| Did you ever consider why a whole city would | | | | Over the edge of the boat he was thrown but |
| listen to one man? Especially if the message from | | | | not before the reluctant sailors tried their best to |
| that one man was for every person in that city | | | | row out the storm and throw some cargo |
| to change their lifestyle and belief system that | | | | overboard. But out went Jonah with a splash! A |
| they had held for generations. Along with this | | | | big fish swallowed him up and kept him in his |
| advice was a threat of annihilation if the message | | | | digestive track for three days and three nights. |
| was not taken seriously. And not only that but | | | | Feeling the intensity of indigestion the fish |
| there was a deadline! A deadline it was for after | | | | deposited the unhappy man onto the shore and |
| the end of 40 days if results were not seen then | | | | swam off feeling all the better for it. |
| destruction was as sure as Jonah himself was | | | | Now the unwilling messenger turned submissive |
| standing on the city streets. | | | | and off he went to give his words of threat and |
| The Biblical report reads that the whole city took | | | | advice. Somewhere in the course of the town |
| the advice of that one man. What was the | | | | square social interaction word got out of the |
| underlying motivation that caused the people of | | | | storm and fish story. The reality of the story |
| this ancient city to take notice of the reluctant | | | | was such that it was believed! Everyone, even |
| messenger. In the history of this city there are | | | | royalty, took the words seriously. Out came the |
| few clues. This one pagan practice could have | | | | sackcloth and whole communities headed for the |
| been one. They held in reverence the fish god | | | | pile of ashes. Such a display of sorry humility was |
| Dagon. | | | | seen throughout the whole city. |
| Who was this person giving such a scathing threat | | | | Nineveh had been built by Nimrod who was the |
| to the very existence of such a popular culture | | | | great grandson of Noah. After getting off the ark |
| and what authority and credibility did he have? | | | | after being saved by the flood this man went to |
| This was his personal story. At first he was so | | | | the plains of the dessert and built this city of |
| unwilling to give the message that he ran away | | | | Nineveh. Leaving the worship of the Creator God |
| from the assignment given him by his own | | | | the people decided that they would change their |
| Creator God. He desperately tried to run away. | | | | culture and religion. |
| Down to the ocean he headed and bought a | | | | The main god that they chose to worship was |
| ticket on a ship going the opposite direction. He | | | | the fish god, Dagon. So when Jonah showed up |
| went to Tarsis. | | | | with his story that he had been spit out of the |
| The familiar story goes this way. A storm came | | | | mouth of a fish the people were sure that this |
| up and everyone was so terrified of the ferocity | | | | Jonah was a gift from the god Dagon. Jonah told |
| of the wind and waves that they were definitely | | | | them all to repent of the perversions that they |
| inclined to think that this was a punishment for | | | | were practicing or else the whole city would be |
| someone on the ship. They had their ways of | | | | destroyed. What could they say but that this was |
| finding out and all methods pointed to Jonah the | | | | a message from Dagon himself! It was an about |
| reluctant prophet. | | | | turn and the whole city was seen as repenting |
| In the course of discovery and punishment Jonah | | | | and the disaster was averted. Amazing! |
| willingly submitted to a self initiated punishment. | | | | |