Jonah tells the story of the prophet who ran from obedience to God. There are many lessons here to help us understand how God does His work through man and how He deals with His servants when they rebel against Him.
the job of a missionary
One revival or restoration is never enough for the people of God. God’s people follow the natural lines of spiritual degeneration. They will naturally slide backwards toward the ways of the world. They require periodic revivals in order to remain close to the Lord. When the revivals cease, the people will fall further and further away from the Lord.
A covenant is a solemn agreement. The most important covenants in the Bible are those in which God makes a covenant with man: the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, etc. Here is a covenant which man makes with God. The Israelites recognize the importance of God and covenant together to wholly follow Him.
The Book of Jonah is a battle of wills. If there ever was a book of the Bible that dealt with a man matching his will and wits against the Lord, it’s the Book of Jonah. You don’t have to read very far to realize the fruitlessness of that endeavor! Have you ever battled the Lord over anything?
