Jonah Awaits the Destruction of Nineveh
| 30 x 48 Gouache, chalk, pencil and pen on canvas |
The Story Behind the Painting...
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's 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.
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's 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.
Better still...
LISTEN TO AUDIO
Select Book of Jonah
LISTEN TO AUDIO
Select Book of Jonah
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