READ: Jonah 1-4
REFLECT:
Jonah was intentionally running away from God. Now, can he really run away from God? No. But he’s trying to. He was hoping to escape from the Lord. Other translations say that he was fleeing from God’s presence.
Jonah had received a call from God to go to Nineveh and proclaim God’s judgment, and Jonah said no. He didn’t even say no out loud; he just said no with his actions.
RELATE:
I wonder if you can relate to that. Has God ever asked you to do something, ever reminded you of a commandment in the Bible, and you say no with your actions? You resist. You pretend you didn’t hear Him. You flat out ignore Him.
God says, “Pray for him.” And you say, “No way.” God says, “Serve her.” And you say, “Not going to do it.” God says, “Welcome them into your church” And you say, “Sorry, nope.” Jonah very intentionally ran away from God, heading in the complete opposite direction that he was supposed to be going.
Chapter 1 doesn’t reveal the reason why Jonah was so against this call from God. It could be that he was afraid of the Ninevites; after all, they were a wicked and violent people. Who would want to go there to proclaim doom and judgment on them? Would they beat him or even kill him for venturing into their city?
But if we skip ahead to chapter 4, we learn that Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh because he didn’t want them to have a chance to repent and be saved. He didn’t think they deserve God’s grace and mercy. He actually wanted to see them destroyed. After all, they weren’t God’s people. So if Jonah prophesied to them as God wanted him to do, then they were going to have a chance to repent and be saved. That did not sit well with him.
This shows us that Jonah’s heart wasn’t in the right place. He knew that God is compassionate and merciful, but he believed it should only be to certain people.
Again, I wonder if you can relate. Is there anyone that you would have a hard time seeing God pour His mercy and compassion on? Maybe someone who has hurt you. Maybe someone who has committed violent sins against others. Maybe someone who is arrogant or boastful or selfish. Maybe someone who lives differently than you do.
Who is that person or people group for you? Why do you think we have such a hard time seeing God be merciful to other people?
So Jonah ran away from God and got on a boat heading in the opposite direction. It was while he was on that boat that God sent a storm. This storm was strong enough that it was breaking up the ship, the sailors—experienced seamen—were afraid. It’s interesting to compare the response of these pagan sailors against God’s man Jonah. The sailors were crying out to their gods seeking rescue. And Jonah? He was sleeping in the hold of the ship. So they woke him up and asked him some questions. Here we see Jonah testified to who he was and what he believed. He was a Hebrew, and he worshipped the Lord, who made the sea and the dry land. In essence, he declared that it was his God who caused this storm.
Now, Jonah said these things all very well, but did he really worship the Lord? Did he really fear the Lord? If we look at his actions, we would conclude he did not. Personally, this discovery challenges us to examine if our actions are lining up with what we say we believe. Do we believe what we say we believe? Do our actions line up with our testimony?
When the sailors woke him up and found out that he was the cause of the storm, the sailors took the time to ask Jonah questions instead of just killing him immediately. These men showed mercy and compassion, even when Jonah couldn't. Even when Jonah finally told them to throw him overboard, they hesitated. They didn’t want to die, but they also didn’t want Jonah to die.
They rowed as hard as they could. But it was futile. As a last resort, they did what Jonah told them to do and as they did, they prayed to the Lord, asking for forgiveness.
The sailors, not Jonah, were the ones who, by their actions, showed they feared the Lord. They, not Jonah, were the ones who were concerned about people perishing. Grace upon grace, God used Jonah’s poor testimony to save these pagan sailors and bring them to Himself. It’s incredible.
Now, not only did God send the storm upon the ship, He also sent a large fish to swallow Jonah. We really need to see this as an unusual act of mercy. Jonah could have died. God might very well have killed Jonah for being so disobedient and hard-hearted. But He didn’t. He saved him. Has God ever sent a big fish to rescue you? Maybe it didn’t feel so good at the time. Maybe you didn’t understand it. Maybe you wished for something else altogether, even to suffer the consequences of your actions. But God sent a fish. He rescued you from something that should have been detrimental to your life, to your heart, to your soul.
REST:
Sometimes it takes a lot to wake us up, doesn’t it? Now here’s an important question to consider: God could have just sent another prophet to Nineveh. Why do you think He went to such great lengths to get Jonah’s attention and see him through with his assignment?
I need you to see that God loved the people of Nineveh—120,000 people—so much that He wanted them to have a chance to repent and change their ways. That’s why He wanted to send Jonah. But God also loved Jonah so much that He pursued Jonah and sought to change his heart.
So what is going on in your heart today? What are you thinking about? What are you struggling with? Is your heart hard in any area of your life, like Jonah’s was here? Do you need to confess any sin? Do you need God to help you with any unbelief? Talk to Him about it. He cares so very much.
TAN TEE KHOON
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