Jonah, the four chapter book of the Old Testament tells a familiar story.
Jonah was a prophet of God who was called to preach repentance and salvation to the people of Nineveh. Nineveh was an Assyrian city and the Assyrians attacked, abused, and killed the Hebrew people. They were considered by God’s people the epitome of evil.
And God called Jonah to tell them that forgiveness is offered to them through repentance and faithfulness to God.
Jonah did not want to go, in fact he went in the complete opposite direction. He boarded a boat to the city of Tarshish and expected to outrun the omnipotence of God.
A storm comes up and the sailors are sure they’re going to die, but where is Jonah? Surely a Hebrew man of God can call on his God to save them. Jonah was asleep, the men woke him and when lots for blame were caste, the blame fell on Jonah. He knew the solution to their peril. He was to be tossed overboard.
After Jonah was tossed into the sea a whale swallows the prophet and there he stays for three days and three nights and when God commands it, the whale vomits Jonah out.
Jonah, freed from the belly of the whale, goes to Nineveh and preaches as God commands, but he still expects God to destroy the people he considers vile and evil. When the people of Nineveh repent of their sins and evil ways, God forgives them, spares their city and Jonah is left with a bitter heart, wishing to die because those he hated were allowed to live.
I have always been fascinated with the story of Jonah, how God could use the most unwilling heart, so if we were willing how much more could he do with us.
As a book reviewer for B&H / Lifeway books, I received a free copy of this Running from Mercy by Anthony Carter from Lifeway Book Stores. I was excited to read a new look at Jonah.
The book is not a quick and easy read. It’s a thinker, but Anthony Carter beautifully unpacks the adventure of Jonah in a way I had never thought about before.
We all ponder the love God has for all people because he extended his salvation to the Assyrians and he sent a Hebrew to reach them. We say it shows that God loves everyone, not just the Hebrew nation. We say it shows God’s mercy to save the hardest of hearts.
What Anthony Carter points out is that the hardest heart of all was Jonah and God doesn’t give up on his child when he runs away. He chases him down, he shows him love and mercy in the most unlikely of places, the bowels of a sea beast.
I enjoyed this book and the new perspective it brought a familiar story.
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