Jonah in the belly of the whale
In the first half of the 8th century B.C. in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, the prophet Jonah was given a mission by God to bring the message of God to the depraved people of Nineveh, in Mesopotamia. But he did not obey promptly and fleed from the presence of the Lord on a ship bound for Spain. During the crossing, there was a huge storm. The sailors took fright and implored God to save them. The captain then suspected that Jonas was the cause of this storm. It was decided that lots should be drawn to identify the culprit. Jonah was designated and thrown overboard. The storm calmed immediately. Jonah was swallowed by a large fish, which might have been a whale. In the belly of the animal he prayed to the Lord for three days. He finally realised that he must get out of this situation and save the city of Nineveh from chaos.
God heard him, the whale vomited Jonah out onto the shores of Nineveh where he went and finally persuaded the inhabitants of the city to repent.
The tale of Jonas is marvellously recounted, but going beyond that, it necessary to understand the relationship between the Old and New Testaments: there is a connection to be made between the three days and nights that Jonas spent in prayer in the belly of the whale, and the three days spent “in the belly of the earth” by Jesus before His resurrection.
Jonah and Jesus followed the will of God.