Today when many churches connect the 4th of July holiday with worship in one form or another, we were concluding our months long series in the book of Jonah. It does us well to be reminded that chief among Jonahs many sins was the idolatry of his nation and his culture. Jonah gladly and very successfully served as a prophet to his nation, the 10 northern tribes of Israel. Jonah would have been quick to call upon God to bless his own nation, his own people. But when God revealed His own desire for Jonah to be a missionary to the evil and God hating culture of Nineveh... The vile big city that hated everything Jonah loved, well....Jonah would have none of it. Rather then confront the idolatry in his heart Jonah ran from God. even in the belly of the fish when he did in fact pray and then did go and preach to Nineveh, Jonah never repented of his idolatry not once. In fact so deep seeded was Jonahs idolatry of nationalism that even after ALL of Nineveh repented Jonah refused to rejoice in the saving work of God. As pastors we must lead our people with great care to be thankful for our nation - without idolizing it or our culture. And we must battle our own sinful flesh to see the world not through the eyes of self serving nationalism but through the eyes of God - who gave His only son that the Whole World might be saved.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 04:00:10 +0000
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