Jonah resented this, because Assyria was the enemy that the Israelites could not * * *, and Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire. Assyrians fought for the destruction of the kingdom of Judah, massacred and plundered Israel, and destroyed and burned the holy places in Jerusalem and other cities. Jonah really hates this country, and he is eager to destroy it quickly. How could he let them escape this disaster? At the same time, he thought to himself, the merciful God is soft-hearted, and often withdraws the spread will because the object of punishment has changed his attitude. If I regret it again this time, won't what Jonah said be broken and invalid? So he decided to take the evasive approach and refused to accept the task.
He came to Joppa port and went to Tarshish in the west by sea, which was the opposite direction. Jonah certainly knew that he intended to do so. He knew that Nineveh was in the northeast of Palestine, and it was a long way. He should ride a camel from land to the Far East. It was in order to avoid God that he deliberately did the opposite.
The seagoing ship set sail for Jinyang, but soon after leaving the port, the weather changed suddenly, the wind was blowing hard and the waves were sky-high. The seagoing ship would capsize at any time, and the whole ship was scared out of her wits. Sailors had to throw the cargo into the sea to reduce the weight of the hull; The sailors did their best and took many technical measures, but it was difficult to cope with the storm.
At this time of crisis, all efforts are of no avail. People have to turn to the gods who believe in different languages and read different scriptures, and invite all kinds of gods to come to eliminate disasters and rescue them. Jonah is the only one who sleeps soundly in the bottom cabin alone. When the captain found out, he woke him up a little angrily and said to him, "What's the matter with you? How can you sleep well when it is so dangerous? " Get up and pray for the God you believe in to save us victims. "
People's entreaties are completely ineffective, the storm continues, the waves are still roaring, and the ships are still bumping in the wind and waves. People in the death battle can do nothing but test each other: "Come on, let's draw lots to see who makes us all face disaster!" " In this way, I intend to find the person who brought this disaster to everyone. As a result, Jonah won the lottery.
Everyone gathered around and asked, "What do you do? Which country and nationality is it? Where did you come from and where did you go? "
Jonah replied, "I am an Israeli. I worship the Lord God, the God of heaven. He created the day, the night, the earth, the sea and everything on the earth."
Everyone was scared when they heard this. He asked again, "What have you done to offend God?"
He answered and said, I went to Tarshish by boat instead of Nineveh, because I wanted to escape from the Lord God and go against God's will.
Just after that, a tsunami came, rushing to the ship with storms and waves. Everyone shouted in horror: "You are bringing trouble to everyone! Now, what can we do to calm God's anger and calm the sea? "
Jonah told everyone calmly, "Don't be afraid, I know, because of me, everyone has suffered such a big storm and is in such a dangerous situation." It's very simple now. You lift me up and throw me into the sea, and the sea will calm down. "
No one on board had the heart to do so, and the sailors paddled hard to get Jonah to the shore. However, they were in vain, and the ship could not get close to the shore at all. Finally, everyone turned to the Lord God for help: "Lord, Great God! We beg you, don't blame us for the death of this man, and don't blame us for the bloodshed of innocent people, because we acted according to your will! " After the prayer, Qi Li lifted Jonah's book and threw him into the sea of whitewater.
In an instant, the storm gathers! The waves have subsided! The people on board were impressed by the miracle in front of them. They worship the eternal God, fear the Almighty God, sing hymns, make sacrifices and make wishes to God. The seagoing ship sailed forward on the calm sea.
Jonah himself realized that it was God's will and he was willing to accept the punishment. However, when he was thrown into the sea, God ordered a big fish to swallow him, and he stayed in the fish's stomach for three days and three nights. He finally understood that God can't escape. So he prayed to God in the belly of the fish and admitted his mistake: "God! When I was in danger, I cried to you in the depths of the underworld, so please listen to my voice. When my soul is about to disappear, I miss the living God. May my prayers enter your supreme palace and appear in front of you, and I will give them to you with a grateful voice. I will pay my oath and beg God's mercy. "
God heard Jonah's confession and prayer, made the big fish swim out of the water and spit Jonah on the shore. He said to Jonah a second time, "Get up, go to Nineveh and announce my will to the residents of the city."
This time, Jonah dared not neglect again. He quickly obeyed God's instructions and walked for three days before reaching Nineveh. This is a big city. He spent the whole day running around, shouting and predicting: "Nineveh people have committed a great crime." God warns you that if you don't repent, Nineveh will be destroyed in 40 days. "
God's warnings and prophecies shocked the whole city. Residents fear the God who created the world and believe the message of Jonah. They spontaneously announced that from the oldest to the youngest, they would wear linen to show their entreaties; Abstinence and fasting are signs of repentance.
King Nineveh heard the news and took the lead in repentance. He stepped down from the throne of the king, took off his royal robes, put on sackcloth and sat in the ashes, ordering the whole country to ask the people to turn over a new leaf, stay away from evil deeds and abandon violence. He said: "We can only sincerely repent. Maybe we can calm God's anger and give mercy to save our lives."
God heard the repentance prayers of King Nineveh and the citizens, observed their repentance, and thought that they had believed the prophet Jonah's prophecy, listened to his warning, decided to pardon them, and promised that they would not be punished and would be punished according to Jonah's will.
Jonah was greatly displeased, especially annoyed that God had forgiven the enemy's sins as he had expected, and his words failed and could not be realized. I prayed angrily to God: "God, I thought so at the beginning. I know that you are a loving and compassionate god, and you will not get angry easily, nor will you bring disaster to others easily, so I don't want to accept your task and run to other places to avoid you. Now, if that's the case, I beg you to let me die, because I feel that living is worse than dying. "
God said, "Is it reasonable for you to lose such a big temper?" Jonah can't figure it out. He set up a shed in the east of the city, sat under the shed, and looked at the people coming and going in the city and the transactions between them.
God saw it and knew the resentment and dissatisfaction of Jonah, so he specially arranged a castor tree in front of Jonah, which was taller than Jonah's shed to shelter him from the hot sun and give him shade. The next morning, God deliberately arranged for a bug to bite the castor tree and let it dry up. When the sun came out, God blew a hot wind again. Jonah's shed was smoked and dizzy by the scorching sun and hot air. He missed the castor tree that sheltered him from the sun and regretted its short life. He was very upset. He begged God to die and said, "God! You let me die. Life is worse than death. "
God said, "Jonah, is it reasonable for you to lose your temper just because of this little castor?"
Jonah replied, "It is reasonable for me to be angry and even ask for death."
God said, "You didn't plant this castor, nor did you cultivate it. You still cherish it overnight. How can I not cherish such a big city, so many people and so many livestock in Nineveh? "