Bereansearching Bible Studies

Introduction

The Book of Jonah is read every year to the assembled congregations of the Jewish people in their synagogues, all over the world, on the afternoon of Yom Kippur to the present day. Yom Kippur, יוֹם כִּפּוּר (Yōm Kippūr) which means ’Day of Atonement‘, is the holiest day of the year in Judaism, which occurs on the 10th day of the seventh month (Tishri). The central themes of Yom Kippur are: 

1. Atonement, 
2. Self-reflection, and 
3. Repentance.  

This special sabbath day was established by God as set forth in Leviticus 23:26–32  and Numbers 29:7–11  during the Israelites exodus wilderness sojourn. Today, the Jewish people traditionally observe this holy day with a day-long fast, confession, and intensive prayer…often spending most of the day in synagogue services.

Sadly, the readers have remained entirely unaware that Jonah was established by God as a prophetic “Sign” of the Messiah, Who Is Jesus Christ, Who epitomizes “Atonement”. Jesus paid the full price for the sins of His people (from both Jew and Gentile), through His sacrifice as the Lamb of God, which fulfilled the Feast of Passover in the first month of the Jewish Calendar. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) points us forward to the Final Atonement, which typifies the last day, Judgment Day, when the time of grace and mercy ends and all those who remain unsaved will have to atone for their sins by themselves and spend an eternity in Hell.

It is noteworthy that we are told via the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:22, “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:” and Jesus specifically said that Jonah was the only “sign” that the Jews would be given in both Matthew 12:39-41, “But he (Jesus) answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:For as Jonas (Jonah) was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas (Jonah) [is] here.” and in Matthew 16:4, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas (Jonah). And he (Jesus)left them, and departed.“

Interestingly, the very word “sign” that Jesus spoke (as recorded in the original Greek) is σημεῖον (sēmeion)^G4592, which was translated by the King James translators variously as sign (50x), miracle (23x), wonder (3x), token (1x). So then, the Jews were in effect asking for Jesus to provide them with a literal/physical miracle that they could “see”. To believe by seeing is not believing by faith, and hence Jesus was saying that it was representative of the unregenerate/unsaved (evil/wicked) people. But God did give the Jews a “Sign”…the Sign of the prophet Jonah.

It is also noteworthy, but not at all a coincidence, that after the reading of the Book of Jonah (Minchah), which is called Neilah, the last prayer service of Yom Kippur is called the “closing of the gates” at sunset, which is followed by the shofar blast, marking the end of the fast, victory over the devil, and heralding the promise of a sweet new year. Once again we can see that Yom Kippur points us to Judgment Day; the time when God’s Plan of Salvation ends (and all the Believers are secured), at the sound of Last Trumpet, when the Gates of Heaven will be closed and the devil will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:52, Isaiah 65:17 & 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, and Revelation 20:10.

Jonah Is a True Historical Account Based Upon Jesus’ Own Statements

Many people treat Jonah as just another “fish story”, and some Christians treat it as little more than a historical footnote. Nonetheless, it can be argued that the Jonah account is both true history and a historical parable. God shaped the events and the record so that they point to Jesus and His Atoning Sacrificial Work.

We should all take particular note of the importance of the statements made by Jesus concerning Jonah, because Jesus validated that:

1. Jonah was indeed a real person,
2. Jonah was indeed a real prophet, who preached to the great city of Nineveh and they repented (and hence not destroyed).
3. Jonah was actually swallowed by a great fish/whale,
4. Jonah suffered in that situation for 3 days and 3 nights, and
5. Jonah served as a “sign” (which pointed to Jesus!) …hence anyone, who disbelieves the book of Jonah, is, in effect, calling Jesus, hence God, a liar!

The very first verse of Jonah, Jonah 1:1 provides immediate useful insights in how perfectly Jonah serves as a “Sign” pointing to Jesus:

1. The Word of the LORD (יְהֹוָה (Yᵊhōvâ))^H3068 came to Jonah, hence Jonah was indeed a prophet of God.
2. Jonah (יוֹנָה (yônâ))^H3124, which means “Dove” (or “Turtledove” of “Pigeon”) a sacrificial animal for the poor and leprous.
3. Jonah’s father was named Amittai (אֲמִתַּי (‘ămitay))^H573, which means “Faithful”, “Trustworthy”, “True”, or “My Truth”. 
4. 2 Kings 14:25 tells us “Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which [was] of Gathhepher.“  Gathepher was a village near what later became known as Nazareth. The same town where Jesus was raised and began His Ministry.

The above is merely an excerpt of a much longer and more in depth study that can be found here: A Christian Study of The Book of Jonah

Conclusion

The choice of Judaism to choose the Book of Jonah to read on Yom Kippur is most fitting. Because the Book of Jonah provides insights on the only way to avoid an eternity of atoning for one’s own sins in Hell when the doors to Heaven are shut. If only the readers of Jonah would understand that Jonah was used by God to typify (be a sign pointing to) the Person and Work of their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was the Sacrificial Lamb of God. Only Jesus could pay that Atonement price for those who believe on Him.

The earthly Jonah may have been rebellious or afraid, but God still used Jonah as a “sign” pointing to Jesus Christ: leaving the Father’s presence, entering the storm of wrath, being cast out and sacrificed so that others would live, spending three days and three nights in what Jonah’s prayer identifies as Hell “forever”, rising again to life, and sending a warning to the Gentile world. Those who hear, repent, and cry for mercy are spared. Those who will not repent and trust in God’s Son will bear their own judgment. The sailors in chapter 1 are a second, smaller picture of the same gospel: their idols failed, the truth was spoken, the substitute is given up, because of the atonement the storm stops, and then the men fear the LORD and vow to Him only. This review leaves with the reader is the same warning preached to Nineveh. Judgment Day, the final Day of Atonement, is coming and will not be postponed forever. Have you made peace with God through the Atoning Sacrificial Work of the Lord Jesus Christ?

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