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"Our Journey with Jonah" (Jonah 1-4)

This past week I read through the Old Testament book of Jonah as a part of my personal daily devotion. Do you remember the events of that Old Testament book? Jonah was a prophet of God from Israel—“the word of the LORD came to (him)” (1:1). The specific duty God gave to Jonah was to preach against the “great city” of Ninevah because of God saw the wickedness of its people. Ninevah was the capital city of the Assyrian empire, the world power of Jonah’s time. Ninevah was also thought of as enemy #1 to Israel. They had just “picked off” Israel’s neighbor to the north, Damascus, and now Jonah’s country looked to be next. Yet God told Jonah to meet the Ninevites where they were—go to their turf and tell God’s truth. Sound familiar (e.g., our church mission posted on the last page of the worship folder)?

What was Jonah’s reaction? Jonah initially ran away from God’s call to meet the Ninevites where they were, as he boarded a boat destined for a land in the exact opposite direction. Jonah eventually was thrown overboard by the passengers because of God, “the Lord…who made the sea and the land” (1:9). But God saw to it that he was brought back because, “the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah” (1:17).

Are there times when you and I are like Jonah in this way? That is a lesson that I understood as I read these chapters of Jonah. Our fears of sharing the news of Jesus face-to-face get in the way of God’s mission for us. Our resentment over of how and to whom God is gracious—to friends, classmates, and co-workers, can impede that good news of God, your God and Savior “who wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” found in Jesus (1 Timothy 2:4).

Jonah understood what he was doing, and he understood God’s mission for him. As he sat, swallowed up by that great fish, he also prayed, “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you,…Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs…Salvation comes from the LORD” (2:7-9). May we understand what our fears of facing others and resentments against God mean, and turn to our Savior God for mercy—Jonah did and God provided. God gives you and I his mercy (Psalm 103:8-13). May we understand the seriousness of God’s mission to share how our Savior Jesus Christ was sent to a cross of death to pay for all people’s sins and how he rose from his grave at Easter—Jonah did in a very real and concrete way, and God provided him strength. He gives you strength to do the same (Philippians 4:13). May we continue to meet people where they are to share with them how “salvation comes from the LORD.”

In Christ Crucified,

Pastor Andy