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Jonah — Part 2
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here” (Matthew 12:41).
Jonah so despised the Gentile city of Nineveh that he tried to run away from the Lord rather than preach there. The storm and great fish were used by the Lord to make Jonah obey. But, in his heart, he was angry with the Lord for not destroying the city. He was more concerned with his reputation as a prophet than the blessing of souls. “And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray Thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Thee of the evil” (Jonah 4:2).
God used a gourd and a worm to speak to Jonah’s heart, and He appealed to Jonah for the many simple people and children who would have been destroyed if there were no mercy. History records that Jonah’s tomb is in Nineveh. It would seem perhaps that, not only was Jonah’s heart won to the people, but he also lived out his life ministering to them.
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