Jonah - A Strange Autobiography

Jonah very probably wrote the book of the same name himself. It is all the more astonishing that he himself comes off so badly. Everything in this book is wonderful: the graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More of God with Nineveh and also with his erring servant, the fear of God on the part of the sailors, the repentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... More of the people of Nineveh, etc. Only Jonah's disobedience, selfishness, and national pride form a dark contrast to this. His last words are: “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” (Jonah 4:9).

What would we have written if we had been in the belly of a fish or if an entire city had repented at our sermon? We could have made a great story out of it, in which there would surely have been some honor left for ourselves.

This blunt account teaches us important lessons:

1. God's Word is truth. It presents man – even the servant of God – as he really is. – We should also let the light of God shine on our lives.
2. God's Word is inspired. Even the autobiographer Jonah can not put himself in a better light. He must write what He is inspired to write. – The literal inspirationBy inspiration (literally: to breathe into), we understand that the Bible comes from God. It is inspired by Him word for word (1 Cor 2:13). This applies to the OT... More of the Bible is generally doubted. Especially in the book of Jonah. We should not allow ourselves to be infected by this.
3. God also reaches his goal with Jonah. The book does not end with Jonah's anger but with God's graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More. In his report, Jonah leaves the last word to God and thus makes the reader understand that he was wrong at the time, but has now learned his lesson. – God will also reach his goal with us.
4. God does not give his glory to anyone else. In this perhaps most effective sermon of repentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... More in human history (several hundred thousand people turn from their wicked ways), the focus should not be on the servant, but on God's graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More. – We should not use many words about ourselves and our service. The more we fade into the background, the more the greatness of God can shine forth.