Jonah 1: the disobedient prophet

A prophet is one who announces the message of the Lord. We are used to read messages from prophets, but in the book of Jonah we read about the life of the prophet.
In first chapter, the prophet should fear the Lord, but it seems that pagans fear the Lord more:


11 They said to him, “What are we going to do with you—to get rid of this storm?” By this time the sea was wild, totally out of control.
12 Jonah said, “Throw me overboard, into the sea. Then the storm will stop. It’s all my fault. I’m the cause of the storm. Get rid of me and you’ll get rid of the storm.”
13 But no. The men tried rowing back to shore. They made no headway. The storm only got worse and worse, wild and raging.
14 Then they prayed to God, “O God! Don’t let us drown because of this man’s life, and don’t blame us for his death. You are God. Do what you think is best.”
15 They took Jonah and threw him overboard. Immediately the sea was quieted down.
16 The sailors were impressed, no longer terrified by the sea, but in awe of God. They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows.

Here the pagan sailors are in awe of God because the storm was over as soon as they throw Jonah in sea. They realized that the Lord is really the One who commands heaven and earth. They worshiped the Lord.
It is very common to read prophecies against pagan nations, but in the book of Jonah, it becomes clearer and clearer that the Lord loves humans in general.