This little-known fact changes everything about Jonah and the whale

The story of Jonah and the whale is one of the most well-known stories in all of Scripture. But there’s a hidden historical detail the vast majority of people don’t know, says Lakepointe pastor and “Live Free with Josh Howerton” co-host Carlos Erazo.

In this episode, he shares a little-known fact about the pagan city of Nineveh that will change the way you think not only about the story of Jonah and the fish that swallowed him but also about God, who he says never wastes a single detail.

Most people, even many non-Christians, know the basics of Jonah’s story: He was an Israelite prophet whom God commanded to go to the wicked city of Nineveh and warn it of coming judgment, giving the pagans who lived there a chance to repent before God destroyed their city. Wanting judgment, not mercy, to fall upon the Ninevites, Jonah refused God’s command and fled on a ship.

God sent a violent storm, and the sailors, knowing Jonah was the cause of God’s wrath, threw him overboard, where he was swallowed by a giant fish. For three days, he remained in the beast’s belly until it spit him out on dry land. Repentant, Jonah went to Nineveh, where the people believed God, turned from their violence, and were spared from divine judgment.

“That’s basically the whole story. … It’s a short book,” says Erazo, “but there’s something more happening behind the scenes that a lot of people have no idea.”

He explains that Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire — a military superpower in Jonah’s day and Israel’s mortal enemy.

“If you know a little bit about the culture, Mesopotamia back in the day, it would be a polytheistic culture, which means that they would have a lot of different gods, little g pagan gods, that they would worship,” says Erazo.

One of those gods was named Oannes. Ancient art and writing describes him as a man-like being with a fish’s head and tail who comes out of the water to teach people divine wisdom.

Erazo displays a picture of an ancient stone relief of Oannes. He is depicted as a bearded man with a fish head and skin worn as a cloak.

“It looks like it’s a man with a fish on top, or you could say a man coming out of a fish,” he says.

“If you were a pagan fisherman at the time, and you’re kind of out there doing your thing at the coast … and all of a sudden you see this fish literally come out, and there’s this man coming out of the mouth of the fish, and he’s out there preaching repentance in the name of this deity, in the name of God, and all of a sudden people are listening to this,” he tells fellow pastor and co-host Paul Cunningham.

Erazo explains that there’s speculation that Jonah was received by the Ninevites because he initially appeared as Oannes coming out of the sea to share wisdom.

“But at some point, they would have realized, ‘Hey, actually this is not one of these little g gods. This is the real God revealing Himself, giving us wisdom and telling us that if we don’t repent, He will destroy us in judgment,”’ he notes.

This fascinating historical detail, says Erazo, is an example of how free will and God’s sovereignty beautifully co-exist.

“Jonah may have been running from God, but he was never outside of the sovereignty of God,” he says.

“God knew from the very beginning that Jonah was going to be swallowed by a fish, and he was going to spend three days and three nights inside the fish, which would be a prophetic sign for the Messiah,” he continues, highlighting how Jonah’s three days and three nights in the whale before emerging to save the Ninevites parallel Jesus’ time in the grave before His resurrection that would save humanity from eternal damnation.

“The whole process of him rebelling and running away from God and eventually repenting and obeying God, God knew He was going to use that testimony, that story, that experience, and eventually He was going to use all of that for the people to hear the gospel. … With God, no detail is ever wasted,” Erazo beams.

To hear more, watch the episode above.

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