Jonah - Introduction

Throughout his experiences, Jonah learned that God’s purpose for Israel was that it reach out to the Gentile nations and become a source of blessing to them (Genesis 12:3). Like most ISRAELITES, Jonah took pride in his special relationship with God and preferred not to share it with non–Israelites. Jonah learned that not to share God’s blessings was a sure way to lose them! This was a lesson that all Israel needed to learn, and it is a lesson Christians need to keep learning today.

Though this book of Jonah records some amazing incidents, we should recall that Jesus Himself accepted Jonah’s account as historical, and even compared Jonah’s three days in the belly of a big fish with His own death and resurrection (see Matthew 12:38–41). If Jesus believed Jonah’s account, so can we.