Most people remember Jonah as a children's story about a man and a big fish. But in our next series, Chuck Swindahl reveals something shocking. This prophet of God sparked the greatest revival in human history, yet he still couldn't overcome his hidden sins. Today on Insight for Living. Chuck Swindahl begins his next study by exposing both sides of Jonah's character.
A committed man of God, Jonah's secret life was riddled with sin and resistance. This dichotomy provides a colorful illustration of man's sin and God's radical mercy. Chuck titled his first message, Jonathan the Reluctant Prophet. The book had shown up. Please turn in your Bibles.
to this Old Testament prophet, It's probably been a long time since you have heard a message. out of Jonah. In fact, if Jonah is ever referred to, it is often. With a skeptical kind of comment or even a joke. I spoke with a young man who was taking a religion course along with his other Involvements in a university here in the Metroplex several years ago, and he said.
I'll tell you, our religion prof has had quite a quite a time going through the Bible and picking on places like Noah and the Ark. And the whole idea of I Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, but he said, I'll tell you, when he got to Jonah, he had a field day. When he came to the fish that swallowed Jonah, it was like. Half the class is in laughter. Regrettably, uh Some books are battered and bruised.
If bruises could show, Jonah would be black and blue. because uh most folks don't have a clue. What the book is about behind the scenes. and don't realize how relevant And real the message is. Even the miracles in it, notwithstanding.
Most don't realize the greatest revival in the history of the world. is recorded in Jonah. And there it is for us to see. And not even that was enough to convince Jonah. to break free from his prejudice.
which was severe. Anyway, there's a lot here, and our hope today is to survey. the book and then come back with chapter one and work our way through it bit by bit. If you found the book of Jonah in your Bible, I would ask you to stand. for the reading of excerpts from the four chapters.
that bear the name of the man who is the main character of the book. I'm reading from the New Living Translation. The Lord gave this message to Jonah, son of Amittai. Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it.
Because I have seen how wicked Its people are. But Jonah got up and went in the opposite Direction. to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa. for he found a ship Leaving for Tarshish.
He bought a ticket. went on board. Hoping to escape. From the Lord. But sailing to Tarsish.
Verse four. The Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea. Causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors. shouted to their gods For help.
and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. Verse 12. Throw me into the sea. Jonah said, and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm.
is all my fault. Verse 17.
Now the Lord had arranged for a great Fish. to swallow Jonah. Jonah was inside the fish. for three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed.
to the Lord his God, from inside the fish. and said I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble. And he answered me, I call to you. From the land of the dead and the Lord, and Lord. You heard me.
Verse nine, but I will offer sacrifices to you. with songs of praises, And I will fulfill all my vows. for deliverance. comes from the Lord alone. Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah out.
onto the beach. Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time. Get up. And go to the great city of Nineveh and deliver the message. I've given you This time Jonah obeyed the Lord's command.
and went to Nineveh A city so large it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds. Forty days. From now, Nineveh will be destroyed. The people of Nineveh believed God's message from the greatest to the least They declared a fast.
and put on burlap to show their sorrow. Verse 10. When God saw what they had done, And now they put a stop to their evil ways. He changed his mind. And did not carry out the destruction he had.
He had threatened. This change of plans greatly upset Jonah. And he became Very angry. Verse 4. The Lord replied, Is it right for you to be angry?
About this. Verse nine: Then God said to Jonah, Is it right? For you to be angry Yes, Jonah retorted, even angry enough. To die. Then the Lord said, You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there.
It came quickly and died quickly, but Nineveh has more than 120,000 people. Living in spiritual darkness. Not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel compassion For such a great city. Not often a book of the Bible ends with a question.
But all the way through You will feel the questions. crowd in on you. As you probe your own heart, And as you see yourself Not just Jonah in the book. You're listening to Insight for Living. To dig deeper into the life of Jonah, be sure to purchase our Searching the Scriptures Bible Study Workbook.
by going to insight.org slash workbooks. Chuck titled today's message, Jonah the Reluctant Prophet. There are some people we just cannot imagine ever being reluctant. I mean, think about a category of those we would never think of as reluctant. How about Head coaches.
Ever being reluctant about anything, or cheerleaders while we're in the subject, or even Olympic athletes. Actively engaged in whatever they're planning for. Or, how about a Marine Corps drill instructor? Never reluctant. I mean, life is full of energy, full of enthusiasm.
They're up early. They see the morning as one of life's greatest moments. And then there are others. They feel like if the morning is so nice, they ought to make it later in the day.
Some time ago, I read about a mother who was having a Whale of a time trying to get her son to get up. And She had been watching through the week as his energy level had been draining. Day by day, toward the end of the week, he was just downright depressed.
So she wasn't fully surprised, but never expected he'd be hitting the snooze button on the alarm about six or seven times that morning. And she was badgering him to get up. Get up, get up. I mean it the uh Time is Being wasted. Get up.
And he finally, with one eye open, said to her, If you can give me three good reasons, I'll get up. She said, Okay.
Okay. It's Sunday morning. And you need to get up and get dressed for church. Number two. You're 43 years old, and you ought to know by now.
And you need to get up out of bed. Number three. You're the pastor of the church. You need to be on. They expect you to be there.
Now, that strikes as funny because you cannot imagine a pastor being reluctant about anything. Or how about a prophet? Until you get to Jonah. And right out of the chute, He's running in the wrong direction. Not because he didn't understand.
He understood. and didn't want to go there. It was a deliberate Self-centered act. of disobedience. He's more than reluctant.
Last time we were together, we talked about that characteristic that marks those. who walk with God. We called it selfless. Humility. Jonah is an illustration of the opposite.
All the way through the book, you'll sort of cluck your tongue thinking. How self-serving can you be? He seems like an an adolescent. Still trying to learn how to share life with others. No, no.
No, he's a prophet. We'll look later at this, but uh You find him over in 2 Kings as being a prophet in the days of. A king during times of prosperity, quite likely. He had predicted such times. Jeroboam II.
in his days of prosperity. He wasn't a godly king, but he was a prophet. Prosperous king. And probably was grateful for the prophecies of of Jonah. who had told of the days of prosperity that were coming.
But Jonah's an enigma. He falls in the category of these other great prophets who stand like a steer in a blizzard. When all others are moving in the wrong direction, here's the prophet. Standing firm, standing strong. Except Jonah.
And right out of the chute. We find him at a harbor Looking for a ship. They will be just the one he wants to get on. And that Not to go to Nineveh. That's 500 miles to the east.
He finds a a ship bound for Tarshish in South Spain. literally to the west of the Rock of Gibraltar. 2,500 miles. to the west. of the land of Israel.
He deliberately chose that. My imagination Kicks in as I think of Jonah walking along the port city of Joppa. Looking for the ship, and finally is attracted. to the name someone painted on the back of this one in Hebrew. Poor what?
That's the wand. It means Escape. Escape. He gets a ticket. There's room for him on board.
Not only does he get on board, it isn't but a matter of A brief period of time before he's down in the hold of the ship.
sound asleep. His conscience doesn't bother him. The amazing thing, he's not only running away. from that calling which is so clearly revealed. He's running from the presence of the Lord.
Did you hear that? Can't do it. God is omnipresent. Great big 4-bit word for He's everywhere at once. The psalmist writes of that: if I go into heaven, you are there.
If I Go to the grave to Sheol. You were there. If I take the wings of the dawn and dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there, your hand will lead me. Your right hand will hold me. Jonah knew that psalm.
David had lived and died and left the Solomon his legacy. And if I travel as feet of light, that's the wings of the dawn. And I'll wind up The farthest removed in the midst of the sea. Even They are I find God. When I come to a moment like that, I always remember.
Uh The early cosmonaut, that's what they called him in Russia. When they went into space and they were the first ones to Make the cycle, remember? And they were so proud of it, and they were especially glad to announce. That We do not see God. W.
A. Criswell the following Sunday at First Baptist Church in in Dallas made the announcement. If one of those cosmonauts had stepped out of his spacesuit, he would have seen God. He's there. He's there.
You can't get away. You're trying to run from him. Don't waste your time. You'll find he'll be there waiting. For you.
But Jonah, of course, is caught up in himself.
So he gets on board the ship. And you know, I've asked you to read the story: these Phoenician sailors. Are all troubled by the storm, and these are no, these are salts. These guys know their way around the sea. But Jonah forgot that God also goes to the sea.
And he suddenly came to the realization when they finally woke him up. He says to them, It's my fault. It's my fault. Throw me over.
Well, they couldn't imagine doing such a thing. To them, in their religion, It's called murder. But for Jonah It's called relief. Finally they do it and the sea is immediately calm and And Jonah is churning down below. and finally rescued by the fish.
It's a strange book. I admit, Jonah's an enigma. And anytime I speak about other preachers or a prophet. I want to tread softly and carefully. carefully.
I don't want to be unfair. As a matter of fact, this will surprise you: among all the patriarchs and all of the prophets and All of the apostles and all of the saints from both the Old and the New Testament, whose features appear on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The most beautiful and the most notable beyond all question. Is that of Jonah? If you've not been there, You'll need to note it when you go.
If you have been, I hope you didn't miss it. You would think Jonah would be coward in a corner. Covering his face or the hoodie. Hiding out in shame. No.
Not Jonah. There's something more to this, and this, the artistic masterpiece by Michelangelo. He picks it up. In fact, Next time you have a chance to do so, check Matthew 2. 1241 Jesus himself says when referring to his ministry.
Tells his critics in front of him, a greater than Jonah is here among you. Not a greater than Isaiah. Not a greater than Ezekiel. Not even a greater than Daniel, he picks Jonah.
So let's face it. We're missing something. If all we see in the book is a rebel prophet And a weird fish. Swallowing him. vomiting him out on the beach.
And then his proclaiming a message from God. There's a lot here. We've missed. I call him the reluctant prophet. In chapter one, Jonah is running from God.
as we've seen. On the ship. off the ship into the sea. He's on a Bad dash to get away from the presence of the Lord. The fish comes, and he comes to a sudden realization that the fish is his deliverance, not punishment.
The seamen know nothing of this. They're upset. on the ship grateful That the s that the storm is calm, but down below a man's life is being changed. or at least his mind. And in chapter 2, Jodah is running.
To God. Because in the fish you will find Jonah offering up A prayer. It's one of the strangest places. In all of Scripture. to find a person in prayer.
It's a messy place. It's a dark place. It's hot. In fact, as I did my homework and found among those few who have been pulled from the innards of a fish. When they were found and found alive, They're bodies were bleached in places from the acid of the fishes.
digestive system. Must have been a grotesque sight. Perhaps some of his, if not all, of his hair, is gone. As he comes, the end of this chapter, chapter two ends with the Lord ordered. The fish to spit Jonah.
out onto the beach. First amphibious landing. in the history of time. Right there. Chapter 3, we have Jonah fondly.
Running with God. Gets the same commission, the very same commission he was given in chapter one, and he hears it again, but this time he doesn't think of Tarshish. He thinks there's only one place for me. None of that. Quite a place for a Zealot.
Like Jonah. Maybe you've not thought of it that way, but it's true. Jonah ran with his own people. To him. God was exclusive.
Exclusively For the Jew. And Jonah is told, you're to go into Gentile. Territory. It's like telling a Jewish prophet in the 1940s. To go to Berlin.
Or like telling one today to go to a cave. For the ISIS leaders. Hide. The people who behead you for whatever reason or whim of the moment. And you're a Jewish prophet.
You're going to go. To muscle. I don't think Honestly, Most of us would feel comfortable about that call.
So, I'm not here today to attack Jonah for saying. I can't do that.
Now Clearly he's disobedient. But I'm not Jonah's judge. I've never been asked to walk into territory that dangerous. such as one of the worst of the prisons. with a cross around my neck.
Talking about Jesus. Have you?
Now, this gives us an opportunity to Hats off to Jonah. Chapter 3, he's running with God. And he doesn't stutter. God said, get up and go, and he got up and went. If you joined us late in today's program, you're listening to Insight for Living and the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindahl.
You heard the first message in a new biographical study on Jonah, the reluctant prophet. Here at Insight for Living, it's our tradition to offer companion resources so you can dig deeper into these topics on your own. The first one I'll mention is the Spiral Bound Bible Study Workbook for Jonah. It's produced in the Searching the Scriptures format. Second, all nine of the audio C D's for this study on Jonah are in stock and available today.
You can feel free to reach out and request these resources at insight.org/slash offer. Or call us at 800-772-8888. Today, I also have the privilege of offering a brand new booklet to you. It features the written sermon that Chuck presented on the weekend of his 90th birthday at Stonebriar Community Church, the church he founded and nurtured with deep love. His booklet is titled, Look Beyond, Will You Focus on Eternity?
In his final message to the church that he founded, Chuck implores each of us to hold fast to the timeless truths of the Bible. He reminds us that to lead well, we must first focus on eternity and the unwavering message of Christ. You'll find his booklet both encouraging and challenging as we strive to walk boldly with Jesus. We'd be pleased to send you this booklet when you give a gift to support the Ministry of Insight for Living. Just ask for the resource Chuck wrote called Look Beyond.
To send a check and request the booklet in the mail, address your envelope to InsightForLiving. Post Office Box 5000. Frisco, Texas 75034. To speak with one of our friendly ministry reps, you can call us at 800-772-8888. 800-772-8888.
You can also give a donation with your request for the booklet online at insight.org slash offer. I'm Bill Meyer. Join us when Chuck Swindahl continues his biographical study of Jonah, the reluctant prophet. Friday on Insight for Living. The preceding message Jonah the Reluctant Prophet was copyrighted in 2018, 2019, and 2025, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2025 by Charles R.
Swindahl Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
