03/29/2024
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The historical figure Jonah taught me something new this week. Many have read or heard about the man swallowed by a sea creature after running from his calling.

Here is a brief synopsis of Jonah. He was called by the Lord. “Get up!,” The Lord commanded, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me,” according to Jonah 1. Jonah boarded a boat headed in the opposite direction of where he was called. He wanted to flee from the Lord’s presence.

However while on the boat a great storm arose and was threatening to break the boat apart. The men on the ship threw Jonah overboard and the Lord appointed a fish to swallow Jonah. For three days and nights Jonah praised the Lord and repented. Jonah 10:1 says “Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”

God commanded Jonah again to go to preach His message in Nineveh. Jonah did as he was commanded. He told the people of Nineveh in forty days they would be demolished due to their evil practices. The violent, ignorant people repented of their sinful ways. God forgave them and did not destroy them.

Jonah survived the mission, but was furious because his enemies were not demolished. As Jonah sat down outside the city to see what would happen next the Lord gave Jonah another demonstration of His great love and mercy.

The Lord caused a vine to grow and comfort Jonah. Jonah was happy with the vine, however, the next day the vine was gone. The Lord had a worm chew the vine, it withered and Jonah was again angry.

Then in Jonah 4:10-11 it states, But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it or grow it… “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left hand, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”

Many times I’ve read this book in the Old Testament between Obadiah and Micah. However, this week I pondered it differently because of other areas in the Bible brought to my attention, and maybe because of a revaluation.

The first question that kept coming to mind was, why? Why did Jonah not want to go to Nineveh.

My first hypotheses was maybe Jonah did not want to follow his calling from the Lord because he was afraid.

The Ninevites were barbaric people. According to my study they would kill their enemies, skin them and then display the remains as a warning to anyone who crossed them.

Guess who was an enemy of the Ninevites. You probably guessed correctly, Jonah and the Israelites. So, maybe Jonah did not want to go because he was fearful they would skin and hang him up too.

The second reason for Jonah’s resistance could have been he hated the Ninevites, I thought as I continued to study. Here is Jonah, this prophet of the Lord who knew what was right and what was wrong. Maybe he could not stand the ignorance of the Ninevites.

The third thought was, maybe he was prideful. After all the Ninevites were wicked, cruel and unwise. He could be jeopardizing his reputation by trying to teach those heathens about grace and mercy from the Lord.

Perhaps this prophet was lazy. This reason does seem like the most shallow, but still a plausible cause. After all, in the book you find Jonah fast asleep on the boat while all the others on the boat were working on a solution.

“Why?!?” I thought. Then a little whisper shot through my mind, “How many times have these reasons kept the followers of Christ from obeying His commands in today’s world?”

Lazy, prideful, hateful, and fearful people keep the boats rocking, the violence stirring, and run from the work at hand. We need change. First in ourselves, and then others may follow suit.

One of the most inspiring declarations through the book was the Lord’s amazing grace and mercy. All throughout the book there were disobedient people. There were idol worshipers, murders, and a prideful prophet, yet the Lord continued to pursue each one of His creations.

It’s the same today, our Creator and Lord wants a relationship with us. He also wants us to rescue others, which includes our enemies. We are all imperfect people loved by a Trinity that continues to seek us.

Peace and love
Charlotte Smith

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