6 of chapter 1 are almost exactly the same circumstances (and wording) of what happens in Luke 8:23-24. I believe this is intentional. In both cases, a storm arises and the central character to the story is found to be sleeping in the side of the boat. In both cases, when faith is shown, the Lord stops the storm. Both stories relate that no matter how turbulent the times (waters) get, the Lord is in control, His will is going to be done, and He will show mercy on those that He shows mercy. In the book of Jonah, Jonah sacrifices himself so that the people in the boat may be safe (the imagery of the boat and the storm here should kindle the imagery of Noah's ark); and in Luke, Jesus sacrifices himself so that "whosoever believeth in Him" may be safe (only His sacrifice is made later on the cross).
There are also some other interesting items to note. All of these men on the boat believe in different gods and begin calling out to their gods to save them. This is what they wake Jonah up for - to see if his God can save them. The result of casting lots, the inability of the other gods to stop the storm, the testimony of Jonah as to why there is a storm, and the immediate ceasing of the storm once Jonah was thrown overboard proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that our God is God. It caused the entire boatload of people to convert from their beliefs and begin praising God. It brought salvation to the souls of the crew and passengers on the boat. Also, the testimony that Jonah gives shows his character. He is not a coward... it would be hard for a coward to stay soundly asleep in a storm that caused everyone else to believe they were going to die. Also, Jonah doesn't speak any word of a lie when he testifies to the crew. He may be defiant, but he's an honest man, and he's honest about it. He doesn't cover it up. I believe this brutal honesty is part of the reason that God loves Jonah so much.
So Jonah is thrown overboard, not knowing what will come next, and a giant fish prepared for this moment by God swallows him. Now that he is inside the fish, the way that he is presented to the Ninevites will become even more powerful. We will explore this deeper (no pun intended) in the next post. God bless.
