Christian Message Boards: Jonah

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Posted by Carol Swenson (Member # 6929) on :

Jonah

Jonah’s story teaches us about obedience, willingness of spirit, gratitude, compassion and God’s patience and mercy.

Jonah was a prophet and his story takes place somewhere between 780 B.C and 760 B.C. During this period of history, Assyria was a powerful, evil nation and Israel’s most dreaded enemy. The Lord spoke to Jonah and told him to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and preach to the Ninevites. (Jonah 1:2) Jonah was supposed to warn the Ninevites to repent or suffer the consequences of their wickedness.

Jonah had other ideas, though. Instead of heading for Nineveh, he took off for Tarshish, Spain. His motives could have been fear or revenge or both. The Assyrians had committed terrible atrocities against the people of Israel: traveling into their midst would have been frightening. Jonah also despised the Assyrians and probably would have liked to see God punish them. Yet, Jonah knew God’s nature. He knew that if he preached repentance to the Ninevites, they might repent and God would spare them. (Jonah 4:2)

As Jonah is sinking into the sea, a big fish (whale) swallows him. (Jonah 1:17) Here we see God’s great mercy. He could have let Jonah suffer the consequences of his actions and drown. Yet, God intervenes and spares Jonah’s life. We often complain to God about the consequences of our sins but do we ever wonder how often He has spared us from consequences?

Jonah sat in the whale’s belly for three days and nights. He spends that time in prayer, thanking God for saving him. He realizes the miracle that God has affected to save him and is truly grateful. I’m not certain how grateful I’d be sitting in a whale’s belly come day two or three. I would certainly have been glad at first, but possibly would have started complaining pretty quickly. This is often the case for people: we beg for relief from our circumstances and when it comes, we aren’t satisfied with it. But Jonah doesn’t complain. He is sincere in his prayer and God tells the whale to spit Jonah out on shore. (Jonah 2:1-10)

Then, the Lord tells Jonah again to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. Imagine being Jonah, walking into a city of your enemies and preaching a message that is bound to be unpopular. It would be terrifying! But, Jonah this time does as he’s told and amazingly the people repent. The king orders all to fast, put on sackcloth and beg for forgiveness. (Jonah 2:1-10)

There are a couple of important lessons here. Many Christians are afraid to talk about their faith. We don’t want to look foolish or be unpopular. We’re afraid of standing out and being different. There could have been no city less likely to repent than Nineveh, but when Jonah was finally willing to do as he was told, they did repent! Nineveh was so huge that it took three days to cross it. Imagine all the lives spared by one willing voice. Think of all that would have perished if that voice had not been there.

This same issue is with us today. So many are not saved or have never been told the Good News simply because we Christians have been too fearful to tell it. We have no way of knowing what someone will decide about Christ, we only have the obligation to tell people about Him. Miracles can happen in people’s lives when we share the Word of God with them. By withholding the Word, we are failing in our responsibility.

Nineveh is spared and Jonah walks away from the situation mad at God. He builds himself a little shelter outside of town and pouts. He thinks that God should have destroyed the Ninevites rather than spare them. So angry is Jonah that he says he’d rather die than live!

“2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, "Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!" (Jonah 4:2-3 NKJV)

What a tantrum. What Jonah is really angry about is that God has given the gift of salvation to a nation that Jonah finds undeserving. Jonah felt that it was wrong for Jews to be sharing their God with people they considered heathens. It may seem foolish to us that Jonah got mad at God for saving the Ninevites. Think about this, though. Are there people that you resent and would like to see fail? Are there those that have wronged you and you’d like to get revenge on them? This is just what Jonah wanted. He didn’t want the Ninevites getting God’s mercy. He wanted them to suffer.

God’s mercy and salvation is for everyone, not just those we think deserve Him. If only those that deserved His love got it, we’d all be headed for hell. Jonah never does grasp this. He continues to whine about his own condition but feels no pity or mercy for the Ninevites.

God tells Jonah, “11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" (Jonah 4:11 NLT)

Thankfully, God does feel sorry for us and spares us in spite of ourselves. And, God can work through us in spite of ourselves. He was able to use Jonah to deliver a message despite Jonah’s unwillingness and complete distaste for the message. But, Jonah suffers consequences for not doing things God’s way. And, so do we.

http://www.essortment.com/all/jonahwhale_rsug.htm

Posted by Found in Him (Member # 7596) on :

Carol writes... Are there people that you resent and would like to see fail? Are there those that have wronged you and you’d like to get revenge on them? This is just what Jonah wanted. He didn’t want the Ninevites getting God’s mercy. He wanted them to suffer.
God’s mercy and salvation is for everyone, not just those we think deserve Him.

Very good stuff Carol!

I have to admit that this pointed something out to me in my wittle heart! [thumbsup2]

Posted by Carol Swenson (Member # 6929) on :

My wittle heart too [hug]

Posted by Eden (Member # 5728) on :

Hi, sister Carol Swenson, I think in the past you and I have butted some heads like bighorn sheep, but I do try to be civil and kind with you.

You wrote,

quote:
Jonah was a prophet and his story takes place somewhere between 780 B.C and 760 B.C. During this period of history, Assyria was a powerful, evil nation and Israel’s most dreaded enemy.

I would like to submit that ALL the great powers of ancient times were, yes, evil nations because they were descendants of Adam and Eve, but those nations did not just eat from the tree of knowledge of "evil" but those nations also ate from the tree of knowledge of "good".

As a consequence, those nations, including Assyria, did a lot of good within its national borders and probably within its conquered provinces as well. Assyria, was not, for example, more of an "evil nation" than say, Canadan or the USA or France.

Indeed, EVERY empire of its beginnings to its heyday to its demise ("denouement" if you're into French words) had much good done in it, both by government and by individual people.

I have been reading The Story of Civilization by Will Durant, and was surprised to read what a GOOD GUY (by human standards of post-Adam and Eve), how GOOD A GUY NERO actually was, other than his expulsion of the Christians from Rome and Nero's alleged arson of Rome, Nero did a lot of good for the Roman Italian people, a good that is mostly UNKNOWN to most Christians.

Likewise for the Assyrians, whose capital was Nineveh but whose subservient cities along th Tigris river were big cities like Calah, they were just descendants of yes, evil Adam and Evil.

For let's face it, as soon as Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, the lack of Godly Counsel immediately made them EVIL...

My point of my post is that Assyria was NOT AT ALL more of an EVIL NATION than ALL the previous and subsequent empires were, sister Carol Swenson. Assyria was merely "another empire descended from evil Adam and Eve".

love, Eden

Posted by Eden (Member # 5728) on :

dear Found in Him, you wrote

quote:
I have to admit that this pointed something out to me in my wittle heart!

And sister Carol Swenson wrote

quote:
"And my wittle heart too"

dear Found in Him and sister Carol Swenson, "what's a wittle heart"? I've never heard of a 'wittle' heart before...

love, Eden

Posted by Found in Him (Member # 7596) on :

Ahhh Eden...It's not beneficial to be so critical.

Try to have a better day!

Posted by Keeper (Member # 7675) on :

Eden...Carol was nice enough to write a commentary about Jonah. In it she said something that you objected to:

"During this period of history Assyria was a powerful, evil nation and Israels most dreaded enemy"."

Eden..Assyria was a powerful evil nation and it was Israels most dreaded enemy. She did not need to cover any other situations, neighboring cities and countries, Adam or Eve, Those who have not been to Eden, the animals, and mans search for Eden, the snake or choice of fruit.

Least I don't think so.