Text: Jonah 1:1-3 (CSB) – “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.” Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence.”
We have begun a study of the book of Jonah! I have entitled our study JONAH – THE PERVERSE PROPHET. This little book is only 4 chapters long, but filled with great spiritual truths!
We have thought about the historical background of this little book. Today we start to meditate over the lessons we can glean from it. There are 2 kinds of people who run away from God! Unbelievers and Believers! There are usually 2 basic reasons why people run away from God! They are frightened and fearful of loss - they think God will control them, or cost them too much. Or, they are afraid of God doing too much good! Some Christians fall into this category, they are fine with God blessing their own life, but aren't crazy about God blessings others that they don't think deserve it as much as they do!
Sometimes both reasons are at work ... the Christian who is running from God might be confused and fearful over losing something, but they might also be afraid that God might do something good that they don't want to happen... and then they would have to accept it and act responsibly!
Jonah is a good example of the believer who is trying to run away from God because he knows God is good ... and the answer God wants to bring to sinful people isn't one that he likes! But this kind of wayward running usually ends in a dead-end! It is said that Dr. Mortimer Adler (the philosopher) suddenly left a discussion group at a tea quite disgusted, slamming the door after him. One person trying to relieve the tension, remarked, "Well, he's gone." To this, the hostess replied, "No, he isn't. That's a closet!"
Running from God will never make your life easier; it will only add additional heartache to it. God is merciful but the trip back might be rougher than you hoped for! Best thing to do is not sail away!
In Jonah 1:1-2 above we see that Jonah received the orders from God on what to do. There were few prophets available at this time; Hosea, Amos, and Jonah were about the only 3 men prophesying to all Israel. At this time the Northern Kingdom was enjoying the greatest strength militarily and monetarily since the days of Solomon. Judah too was strong and healthy at this time. Because of this quiet affluence, there was no war, but also the people of God had become lax in their worship of God.
In their lax attitudes toward God in prosperity and peace, God decides to talk to both nations. Amos came from the Southern kingdom and prophesied to the Northern Kingdom, his style was a bit harsher than the native son of the Northern kingdom Hosea ... who wept over the Northern kingdom's indifference to real worship! Hosea was a native son to the Northern Kingdom, and so he spoke primarily to them. Jonah who also came from the Northern Kingdom ... although not far from the border between the two, had already prophesied how the Northern Kingdom would become strong in 2 Kings 14:25-27. God desired to speak to His people, even if they weren't anxious to hear!
The 3 prophets each had the same message ... but different styles because of their context:
· Amos spoke harshly against the Northern kingdom ... he was from the Southern!
· Hosea wept over the Northern Kingdoms indifference, his tone was much softer for he identified with the Northern kingdom!
· Jonah was popular and had gained a good reputation among the Hebrews for his word had come true about the expanded kingdom and prosperity ... They were God's privileged people and they liked this special status, prosperity, and peace!
Now you can understand why Jonah wasn't thrilled with God's orders. Although it concerned a harsh word against a huge enemy Gentile city (Nineveh) Jonah knew God was loving and forgiving and the last thing he wanted to see was a bunch of Gentiles get in on the kingdom blessings by repenting of their sins!
A story I heard fits this concept - A farmer asked his neighbor if he might borrow a rope. "Sorry," said the neighbor, "I'm using the rope to tie up my milk." "Milk?" exclaimed the first farmer. "Rope can't tie up milk." "I know," replied the neighbor, "but when a man doesn't want to do something, one reason is as good as another.”
Jonah understood that these wicked enemies of Israel MIGHT repent; and if so, God would be good to them ... which; would make Jonah as a prophet look bad to his own people who loved him for his good and favorable words of prosperity and peace
In verse 3 above, we find some Organized Resistance! Jonah probably thought, if I get out of the PROMISE land, the land of God's promise and calling ... then God either couldn't find him or get anyone else to go and "save" these Gentiles!
He pays a boat fare, the destination is the farthest point known in the world at that time in the opposite direction from Nineveh! While Nineveh was east, he decides to buy a boat ticket to the furthest point west known to man in those days! He carefully plans his opposition and running from God!
Travels to nearby Joppa on the coast.
Purchases a boat ticket.
Hops on board and justifies his actions all the way! EVEN THOUGH HE KNEW BETTER! How many times do we Christians do this?
The irony here is that to prevent God from saving hundreds of thousands of Gentiles Jonah gets on board a Gentile ship! He doesn't mind using them... when he should have been saving them!
Why would God send Noah to Nineveh now! Because Nineveh had just gone through 2 serious plagues and a solar eclipse which in those days were frightening to unsaved people and the people of the town were ripe for repentance! God knew this, and so did Jonah, only Jonah didn't want it to happen and God did! This was jealously at work with the Hebrews enjoying the blessings of God as a special people; they didn't want anyone else to cash in on it ... especially not Gentiles!
Yet this had been God's plan all along ... once they were secure and strong they were supposed to be doing missionary work and taking God's message to the nations of the world!
Jonah refuses to be the missionary to the Gentiles, but using them and riding on their boats is ok!
Tomorrow we will see Jonah’s Predicament from his decision. Every time we chose to refuse to be what God wants from us – we will find ourselves in some predicaments that we may find worse than doing what He asks.
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