Today we are beginning Jonah, of course we begin by reading chapter 1. Jonah was a prophet of the LORD. God told him to go to Nineveh the great city and speak out against it because of their great evil. So this man of God, this chosen prophet ran away from the presence of the LORD. He got on board a ship headed to Tarshish. Going to Nineveh scared Jonah so much that rather than obey God he tried to hide from Him, an impossible task. But God had a job for His prophet. He had already purposed it. He had even prepared the people of Nineveh. God pursued Jonah. It wasn’t pleasant for Jonah or for the men he put in danger by trying to run away from an omnipresent God. Verse 4 tells us, “But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” Now the sailors were afraid, the storm was getting stronger and stronger. They were tossing cargo overboard trying to stay alive, but the storm kept getting stronger. While everyone else was trying to find a way to save their lives Jonah was sleeping in the inner most part of the ship. I don’t think he was sleeping out of peace or confidence, the way Jesus slept in the boat during the terrible storm in Mark chapter 4. This was a man asleep because he was hiding, from God, from himself and his purpose. He may have fallen asleep before the storm ever hit. But the captain of the ship was having none of it. He went down and woke Jonah up and said, “Yo, why are you asleep, we’re all crying out to our gods, you cry out to yours! Maybe your god will save us and we won’t die!” This didn’t move Jonah to call out to God, who he knew could save them. He was so willing to hide from the truth that he was willing to let others suffer as well. Meanwhile the sailors were still trying to find a way to live and they decided to cast lots to find out who had offended the gods and caused them to be in this storm. And the lots fell to Jonah. Did Jonah admit it then? NO! He was still silent, still willing to let them die with him. They put a barrage of questions to him. “Who are you? What’s your job? Where do you come from?” Finally Jonah answered, finally he took some responsibility. I imagine that this was a much harder thing to do than go to Ninevah and tell people to turn to God. He knew in telling these men the truth he would be signing his death warrant. He answers them in verse 9, “…I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Now the sailors had heard of this God and they were afraid. God has a reputation of protecting His children and these men, who minutes before had been praying to various gods, were more respectful and fearful of the One True Living God than His own prophet. Verses 11-13tell us, “Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.” They didn’t want to kill Jonah they had no intention of calling the wrath of God on them but God made the storm grow so that they knew they had no choice. Verses 14-16 say, “Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this mans life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” God worked, even through Jonah’s disobedience and cowardice. He brought these men to Himself. He showed Himself to them without Jonah’s help. Jonah didn’t exemplify a man of God. He ran from God. God loved him anyway, He pursued Jonah. He loved the Ninevites, He loved the sailors. He sent that storm to accomplish more than one end. The storm was an obstacle to Jonah, calling out to him, “I love you and I will have my way.” And He did. Now if someone gets thrown into the sea, well they are pretty much a goner. Jonah couldn’t rely on the Navy or a search and rescue. So he must have fully expected to die. But God had plans for Him. God had plans for the people of Nineveh. Verse 17 tells us, “And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Are you running from something The Lord has purposed for you? Are you trying to hide from something he has asked of you? Are there storms in the way of your running away? Don’t hide form the storm, let it teach you. God will keep you through it. Whatever the trial or trouble, God has got you. He will use it to teach you, to bring you back to His purpose, and to help you see the world a little more through His eyes and heart. He’ll even give you a safe place to spend time with Him and recover. It may not be the place you imagine. Who would ever guess that inside of a giant fish could be a haven for talking to God?
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 12:56:25 +0000
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