Monday: An Early Missionary
Go to Nineveh!
was God’s command to Jonah. In the Old Testament the usual appeal to the nations was come to Zion.
God’s original plan was for Israel to live their religion, making the nation so attractive that other nations would come to them for guidance(Isa. 56:7).
Jonah, as a forerunner of the disciples in the New Testament (Matt. 28:18-20), is told to go to Nineveh, which to him seemed an unclean center of idolatry, brutality, and totalitarianism.
Image © Kim Justinen from GoodSalt.com
Jonah made detailed preparations to go west by sea even though God had directed him to go east by land. Jonah, the unwilling prophet, fled in the opposite direction.
Read Jonah 1:3-17. What lessons can we gain from this amazing narrative?
God’s response to Jonah’s flight came in the form of a mighty storm. The winds obey their Creator, even though His prophet does not(Mark 4:41). Jonah slept during the storm while the Gentile crew prayed (Jon. 1:5). In honesty Jonah confessed that he caused the calamity, and he testified to the true God and Creator. Notice that his reply, I am Hebrew,
referred both to his religion and his nationality. In their alarm at the ferocity of the storm, the Gentile sailors tried to save themselves and the passengers, and they showed compassion to Jonah in their reluctance to comply with his instructions to throw him overboard. (The reluctant prophet was willing to sacrifice himself to save others.) When they finally complied, the storm ceased and the sea calmed (Jon. 1:15). The amazed sailors became Jonah’s first converts to his God, who could work through Jonah even while he fled from his call.
The salvation of Jonah was just as miraculous as was the salvation of the ship. God prepared a great fish.
The original Hebrew doesn’t specify what sort of fish saved Jonah by swallowing him. Jonah in the belly of the fish is certainly the best-known episode of the story; however, it should not overshadow the book’s deeper message that God loves, cares for, and wills the salvation of all people.
In the end, there is only one God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth (see Isa. 44:8; Isa. 45:5-6). Anything else anyone worships is idolatry and error. Any other god
they pray to is imaginary, a lie.
Why is this truth so important for us to realize and internalize for ourselves, especially in the context of mission?
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the lesson that we learn in joanahs story s that even f we ran and disobey God he can always make ways fr us to come back,
At first it seemed like an aborted missionary effort, but the merciful Sovereign of the Universe made adjustments and expanded the mission. Nineveh and its inhabitants comprised the original project. By the time the account was over gentile mariners served the God of Heaven (Jonah 1:16), Jonah was physically delivered (Jonah 2:10) and retained hope of spiritual salvation (Jonah 4:6-11); and the great city of heathens repented and turned and lived (Jonah 3:5-10).
Whenever men and women are lost it is never as a result of lack of concern on the part of the Creator of all. None is so insignificant as to escape the attention and reach of the Redeemer. Even those who are not direct recipients of the Everlasting Gospel message are candidates for salvation, and God by his own measure handles their case (Psalm 87:4-6; Romans 2:14-16).
Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9), and always on the Lord’s mind even when His messengers get distracted and find temporal concerns more interesting. The Savior is ever seeking to save, and there are no boundaries or limitations except those created by the lost soul.
Bro. Dalhouse Amen. Thanks for those inspiring insigths - indeed our Gid of the Universe is allways conern of soul salvation even before we ourselves even realizes it. What an awesome God we serve.
Obey when called upon.
We should always accept any mission we are given to undertake.Despite the challenges we face during our journey of faith,God has a way to get us out of them.
Jonah taught that he was hiding from God but that was not the reality,As Christians we should not shy off from our responsibilities but undertake them.
Oh we of little faith. We always tend to forget that God is omnipresent, therefore we tend to hide or run away from his presence forgetting that he can behold us wherever we are .
Your way are not my way and my thought are not your thought says the Lord! He knows it all so let us not play fast with Him .
God knew all Jonah would do and it seems God had a wider purpose than Jonah could have imagined. The men on the ship Jonah took passage on were led to fear the LORD from this occasion as God gave evidence of the truth about Himself in a way they would respond to in faith. Nothing surprises God, and Nineveh was only part of His plan. This episode was no accident.
That God would preserve Jonah speaks of His grace in forgiveness and His purpose that Jonah alone must go to Nineveh. God will use the most willing, even if their willingness is erring and faulty. Keep in mind that God was also wanting to save Jonah from himself. The whole story does not indicate either way about Jonah's final outcome. We can see however how even the "stones" will cry out if faithful servants cannot be found.
For the last question above; We need to realize OUR own commission from the Lord and believe His promises.
Because God's ways are not like our ways, HE would more likely use the least willing than the most willing. The author continues to say that God uses only those who are willing subjugating GOD's will to His creatures will. That's not the Sovereign GOD of the universe.
If God would use the least willing, how do you explain the two men who were called before Ellen? When I say "willing", I don't mean self-assured or eager, but rather responding in obedient faith in spite of their feeling unworthy or incapable. Willingness to respond is by faith in the One calling and out of love for those to be benefited from the service. Now Jonah had neither willingness or love for those about to perish, but it seems there was no one else to send wouldn't you say? No one who would ultimately give the warning in such a way as to elicit such a deep repentance from the pagan city. This Jonah was able to do once his lack of willingness was turned into submission to the will of such a merciful God who spared and preserved his life in such a profound way.
Some might call the persuading of Jonah coercion, others might say it was just a reality check for one who knew better. Why else would God resort to such means?
Robert and Shirley, it is God who chooses us; we don’t choose God (John 15:16-19; 2 Th 2:13,14). What I understand of the doctrine that God uses or chooses the willing is that of the “candidates” for God’s choosing or using there are two types: (1) The Willing and (2) The unwilling. GOD chooses, or chooses from, the Willing. In other words the Willing are qualified for GOD’s service; the unwilling are unqualified. Did I get it right?
Kenny, God has chosen the whole world to be saved through Christ, but only those who "choose this day" to accept and serve Him will be saved. Yes, we must choose to serve since we cannot be coerced by God who will give us the desire of our heart, whether good or evil. In choosing to have a king, Israel rejected God, who had chosen them while slaves in Egypt through the promises given to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God's choosing includes us, but we may refuse God's offer of grace and go our own way outside of His grace. He calls us to repent, but does not force it. Jonah could have refused still to go to Nineveh after the fish released him, but God's demonstration of grace and protection from certain death in the tempest in a very unlikely manner must have calmed his fear of the wicked in that heathen city where God would send Him.
Still, Jonah gives no evidence that he chose the Way of God in showing mercy to the perishing of that great city of 120,000 souls and much cattle. The object lessons given to Jonah appear to have been lost on him.
We chose God when we deny self that we might obey Him.
I heard a minister on 3ABN declare that God must respect the individual’s freedom of choice. Is he talking about the Sovereign GOD of the universe.
Since we are supposedly possessed of the right called “freedom of choice”, how is it that every single one of us has “chosen” to sin. Why didn’t even one of us chose to “not sin” against God. Now Adam possessed free will and was free to choose as the representative man. Of course he chose to give loyalty to Satan. Thus our situation. God informs us of our natural condition: “slaves of sin” (John 8:34; Rom 3:9; 6:6,16-20). Do we associate “free will” and “freedom of choice” with a SLAVE?
We are characterized by GOD as “dead in trespasses and sins”. In Ezk 37 God says that the whole house of Israel is “dry bones”. He asks the prophet rhetorically if those bones could live. He sends His Spirit and He brings those dry bones to life. Was life their choice or God’s choice? He gave them life according to His will. Rom 3 paints the most awful picture of our nature and condition. None seeks after God. Spiritual things are foolishness to man. None understands. All have turned aside, they have become useless. There is none who does good not even one.
About man’s will relative to salvation: ...”who were born, not of blood nor of the WILL OF THE FLESH, nor of the WILL OF MAN, but of GOD”(John 1:13); So then it depends not on the MAN WHO WILLS or the man who runs, but on GOD who has MERCY.(Rom 9:16). Jonah eventually submitted “Salvation is of the Lord”; that is all of it is of the Lord. It is not the Lord plus man’s free will or choice!
All the features of salvation are gifts of GOD - salvation itself, repentance, faith (John 4:10; Rom 5:15; 6:23; Eph 2:8; Phil 1:29; Luke 24:47;Acts 5:31; 11:18; Rom 2:4; 2Cor 7:9,10; 2 Tim 2:25). So Grace is given or bestowed. It is not offered.
Kenny, never will God save us without our consent. The Spirit's power in Ezekiel 37 only comes to those who recognize their need of this Life-giving power and ask for it. Read Romans 1-8 and see how many times it is shown that all we receive from God is through faith or belief. I count 27 times. Just read Rom 1:16 which sums it up perfectly. Read John 3:14-18 and see what Jesus taught.
If God saved us without our choosing (Joshua 24:15) we would have no free will and Satan's claims would be proven true. Sin exists in this world because of Adam's choice. He was not forced into it or kept from it. Every temptation comes with a choice, and if we only yield to ONE temptation, we have chosen to turn from God. None of us have sinned against our will and none will overcome without choosing and praying for victory over every temptation.
Ezekiel 37 is not an island within scripture, but fits with all scripture and only shows what God can do and is willing to do for them who ask. (Luke 11:13)
You quote John 1:13. Did you notice first John 1:12? Notice also Rom 12:1,2. Notice the order of the Beatitudes, and especially focus on the 4th one (Matt 5:6)
Kenny, you state "The author continues to say that God uses only those who are willing subjugating GOD's will to His creatures will. That's not the Sovereign GOD of the universe."
I agree that the statement is backwards it should be "God uses those who are willing to submit their will to God's will."
To which "author" are you referring? I don't see that statement in the lesson or in a post?
Jonah reminds me so much of Adam and Eve... After disobeying, they all ran.. Here we see sin makes us ashamed and guilty to the point of hiding. But the great and merciful God of the Heavens always have a plan in store for us when we mess up. We are truly reminded that Christ didn't come for the righteous, He came for the sinners and as such, no matter where we go, what we do, or where we may run to as long as God has a purpose for us, it doesn't matter where we go He will always find a way to get to us and lead us in the direction He wants us to go.
Dear God,
Friend of Sinners... Today I stand before you as a wretched man. And so I thank you for not giving up on me, I thank you also for directing me into the right path even though all I seem to do is mess up. Thank you for your love and your grace...
Amen..
-Nuressa
The story of Jonah is so reassuring. It paints a more heartwarming picture of how great God's love is.Even in Jonah's disobedience God made provisions for his safety. If God took such good care of a disobedient missionary can you and even saved others through his witness, can you imagine the magnitude of work that will be accomplished through us if we are obedient?
I encourage all of us to trust in and witness for the only God who created a fully oxygenated, safehouse in a fish's belly. Indeed , there is nowhere that we can go without the guarantee of God's presence and care. This story takes away all the excuses of delinquent missionaries and provides full empowerment to willing and working ones.Let us therefore fulfil the commission in Matthew 28:19&20 because our God is faithful.
His name Jonah means dove, his father's name means faithfulness, the question therefore is why would a faithful dove disobey God? But wait a minute, if you have been in Jonah's shoes what will you do? Nevertheless, God know how to bring back those who are running. Though the way he was brought back look funny but there are lots of lessons to learn from it. So don't wait for that type of Jonah before you go on the master's business.
Good question Ariyo. We are in our shoes. How are we doing concerning the commission of Christ to every believer? Isn't our message more urgent?
There have one lesson that we should know that God save not only Jonah and Nineveh city in this case
but also the Sailors all of them worship God when they know from Jonah that God made the sea and the dry land, also when they saw the rough sea be calm down ceased from its raging they worship God and offered sacrifice unto Jehovah. so God has many ways to save people...
The bottom line in the whole Johah, Nineveh story was preserved and recorded for us to, again, witness God being glorified. Plus, it serves as both encourgement, and admonition to spread the news of repentance and God's salvation.
In a previous post the question was asked why did the sailors have to throw Jonah overboard, why didn't he just jump?
I believe that it is was symbolic, they were sacrificing Jonah to Jehovah. We see here the LORD meeting with people in terms of their pagan understanding, but also in terms of the Plan of Salvation which is based on a substitutionary sacrifice.
Shirley, do you really think God wanted to promote the belief in human sacrifices to appease an angry god?
I believe our commission is to share truth, not paganized versions until they warm up to the truth. Some truths are better left unsaid until a more basic truth is accepted, sort of like basic math before calculus.
We should not teach anything that we would have to retract later. That would not be truth.
Robert, I take your point. What then is your answer to the question - why did Jonah tell them to throw him overboard instead of just jumping over himself?
Also in the same vein why did Jesus use a current incorrect belief to tell the parable of the rich man & Lazarus?
Shirley, while we hear of many suicides, can you imagine how many don't take place due to the natural self-preservation we have by default? I believe Jonah did not have the courage to dive to his certain death, and was probably clinging to something very sturdy at that time. That ship was rocking and rolling. If Jonah was going over, he was going to be tossed by someone else. Notice the prayer of the pagan men who did everything possible to avoid doing such a seemingly cruel deed.
Jesus' parable in Luke 16 is the most misunderstood, yet it is so clear and simple the lesson He teaches. It is also very clear what He is NOT teaching. The very telling gives plenty of evidence in the very absurdity of the story's details. For anyone who gives it more than a curious "read", it will explain itself. We also have the rest of scripture that sets the facts straight.
Interestingly, the sailors on Jonah's ship were better "neighbors" (Luke 10:36-37) than Jonah himself who was disappointed that Ninevah wasn't destroyed.
We have a great responsibility to obey God's word because our sin and disobedience can hurt others.
God is a loving God and He does not want us to perish in our sin, so he try by all means to bring us back to him.
The Why is this truth so important for us to realize and internalize for ourselves, especially in the context of mission? I want to answer this question. Truth, or knowing the truth, IS OUR BELIEF IN GOD. If you don't know the truth or what your believe in, then you will be "tossed to and forth by every wind of doctrines", Ephesians 4:14.. It is important for those in the mission fields to know the truth because they will be the ones teaching God's truth to the people who do not know the truth. Going into the mission field without knowing the truth would be like 'the blind leading the blind'; neither would ever find the truth. Also, having the truth in our lives, or having a solid belief system, helps us to be better children of God, better servants of God to be used in his mission fields. We also become better neighbors, parents, and friends in our local mission fields; we become that 'light on a hill' that anyone in our local field can come and ask us about God's truth.
Jonah was a successful missionary in the past. He supported King Jeroboam the second to attain great victories (2 kings 14: 25). PERHAPS his reluctance to arise and go to Nineveh with the message from God is due to both FEAR & PRIDE. Syria was an enemy nation and this city was famous for cruelties. Jonah was afraid to loose his reputation as a successful prophet and did not believe a merciful God would really destroy the city. Our pride and fear often get in the way of our OBEDIENCE to God's call.
When God told Jonah to go as he sometime tells us to go and we do exactly what Jonah did and flee because we do not like the mission or the cause the Father has a way of showing us just who's in charge. When the outcome of the problem or the way we handle the mess we made from not obeying God and waiting for God to prepare a fish so that we can sit still and think about how God got your attention. Now that we are still we can share the mighty act that God has gotten or getting to take us from this place.
lesson leant...no one can run away from the presence of God
our mission is to proclaim the good new of salvation, not to dictate who should be saved, that was the problem with the prophet Jonah, he was displeased and angry because God spare Nineveh. In verse 4:2 he said "i knew that thou art a gracious God" let us be obedient to our God.