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Jonah:
How God's Word Directs Our Lives |
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Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me (Jonah 1:1,2). | |||||||||||||||
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People need direction. A map shows how far off course you are, and how to get back on course. The Bible is like a spiritual map, to guide and direct your life with one goal in mind: that you find happiness in God’s presence and enjoy Him forever. But how will you respond? Jonah had a choice; his response to God’s will was to run away. God gives us direction for our lives by His word. God’s direction for our lives has three aspects. |
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His Word Directs Us Personally The phrase “The word of the LORD came to ...” is a common form by which God addresses His prophets (Joel 1:1; Micah 1:1; Hosea 1:1; Ezekiel 1:3). This instance would be simply like all the other prophets, but Jonah's response makes the story different from that of the other prophets, and perhaps more like our stories. It came with no glorious vision as in Isaiah 6, but as simple, straightforward direction - so God’s word comes to us. You do not need to go to Heaven to find out God’s will for you. His Word is His will. “The word of the Lord” is for people. God enters into this time-space continuum, in order to reach us with His truth. Unlike religion, which is man’s attempt to reach God, God in His Word reaches out to us. The Scripture is the Word inscribed, and Yeshua is the Word incarnate. How will you respond to Him? His Word is definite, clear and precise, not a collection of vague ideas that can be interpreted to fit into human agendas. Why did God address Jonah; why not address the Assyrians directly? God has called His people to co-labor with Him (2 Corinthians 6:2) and to actually assist Him in the work of redemption (Romans 10:14-16). God sends real people so that the lost will identify with the messenger. So Messiah came in the flesh (Romans 8:2; Philippians 2:5-8) and so we are to go and share the Good News with neighbors and acquaintances. His Word Directs Us Externally His word directs you to arise and go. Get out of your spiritual lethargy, complacency and personal agendas, and get going. Even if you are busily involved in many spiritual activities, God directs you to go, to do His will, and fulfill His purposes (Genesis 12:1; Matthew 28:19). |
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Nineveh was the capital of the
Assyrian empire on the Tigris River with a circumference of about 60
miles and a large population (Jonah 4:11). Yes, there are many involved
in sin. That is why the “narrow road” is for those who follow the Lord.
It is not that we are ‘narrow-minded’ or limited, just more focused
(Hebrews 12:2). |
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Sin is much more popular than living “to the praise
of His glory” (Eph. 1:14). Do not be intimidated by the popularity of
sin. God’s Word directs us to be pro-active against sin. We are to speak
to the issues of wickedness and sin, and to cry a warning, bringing a
reproof against wickedness. Speak against the true enemy, which is sin
(Romans 5:10), for we “battle not against flesh and blood” (Eph.
6:12). The Assyrians, or even the Palestinians, are not our enemy: sin
is. Go to those who need the message of salvation. Leave the comfort
zone and go to the commitment zone of fulfilling service.
His Word Directs Us Eternally
Sin is abhorrent to God: there are no little sins. We
judge by results; God judges by whether it’s wrong-period. All sins are
symptoms of a greater problem.
“But,” it might be argued, “these people are not
Jews; they were not given the Torah. Why should it apply to them?” Those
outside of that covenant relationship with God were and are still
accountable to His moral law. Yes, this statement is in direct conflict
with modern theory, which contends that those who are “outside of the
covenant” are not subject to the moral Law of God. |
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In Jonah’s fleeing from God, there are three lessons
we can learn about sin: sin is wayward, leads downward, and impoverishes
the soul. We also learn of the extensiveness of sin. Sin is wayward:
“But he arose to flee from the presence of the Lord.” The word “but”
presents the irony of the matter. Can you imagine a prophet disobeying
God? Why did Jonah flee? The answer is seen in Jonah 4:2. Jonah was
aware of the fact that God is a “gracious God, and merciful, slow to
anger, and abundant in loving-kindness.” Hence, it was certain that if the inhabitants of Nineveh responded to his message, God would certainly forgive. God’s forgiveness was Jonah’s real problem. The repentance of the Ninevites would make Israel look worse by comparison. The prophets Hosea and Amos, contemporaries of Jonah, pleaded with Israel to repent, but to no avail. If wicked Nineveh repented through a single prophet with a simple message, Israel would look comparatively fiendish. Jonah did not want that. He did not trust God’s justice, and wanted his enemies condemned. Jonah certainly believed in God, but genuine faith not only believes, but also trusts that His way is always righteous (James 2:19). This faith is what persuades your heart of the truth, and gives you confidence in the will of God (Romans 8:37-39). |
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Though Nineveh was east of Israel, Jonah fled west to go to Tarshish on the southwest coast of Spain, some 2,000 miles away. Why did he flee and do the opposite of God’s revealed will? Jonah rebelled simply because God’s will and His Word conflicted with Jonah’s desires and his own way of looking at life. It says in Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord.” He is indeed a God who is desirous to save. |
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God is sovereign and burdened over a lost world.
God’s love does not give up on people. God’s grace is sufficient for the
worst of people, and needed by the best of people. Although Jonah was a
prophet, he, too, was a sinner and needed the grace of God. |
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