There’s Always a Bigger Fish
Of Prophets and Kings
Pastor Mike Cooke
1.Adad-Nirari III of Assyria (811-783) the “Deliverer” of Israel.
A.Stele of Shamshi-Adad V, his father, Calah/Nimrud (British Musium)
Ashur—the winged god, a horned helmet; Shamash—the god of the sun, a winged disc; Sin—the god of the moon, a crescent; Adad—the god of the storm, a forked line; Ishtar—the goddess of love and war, a star.
B.Statue of Nabu (British Museum)
C.Temple of Nabu, Palmyra (Destroyed by ISIS)
D.Assyrians seige Damascus during the reign of Ben Hadad III (796)
Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel. The Lord provided a deliverer (moshiyah) for Israel, and they escaped from the power of Aram. So the Israelites lived in their own homes as they had before (2 Kings 13:4-5).
E.Saba’a Stele, Sinjar Mountains (Istanbul Museum)
In the fifth year (of my official rule) I (Adad-Niriri III) sat down solemnly on my royal throne and called up the country (for war). I ordered the numerous army of Assyria to march against Palestine (Pa-la-áš-tu). I crossed the Euphrates at its flood. As to the numerous hostile kings who had rebelled in the time of my father Shamshi-Adad (V) and had wi[thheld] their regular (tributes), [the terror-inspiring glam]or overwhelmed them (and) upon the command of Ashur, Sin, Shamash, Adad (and) Ishtar, my trust(ed) gods, they seized my feet (in submission). I received all the tributes . . . which they brought to Assyria. I (then) ordered [to march] against the country Damascus (Ša-imērišu).
F.His sons wereShalmaneser IV (783–773); Ashur-Dan III (773–755); Ashur-Nirari V (755–745).
2.Jonah the Son of Amatiiof Gath Hepher.
A.Jonah prophesied that Jereboam II would recapture Aramean land.
He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher (2 Kings 14:25).
B.Jereboam II(786-746) retook Damascus and Hamath (2 Kings 14:28).
As for the other events of Jeroboam’s reign, all he did, and his military achievements, including how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath (2 Kings 14:28).
3.The Book of the Prophet Jonah.
A.The only one of the 12 prophets mentioned in the Qu’ran (ch 10).
B.Three interpretations scholars take:
1)It is a historical story about an actual prophet.
2)It is an allegorical story about obedience and forgiveness.
3)It is an allegorical story about an actual prophet.
4.Lessons from the story of Jonah.
A.We cannot outrun the call of the Lord on our lives.
“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.” (1:3)
B.No matter how bad things get, they can always get worse.
“Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea.” (1:4)
C.Ignoring our problems does not make them go away.
“But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.” (1:5)
D.The situation is never as hopeless as it seems.
“Pick me up and throw me into the sea.” (1:12)
E.Sometimes we have to face our problems head on.
“Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.” (1:15)
F.God can use the misfortunes in our lives to bring about change.
“Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah.” (1:17)
G.If your warm and safe in a situation that stinks, be thankful and enjoy the ride.
“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.” (2:1)
H.There are experiences in our lives that only we can understand.
“Seaweed was wrapped around my head.” (2:5)
I.When we’re in the belly of a fish, there are only two outcomes.
“And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” (2:10)
J.Nobody is ever beyond the forgiveness of God.
“But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.” (3:8)
K.It is not for us to decide to whom God will show mercy.
“And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people.” (4:11)
5.Jesus used the story as a sign of His burial and resurrection.
He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.” (Matt 12:39-41)