No one would ever want to admit that they run or have run from God. This is not a favorable position in which to be found. Just look at Jonah. Jonah runs from God and ends up fish food. For the first time in reading this, I actually am trying to read it without paying attention to what happens in chapter four (difficult I know), yet in doing so I have noticed something in the first few verses. In the beginning, this book does not tell us why Jonah ran.
God tells Jonah to go and preach against Nineveh. Nineveh, a city of 120,000, was so wicked it repulsed God. There is a lot of significance to this story with God’s pronouncement of judgment on this city. Many of the prophets were used of God to proclaim God's judgment against foreign nations. Israel was supposed to be “a city on a hill” from which God would advance His plan of salvation. Instead, Israel became comfortable and unwilling.
Jonah shows us this unwillingness. Compelled to go to another country to preach against another nation, Jonah runs away. What was he thinking? How far can you run to get away from God? Tarshish (Spain)? What was the significance of running to Tarshish? Did others know Jonah had this call? Did Jonah leave town so people would not know he disobeyed God?
Many questions surround this running but boiling it down, Jonah was being disobedient. Disobedience does more than just harm us. Jonah's fleeing meant he wanted nothing to do with bringing Nineveh to repentance. He was purposefully causing harm to these people. We may think our disobedience only harms us but when we refuse to obey God others will be affected by our failure to obey!
So God sends a great wind. The Mediterranean was known for its violent storms. The storm was not a surprise. For the sailors, they figured a god was mad enough at someone to destroy the whole ship. To anger a god this much, this person must have been really guilty. So to cover themselves they cried out to their own gods in appeasement. They also threw cargo overboard in order to make the ship light enough as more and more water entered the bowels and the ship and began to sink it.
What does the fleeing Jonah do? He goes to sleep. Jonah seems to have accepted his lot in life as death. Jonah's indifference was going to kill him and those on board. Jonah's disobedience was not only going to cause further harm to those in Nineveh, but his disobedience now caused him to be apathetic towards the safety of those trying to sail the ship he was using for passage to Tarshish.
Someone once tried to compare this sleep of Jonah to the sleep of Jesus as the disciples faced a great storm. Jesus knew His security while Jonah knew his fate. Jonah’s lack of concern is mind blowing yet insightful. Sin and guilt sear the soul and affect our emotions and actions. This is why so many can callously cause harm to others and sleep without feeling guilt. Jesus was different in that He knew salvation's path. Jesus had nothing to fear and in his awakening calmed the storm because He cared for those who cried out for help
The captain in his fear awakes Jonah and asks him to pray for the safety of the ship and the end of the storm. Seasoned or not this captain was frightened by this storm. The crew decides to cast lots and find out the guilty party. When the lot fell to Jonah, they immediately began an interrogation. Jonah had failed in his attempt of running away from God.
Here begins an interesting exchange. They sailors according to verse 10 knew that Jonah was fleeing from God. To them, gods were territorial and thus it made little difference to them. Now, however, a god was now crossing territories and controlling areas their gods did not have power over. They were afraid and they wanted answers.
So Jonah tells them he is a Hebrew and his God was the only true God of heaven and earth – the Creator. Fear overcomes them and they ask what he could have done to bring out such anger from God. Even though they knew the answer, they were now coming to terms with the significance of it. “What do we do?” becomes their new question. Jonah tells them to throw him overboard.
Here again, I wonder if Jonah had insight from God or if Jonah in his indifference just wanted to die. Did he want to drown so he would not have to concern himself with this matter any longer? Running from God can cause us to use any means necessary to rid ourselves of God’s presence – even denying His existence.
Some say Jonah in this instance becomes a form of messiah in that he offers himself as a means of saving others. Maybe Jonah was beginning to realize his error and was now trying to correct it. I read one commentary that said that in order to return to God one has to change their direction. The men of the ship try to return to shore by rowing - to no avail. Jonah had to make this correction by giving up his life to serve God.
The men onboard now prayed and asked for God’s forgiveness. They threw Jonah overboard and the sea calmed. To their surprise they now feared a new God and offered sacrifices to Him. These sailors did what many people have trouble doing - seeking God. They vowed service to God because their storm found peace in the one true God.
Now Jonah is swallowed by a large fish. Do we know what kind? No, and I refuse to speculate. Whatever swallowed Jonah was a miracle prepared by God because how many fish breathe air through their mouths? All we know for certain is that Jonah was now in a very fishy situation.
- Have you ever trusted your life storms fully to God? Have you ever interfered? What happened?
- How do people become so seared from God that they deny his existence?
- Does your faith help you feel secure in the midst of trying situations?
- Have you ever thought about who is affected by your own personal disobedience to God? How does your disobedience get in the way of God’s use of you?
No comments:
Post a Comment