The prophet Jonah lived in difficult times, just as we do today. 

By 800 B.C., Israel had steadily suffered military oppression by the Syrians and by the superpower in the region, Assyria. Despite two centuries of sinful kings, idolatry and disobedience to God after Solomon’s death, God declared through Jonah that He would extend mercy to Israel because He remembered His pledge not to totally destroy them for His name’s sake (2 Kings 14:25-27). It was during Jeroboam II’s reign that He did this, even though Jeroboam II “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight” (2 Kings 14:24, New Living Translation). God used him powerfully to save Israel, showing that He can use even a spiritually flawed man to carry out His will out of love for His people. Eventually Assyria came directly against Israel, requiring them to pay an enormous tribute to avoid being invaded, and making the king a puppet ruler—an arrangement the Israelites detested (2 Kings 15:19-20). 

In the midst of this oppression, God asked the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, with a warning of destruction if they didn’t repent of their evil deeds. We can learn important lessons from the book of Jonah about how God operates through His Work. Let’s take a closer look.

Jonah’s calling and initial reaction

The account begins: “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me’” (Jonah 1:1-3). But Jonah fled on a ship bound for the opposite end of the world, Tarshish. A freakish storm arose and was about to destroy the ship, when the anguished sailors drew lots to see who caused the storm, revealing that Jonah was the guilty one. At Jonah’s urging, they reluctantly threw him overboard and the storm ended. Jonah was swallowed up by a great fish specially prepared by God. After three days and three nights, the fish vomited him on the shore (Jonah 2:10). Miraculously spared, he was repentant and thankful (Jonah 2:9). Once on land, he again received his marching orders from God (Jonah 3:2). It’s no wonder that this time around, he obeyed right away!

In Nineveh, he proclaims God’s message: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4)! What happens next is simply astounding. The Ninevites repented and declared a city-wide fast (Jonah 3:5-9). As a result of their conscientious repentance, “God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10). 

Jonah’s anger

Was Jonah pleased that they had heard his warning and were spared? Absolutely not! Instead he was infuriated that God had forgiven them (Jonah 4:1-3)! The story ends with God raising a large plant that protects Jonah from the scorching sun, but then He destroys it and Jonah is heartbroken. God contrasts Jonah’s pity for the plant with his indifference to God having spared Nineveh: “This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn’t do anything for it and you didn’t make it grow—yet you feel sorry for it! How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals” (Jonah 4:10-12, Good News Translation)! 

Two-stage judgment

We thus see that God’s judgment normally consists of two stages: First, the stage when He shows mercy during a period of possible repentance. This period can be short-term for a nation being judged, but in the long-run, it means God will extend His mercy up to the end-time events, when He will decisively intervene in world affairs. As 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

In the second stage, wickedness reaches a certain threshold and the warning message has not been heeded. As it says in Daniel 8:23 about the end-time, “When the end of those kingdoms is near and they have become so wicked that they must be punished” (GNT). In fact, the book of Nahum describes what later happened to the people of Nineveh: they went back to their wicked ways and were totally destroyed around 612 B.C. 

Our role today

It is now one of our primary missions to get out a warning message, which also includes hope, to the world. As Jesus said: “And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14 ). Yes, the gospel of the Kingdom of God is very good news, but as the context of Matthew 24 shows, there will be very difficult times ahead before Christ returns. Moreover, in Revelation 10:5-7 and Revelation 11:18, we see God finally intervening in world affairs and ultimately establishing the Kingdom of God. 

Four action steps

In conclusion, we can learn a lot from Jonah, that initially reluctant prophet, about how God judges and acts. Here are four actions steps we can take.

1. We should understand the stage we are in, for there is still time for the world to repent! Meanwhile, we are to help get the gospel of the Kingdom out and aid in preparing the people who do repent so they can be part of that coming Kingdom. 

2. Don’t be glad to see God’s punishment on the unjust, but rather feel compassion. After all, as the saying goes, “There, save for the grace of God, go I.” To the point, Jesus tells us, “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36). 

3. The time will come when God’s judgment can’t be withheld any longer. So, we should be very thankful for the time we have to prepare for God’s Kingdom and remain faithful, doing our part in God’s Work.

4. We can help carry out the “work of Jonah” at this present time. Only God knows when to intervene and punish evildoers, while rewarding His obedient followers.

Indeed, Jonah was supposed to give the Ninevites a chance to repent, which was fulfilling God’s work in that region, but he failed to have compassion on them. Today, the Church is doing a “work of Jonah” but on a worldwide scale. Presently, the world is headed the wrong way, just as ancient Nineveh was. Man’s wickedness is again rising to heaven. 

Let us heed, then, the prophecies of what’s coming. Let’s keep doing a work like Jonah did—and let’s remain faithful! Remember, as Jonah learned, God’s timing is always perfect.