Wake Up Call – Jonah 1:1-6

Jonah's Old Testament book is cataloged with the 'minor prophets'. His is an account of condensed and dramatic proportions full of surprising twists and foreshadowing Gospel realities. The theme central to these four chapters may well be the final phrase uttered by Jonah himself upon divine intervention and rescue from the waters of judgement. His psalm of praise concludes with the immortal words: “Salvation belongs to the Lord!” Jonah was called to bring this message to the capital of Assyria: Nineveh. He would bring it initially with a proclamation of deserved judgement for sin. Jonah despised and rejected this mission and consequently learned a thing or two himself. Nineveh was about 550 miles North East of Jonah's home country near the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. As a prophet to the Northern Kingdom before the Assyrian invasion, Jonah would have been familiar with this imposing kingdom, rumors of which boasted a capital city 60 miles in circuit, 100' tall walls of 33 yard breadth accommodating 3 wide chariot traffic on top, interrupted by 200' towers. A city without historical rival built in 8 years by 1.4 million men! In addition to this reputation, the terrifying renown of the Assyrian war machine was a constant fear for all surrounding nations including Israel where Jonah first received instructions to travel there with a mandate from the one true God...