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JONAH-FI…

Armor of God

Are you a prophet? Are you malleable to the prompting of the Holy Spirit? Have you ever tried to run away from God only to find that He will meet you in a dark alley somewhere?

Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord

[1:1] Now the word of the LORD came (John 1:1 tells us that the WORD became flesh….Jonah did not listen to Jesus?) to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, [2] “Arise, go to Nineveh (pieces of this town are still there to this day – this supports further the truth of this book of Scripture), that great city, and call out against it (as Prophets do), for their evil has come up before me.” [3] But Jonah rose to flee (there appears to be no hesitation here with Jonah – historically these people in Nineveh are Assyrian. The Assyrians have beat, raped, and pillaged Jonah’s people for many years) to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish (three times this is repeated that Jonah is NOT going where the Lord directed him – three times repeated, three days in the whale, Jesus in the tomb for three days), away from the presence of the LORD.[4] But the LORD hurled (this storm is massive, notice “hurled” not, “lightly tossed” “nudged” “gently upset” but HURLED) a great wind (what sounds like rushing wind or is represented by wind in the Old Testament) upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. [5] Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god (no atheists in fox holes). And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep (potentially a stage of depression here? Jonah is on the run from God and potentially his body is shutting down?). [6] So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? (do you get the impression that Jonah is spoiled and is not used to working) Arise; call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea

[7] And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots (kind of the contemporary flipping of the coin or drawing a straw – historically this could be: bones, straws, dice, string, ultimately it is not absolutely clear), that we may know (don’t we ask God to prove it? Don’t we tell Him to show US???) on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. [8] Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” [9] And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear (really? Have you gotten the impression that he fears the Lord) the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” [10] Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. [11] Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. [12] He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” [13] (Now they know that he is nuts when he says throw me in…yet they fight to save his life at this point – I want you to notice that even at this point Jonah is suggesting that not living is better than going to the Assyrians.) Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. [14] Therefore they (these non-believers are first hand witnesses to the Hand of God) called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” [15] So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. [16] Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows (these non-believers have seen the Hand of God first hand and because of Jonah’s disobedience these men were saved, God still glorified!!).

(Jonah 1:1-16 ESV)

Go back and re-read verses 12 and 13…I submit to you that Jonah is trying to save his people? Maybe in his mind he is thinking that if there is nobody to (as verse 2 reads) [2] “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” Then the Lord will crush this great city. After all these people have done nothing but harassed and caused havoc with my people – Lord just crush them so we can get on to the real mission….

Do we ever do that? Do we ever blind ourselves so much to ANY potential of what God can do with what we think He CANT do that we already have our own plan in place? Like a kid who thinks the know that their parent will say no so they don’t even ask – they assume, and what is that old saying about when you do that? Anyway…

The question is, are you going to be used by God in the light or fight it and be used in spite? Are you shirking off what God has called you to do? What “good” reasons are you using in your life today to dodge God’s plan?

Back to a theme that we have been “blogging” about – Jonah took the “other” path but God’s plan was ultimately fulfilled, – the founding of this great experiment could have taken many paths by many different men – but God is Sovereign – please give your sin over to Him, ask Him to find the sin that you are missing…I beg you to where you are right now, humbly cry out to Him, thank Him, tell Him you love Him, beg Him to show you where you can glorify Him…what are you missing.

Father God, God of Abraham I pray that you would give us a humble spirit that is ripe for revival, that is ready to re-explore a relationship with you – I pray that we would humble ourselves in any and every way Father as Luther would cry out Father “I’m yours….save me” Father on behalf of this body I pray that we are ignited with the fire of your Spirit – so when you ask “whom shall I send….” We don’t run but beg for you to SEND US ON YOUR MISSION.
Amen

Adrian “AG” Green