Jehovah’s commission was for Jonah to go and cry out against the evil of Nineveh (1:2). God intended to judge Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, but He also intended to extend His salvation of love to that evil Gentile city. For this reason He commissioned Jonah to go to Nineveh to cry out against the city.
Jonah did not agree with God. Jonah knew that God was “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness and repentant of evil” (4:2) and that God would change His mind and not judge Nineveh if the city repented. Anticipating this, Jonah rose up to flee by ship to Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah (1:3).
In verses 4 through 17 we see Jehovah’s interruption. As the sovereign God, He raised up a storm. He caused a great tempest on the sea, and the ship was about to be broken up (v. 4). Jonah had gone down into the innermost part of the vessel and had lain down and had fallen fast asleep (v. 5b). Eventually, it was found out by the casting of lots that Jonah was responsible for the storm (vv. 7-14). At Jonah’s request, the mariners cast him into the sea (vv. 15-16). Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah up, and he was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights (v. 17).
As we have pointed out, Jonah here was a type of Christ, who was sent by God to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, with Jonah’s staying in the great fish three days and three nights typifying Christ’s staying in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
After three days and three nights in the stomach of the fish, Jonah prayed and repented to Jehovah. Chapter two is the record of Jonah’s repenting.
Verses 2 through 9 are Jonah’s prayer to Jehovah. Jonah prayed in a very strange way, saying such things as this: “Water encompassed me, even to my soul; / The deep surrounded me; / Seaweed was wrapped about my head” (v. 5).
Jehovah commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah out onto the dry land (v. 10).
Chapter three covers the matter of Jonah’s preaching.
After Jonah was adjusted, corrected, and subdued, he was willing to go along with God and take His commission. “Then the word of Jehovah came to Jonah a second time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city; and proclaim to it the proclamation that I will speak to you” (3:1-2). Jonah arose, went to Nineveh according to the word of Jehovah, and preached, crying out and saying, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overturned” (vv. 3-4).
The people and the king of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and repented (vv. 5-9). In his proclamation the king declared, “Let man and beast be covered in sackcloth, and let them call to God strongly. And let each turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows whether God will turn and repent and will turn from His burning anger so that we do not perish?” (vv. 8-9).
God saw their deeds, repented, and would not do the evil to them (v. 10). As a result, the whole city was saved.