When we hear "take this job and shove it," we think of a song sung by Jonny Paycheck. So consider this. Suppose your boss said he was sending you on a mission to a hostile nation that could be dangerous for you. Added to that, these are people you do not like and who are hostile to your own country. Would you go, or would you tell the boss to take this job and shove it?
NOW CONSIDER JONAH
Jonah decided he did not like his job as a prophet any more so he quit. The job was fine until Jonah heard the voice of God telling him to leave his own country and preach repentance to these hated Assyrians in the capital city of Nineveh. To Jonah, everything was wrong with this idea; these people deserve judgment not mercy. Israel had wars with the Assyrians in the past, and more trouble with them was just around the corner. Jonah knew this could be dangerous for him. Preaching repentance in an unfriendly foreign country was not part of his job, or so he thought. If your boss gives you an assignment working with people you do not like, you can accept it as God sending you there. However, there is a second option. You can tell him to take this job and shove it and simply walk out the door and forget it. On the other hand, if you are going to tell God to take this job and shove it, you cannot simply walk out. It would be best for you to not hang around; just in case He came looking for you. No matter how you look at it, this was a ballsy move on Jonah's part. If he was going to pull this off, maybe he should catch a ship going in the opposite direction of Nineveh. This would definitely be the best idea.
Jonah was the only Prophet who refused to do what God commanded him. Tar shish lay in (Spain), the opposite direction of Nineveh, and was known for its wealth, and would be a better place to find work more to his liking and less dangerous. Jonah was at peace with his decision; associating with people who have some class was more to his liking. Jonah did not just leave town, he boarded a ship to leave the country. We find him fast asleep below the deck of the ship during a great storm while all the sailors were terrified.
Everyone knows what happened next; God did come looking for him and found him content with the decision he made; sleeping like a baby as the ship rocked back and forth in the midst of a violent storm. When it was revealed that Jonah was the cause of impending disaster (see Jonah 1: 1-12), he learned that God's sovereignty covers a larger geographical area than just the land of Israel (1: 9). Jonah was caught and he knew it. There was no way out, he could no longer run from God. The only way to save the lives of all who were aboard the ship was to cast his fate to the God who made the sea. (1: 12)
Reluctantly the sailors cast him into the sea, the storm ceases, and Jonah lands in a living hell. For three days and three nights Jonah lives in the belly of a big fish. (1: 17) Jonah, humbled and frightened to the point of death, turns back to the Lord. After three days and three nights the great fish spits Jonah on to dry land. (2: 10) This has indeed been a life-changing experience for him. As Jonah sets on the sandy beach wondering what happens next, he muses, "is God through with me and did I get out of this dreadful assignment?" Perhaps God would be merciful and give him a task more his liking. I can't help wondering if Jonah expected God to say, "Jonah are you alright? I'm sorry I had to put you through this. Three days and three nights in that fish may have been a little too extreme on my part; I apologize for any inconvenience you may have suffered."
What God did say is recorded in 3: 1, 2, "The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and preach the message that I tell you." God did not change his mind and Jonah still did not like it, but he did as God commanded him. Jonah probably knew that if the Ninevites repented it would only be a temporary fix and there would be more trouble with these people in the future. He did not want to live to see it. (4: 1-3) In the end, Jonah did what God willed and not what he willed. Chapter 3 tells us that the people of Nineveh did repent and God withdrew His judgment on them. This is not what Jonah wanted to happen; Israel's most dreaded enemy deserved nothing less than judgment. Jonah did not change his mind and did not rejoice when Nineveh repented. (4: 3-11) It is interesting that God seemed to understand why he fled and was sympathetic to Jonah's anger. Jonah had a good point, but then again so did God. See 4: 11
Did this actually happen, or is Jonah in the belly of a great fish an allegory or just symbolic? Jesus refers to this event as a true happening, just as true as He spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matt 12: 39, 40)
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Why didn't God just let Jonah go and live with the decision he made?
Was Jonah given a second chance to get it right? Or was this the intended route to Nineveh?
God does not seem to be angry or disappointed in Jonah's rebellion, nor does He appear to be disgusted with his stubborn attitude. Why is this?
Is it ever a good idea to tell an unreasonable boss to take this job and shove it?
