JONAH-CHRIST AND ISRAE
Pastor J. C. O'Hair
Pastor J. C. O'Hair
John means “dove” or “pigeon.” (This is another study). When the Jews
asked a sign of Christ He replied, in Matthew 12:40, “For as Jonas was three
days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Now note several verses in
Jonah: “So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea
ceased from her raging.” “Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up
Jonah.” “And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
“I went down to the bottom of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about
me forever; yet hast Thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.”
“And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”
(Jonah 1:15 and 17 - Jonah 2:6 and 10).
Again Jonah 3:5 and 6 and 3:10
- “So the people of Ninevah believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came
unto the king of Ninevah, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe
from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” “And God saw their
works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that
He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not.”
Note the words of Christ right
before He went to Calvary, and how in His resurrection He fulfilled the Holy
Spirit’s prophecy in Psalm 16:10: “For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy one to see corruption.” “My soul is exceeding
sorrowful unto death.” (Mark 14:34). “Because Thou wilt not leave My soul in
hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Acts 2:27).
Note Jonah’s words in Jonah 2:2
- “out of the belly of hell cried I, and Thou (God) heardest my voice.”
Christ spoke of Jonah as the
type of Himself in death and resurrection.
The Lord told Jonah to “arise,
go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is
come up before me.” (Jonah 1:1 and 2).
Ninevah was a city of Gentiles.
The Jews hated the Gentiles; even more than the Gentiles hated the Jews. In
John 4:9 we read that the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. They
certainly had no religious dealings with the Gentiles. They were forced to deal
with them politically. (Luke 2:1 and 2).
The Jews wanted to tear Paul in
pieces when they thought he led Trophimus, a Gentile, into the Jews’ temple.
(Acts 21:28 to 31). The Jews tried to kill Christ when He told how God had
blessed two Gentiles. (Luke 4:24 to 30). The twelve apostles said concerning
the Gentle to whom they might have preached while Christ was on earth, “Send
her away.” (Matthew 15:21 to 27). Then eleven apostles condemned Peter for
preaching to Gentiles. (Acts 11:1 to 4). Even saved Jews did not want to sit at
the same table with saved Gentiles. (Galatians 2:12 to 15).
God sent Jonah to preach to
Gentiles. He refused and got into trouble. The big fish could not assimilate or
destroy him. God sent Israel to be His witness to all Gentiles. (Isaiah 43:10
and 15 - Romans 9:4 to 6 - Isaiah 49:6 - 66:12). Israel refused and got into
trouble with Nebuchadnezzar and Caesar and many others. Since Christ pronounced
His judgment on Israel, in Luke 21:20 to 24, they have been where Christ said
they would be. But the nations cannot assimilate or destroy God’s kingdom
nation. (Numbers 23:9 - Jeremiah 30:11). God will bring Israel back to their
land. (Isaiah 42:3 to 7 - Amos 9:11 to 15). Even on the troubled ship Jonah was
a great blessing to the Gentiles as to the truth of the Bible. The Jew in this
troubled world should confirm our faith in the Bible.
When Jonah was delivered from
the fish he went to Nineveh and there was a great revival; multitudes saved.
When the Jews are delivered (Romans 11:26) they will be Spirit-filled messengers,
and many Gentiles will be saved. Read Ezekiel 36:25 to 36.
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
cspivey1953@gmail.com
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