A Fresh Look At the Book of Jonah

A City on the Brink... A Preacher on the Run... One of the world s great cities is in deep trouble, edging toward destruction, and the Lord has compassion for them. But when God dials His spokesman s number to go and warn that huge population, the prophet decides to take a long vacation...in the opposite direction. This is the account of God s deep concern for people outside His protection and salvation, and how He works with His sometimes reluctant sons and daughters who ought to share His heart...but so often don t. Maybe we ve missed the point in the book of Jonah. People through the years have fixated so much on the Jonah being swallowed by a fish and living to tell the story that they have missed the real message and heartbeat of the book. The real story of Jonah is about God and second chances. Nineveh, a city renowned for its wickedness, was given a second chance. And Jonah, a man known for his disobedience and rebellion, was also given a second chance. And the result was perhaps the greatest recorded revival in human history. The ultimate story of Jonah, of course, is of a great God who showed great love. But as a corollary to that, this little book shows how one man, or one woman, can make a difference. Because Jonah (eventually) did what God called him to do, an entire city and nation was changed for the better.