| 30 x 48 Gouache, chalk, pencil and pen on canvas |
Jonah is the Biblical Old Testament prophet best known for his harrowing experience in
the whale's belly.
Not as well publicized is his anger at God's mercy toward a society that Jonah perceived
as enemies of his own ethnic group, and the object lesson God taught him using the
creative things of nature to demonstrate His disapproval of racism and desire for
revenge.
Jonah'a response to God's commandment to preach to the city of Nineveh is to "get out
of Dodge."Warning the Ninevites of impending judgment is repulsive to him because
they are idol worshippers and sworn enemies of Israel. They were known for their
cruelty in battle and conquest.
Jonah's futile escape attempt takes him to Joppa, where he boards a ship headed in a
direction away from Nineveh - toward Tarshish.
God prepares a huge sea storm - one so violent the sailors resort to jettisoning the
cargo. Throughout this entire scenario, Jonah is in the bottom of the ship asleep!! They
begin calling on their various gods for help. The ship's captain finds Jonah, wakes him
and beseeches him to call on his god - hoping his is the deity capable of calming the
storm. Jonah realizes his presence on the ship is the cause of the weather disturbance
and he tells the crew to throw him overboard so the storm will cease. The sailors do all
they can to avoid such a drastic measure, but in desperation find themselves with no
other choice. As soon as Jonah hits the water, the sea stops raging. The sailors are
astounded and glorify the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, offering a sacrifice and
making vows to Him.
God prepares a huge fish - and Jonah is swallowed and spends three days and nights
inside its stomach. At some point in this gastric environment, Jonah repents of his
disobedience and prays for God to deliver him. He actually prays the words of Psalm
42:7 - Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy
billows are gone over me...which leads one to wonder why he didn't think of the words of
Psalm 139: 7-10 in the first place before running from God -
139:7
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy
presence?
139:8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art
there.
139:9
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
139:10
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
But I digress. After God commands the fish to (yecchh! )vomit Jonah onto the shore, he
obediently preaches to the city of Nineveh - warning them to repent of their sinful ways,
or face divine destruction in forty days. Word of his preaching spreads throughout the
city, to the point where the king himself declares a period of repentance, fasting and
prayer. Meanwhile, Jonah retires to a bluff overlooking the city from the east and
eagerly waits to see the metropolis reduced to smoke and ashes.
In contrast to most sincere Bible-believing preachers today, Jonah is hoping his
preaching has no effect on the hearts of the people. He would rather see God's judgment
than His mercy. Much to his chagrin, the Ninevites sincerely repent. And true to the
merciful nature of God, He honors their repentance and withholds divine punishment.
This angers Jonah exceedingly and brings us to the moment depicted in the painting.
Jonah has made himself a makeshift booth for his watch point, but
God prepares a leafy gourd vine - which quickly grows tall enough to form a shade
barrier against the unrelenting Middle Eastern daytime heat. God is showing mercy to
Jonah in light of his recent traumatic sea experience and the stress of preaching to a
foreign populace in a city of three days journey. But God is also getting ready to show
Jonah why mercy is preferable to judgment . The shade from the gourd vine is a huge
relief to Jonah, but
God prepares a worm - which smites the vine and kills it. Now the shade is gone. And
as soon as the vine wilts
God prepares a vehement east wind - a sirocco - a harsh, hot wind common to the
Middle East - with speeds that can reach almost 100 kilometers an hour. This, combined
with periods of the sun beating down on Jonah, creates a hostile environment so
unbearable he wishes for death.
While Jonah is feeling sorry for himself, God remonstrates with him, reminding him
that people are much more valuable than plants, and that if Jonah can feel
sorry for a gourd vine, why would He (God) not have compassion on an
entire city?
But don't take my word for it!! Read it for yourself in the
Book of Jonah
Chapters 3 & 4
King James Version.
the whale's belly.
Not as well publicized is his anger at God's mercy toward a society that Jonah perceived
as enemies of his own ethnic group, and the object lesson God taught him using the
creative things of nature to demonstrate His disapproval of racism and desire for
revenge.
Jonah'a response to God's commandment to preach to the city of Nineveh is to "get out
of Dodge."Warning the Ninevites of impending judgment is repulsive to him because
they are idol worshippers and sworn enemies of Israel. They were known for their
cruelty in battle and conquest.
Jonah's futile escape attempt takes him to Joppa, where he boards a ship headed in a
direction away from Nineveh - toward Tarshish.
God prepares a huge sea storm - one so violent the sailors resort to jettisoning the
cargo. Throughout this entire scenario, Jonah is in the bottom of the ship asleep!! They
begin calling on their various gods for help. The ship's captain finds Jonah, wakes him
and beseeches him to call on his god - hoping his is the deity capable of calming the
storm. Jonah realizes his presence on the ship is the cause of the weather disturbance
and he tells the crew to throw him overboard so the storm will cease. The sailors do all
they can to avoid such a drastic measure, but in desperation find themselves with no
other choice. As soon as Jonah hits the water, the sea stops raging. The sailors are
astounded and glorify the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, offering a sacrifice and
making vows to Him.
God prepares a huge fish - and Jonah is swallowed and spends three days and nights
inside its stomach. At some point in this gastric environment, Jonah repents of his
disobedience and prays for God to deliver him. He actually prays the words of Psalm
42:7 - Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy
billows are gone over me...which leads one to wonder why he didn't think of the words of
Psalm 139: 7-10 in the first place before running from God -
139:7
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy
presence?
139:8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art
there.
139:9
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
139:10
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
But I digress. After God commands the fish to (yecchh! )vomit Jonah onto the shore, he
obediently preaches to the city of Nineveh - warning them to repent of their sinful ways,
or face divine destruction in forty days. Word of his preaching spreads throughout the
city, to the point where the king himself declares a period of repentance, fasting and
prayer. Meanwhile, Jonah retires to a bluff overlooking the city from the east and
eagerly waits to see the metropolis reduced to smoke and ashes.
In contrast to most sincere Bible-believing preachers today, Jonah is hoping his
preaching has no effect on the hearts of the people. He would rather see God's judgment
than His mercy. Much to his chagrin, the Ninevites sincerely repent. And true to the
merciful nature of God, He honors their repentance and withholds divine punishment.
This angers Jonah exceedingly and brings us to the moment depicted in the painting.
Jonah has made himself a makeshift booth for his watch point, but
God prepares a leafy gourd vine - which quickly grows tall enough to form a shade
barrier against the unrelenting Middle Eastern daytime heat. God is showing mercy to
Jonah in light of his recent traumatic sea experience and the stress of preaching to a
foreign populace in a city of three days journey. But God is also getting ready to show
Jonah why mercy is preferable to judgment . The shade from the gourd vine is a huge
relief to Jonah, but
God prepares a worm - which smites the vine and kills it. Now the shade is gone. And
as soon as the vine wilts
God prepares a vehement east wind - a sirocco - a harsh, hot wind common to the
Middle East - with speeds that can reach almost 100 kilometers an hour. This, combined
with periods of the sun beating down on Jonah, creates a hostile environment so
unbearable he wishes for death.
While Jonah is feeling sorry for himself, God remonstrates with him, reminding him
that people are much more valuable than plants, and that if Jonah can feel
sorry for a gourd vine, why would He (God) not have compassion on an
entire city?
But don't take my word for it!! Read it for yourself in the
Book of Jonah
Chapters 3 & 4
King James Version.
The Story Behind the Painting...
Jonah Awaits the Destruction of Nineveh
Better still...
LISTEN TO AUDIO
LISTEN TO AUDIO
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