Roaming through the book of Jonah the other day i saw something that i had never really seen before. Something very interesting that drew me in. I had to read and reread to be sure i was correct in what I found...and yep, i was! This revelation may not be news to you but it was to me...so old news or new news it's worth this headline:
EVERYTHING IN THE BOOK OF JONAH OBEYED GOD EXCEPT JONAH
No joke. It's true. Allow me to take you there.
Jonah, the prophet of GOD, was told by his GOD to "Go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before ME."
To which Jonah replied "No"....we'll it doesn't actually say he said the words "No"...but the BIBLE does says Jonah jumped up, ran to Joppa, bought a ticket and hopped a ship to Tarshish. A ship going the exact opposite of GOD's destination... Nineveh! So, basically, yeah...it was a "No."
While on the ship sailing to Tarshish GOD hurls a strong wind on the sea, causing a major storm!
#1....the wind obeyed GOD.
The heathen sailors on this same ship were of course... freaked out! They know their ship is in danger of breaking apart because of this dangerous storm. They know they are done for if this storm doesn't cease. The fearful sailors all pray to their gods... to no avail. So they question Jonah and find out he's the problem! This Hebrew fella is running away from the GOD of Heaven and Earth! No wonder GOD is angry! The seaman then reluctantly throw Jonah overboard in hopes to cease the storm. These seasoned, heathen, boatman are amazed and the BIBLE says they greatly feared the ONE TRUE GOD, offered a sacrifice to HIM, then vowed to serve HIM.
#2...the heathen sailors obeyed GOD.
Meanwhile, while Jonah is sinking in the depths of the sea...GOD appoints a great fish to swallow him whole. Then GOD instructs that great fish to spit Jonah out on a specific harbor.
#3...the great fish obeys GOD.
After his water adventure Jonah has a change of mind and decides to go to Nineveh and bring GOD's WORD to the evil inhabitants of that city after-all. This wicked city hosts 120,000 people, who according to the BIBLE, don't know their right hand from their left. Jonah walks through this huge city and proclaims, "Yet 40 days and the city of Nineveh will be destroyed!" When the word of the LORD came to the people of Nineveh the people believed in GOD, called a fast and put on sack cloth and ashes...in other words they repented..sincerely!
#4...the wicked inhabitants of Nineveh obeyed GOD.
Well, now, Jonah isn't liking too much the fact that the whole city of Nineveh is repenting. He knows his GOD is merciful and compassionate and that HE will relent of any evil that HE has planned once HE sees their repentance. And that means "Jonah's words" won't come true. So Jonah goes outside of the city...plops himself on a ledge...and waits (with a crummy attitude) to see what's gonna happen, still hoping GOD will still flatten the city.
It's during this time that GOD sends a plant to grow up over Jonah to shade him from the sun.
#5...the plant obeys GOD.
The next morning GOD appoints a worm to go and gnaw at the plants, causing it to whither and die.
#6...the worm obeyed GOD.
Okay...soooo...Jonah was a prophet...but he never really got it.
Or did he?
The BIBLE does not specifically state who the author of Jonah was. Traditionally it is accepted that the writer was the prophet himself. I'll buy that. I like to think that everyday people...doing everyday things...making everyday mistakes...with everyday stinky attitudes...can live and learn and grow and do better in the long run.
I enjoy reminding myself that the BIBLE folks, like Jonah, were real flesh and blood people... with lots of issues, who still did the work of GOD during their little, puny, life times. And some of them left written pages to tell us about their adventures...their triumphs...and their failures...their disobediences...their wise choices...and their not so smart ones.
I wonder if any of these writers foreknew that hundreds of years latter people would be opening up the BOOKS that expose their strengths and weaknesses. Reading the stories that expose their failures and flaws. And that some single mama somewhere would be blogging about them on her random internet site. I wonder.
When i read through the pages of the BIBLE and marvel at the stories within i often remember New Testament verses:
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
and
GOD's power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
Maybe that's why Jonah ended up sharing his story. Revealing how he was so foolish and so weak, but also showing how GOD was so wise and so strong.
Maybe Jonah got it after all.
EVERYTHING IN THE BOOK OF JONAH OBEYED GOD EXCEPT JONAH
No joke. It's true. Allow me to take you there.
Jonah, the prophet of GOD, was told by his GOD to "Go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before ME."
To which Jonah replied "No"....we'll it doesn't actually say he said the words "No"...but the BIBLE does says Jonah jumped up, ran to Joppa, bought a ticket and hopped a ship to Tarshish. A ship going the exact opposite of GOD's destination... Nineveh! So, basically, yeah...it was a "No."
While on the ship sailing to Tarshish GOD hurls a strong wind on the sea, causing a major storm!
#1....the wind obeyed GOD.
The heathen sailors on this same ship were of course... freaked out! They know their ship is in danger of breaking apart because of this dangerous storm. They know they are done for if this storm doesn't cease. The fearful sailors all pray to their gods... to no avail. So they question Jonah and find out he's the problem! This Hebrew fella is running away from the GOD of Heaven and Earth! No wonder GOD is angry! The seaman then reluctantly throw Jonah overboard in hopes to cease the storm. These seasoned, heathen, boatman are amazed and the BIBLE says they greatly feared the ONE TRUE GOD, offered a sacrifice to HIM, then vowed to serve HIM.
#2...the heathen sailors obeyed GOD.
Meanwhile, while Jonah is sinking in the depths of the sea...GOD appoints a great fish to swallow him whole. Then GOD instructs that great fish to spit Jonah out on a specific harbor.
#3...the great fish obeys GOD.
After his water adventure Jonah has a change of mind and decides to go to Nineveh and bring GOD's WORD to the evil inhabitants of that city after-all. This wicked city hosts 120,000 people, who according to the BIBLE, don't know their right hand from their left. Jonah walks through this huge city and proclaims, "Yet 40 days and the city of Nineveh will be destroyed!" When the word of the LORD came to the people of Nineveh the people believed in GOD, called a fast and put on sack cloth and ashes...in other words they repented..sincerely!
#4...the wicked inhabitants of Nineveh obeyed GOD.
Well, now, Jonah isn't liking too much the fact that the whole city of Nineveh is repenting. He knows his GOD is merciful and compassionate and that HE will relent of any evil that HE has planned once HE sees their repentance. And that means "Jonah's words" won't come true. So Jonah goes outside of the city...plops himself on a ledge...and waits (with a crummy attitude) to see what's gonna happen, still hoping GOD will still flatten the city.
It's during this time that GOD sends a plant to grow up over Jonah to shade him from the sun.
#5...the plant obeys GOD.
The next morning GOD appoints a worm to go and gnaw at the plants, causing it to whither and die.
#6...the worm obeyed GOD.
Okay...soooo...Jonah was a prophet...but he never really got it.
Or did he?
The BIBLE does not specifically state who the author of Jonah was. Traditionally it is accepted that the writer was the prophet himself. I'll buy that. I like to think that everyday people...doing everyday things...making everyday mistakes...with everyday stinky attitudes...can live and learn and grow and do better in the long run.
I enjoy reminding myself that the BIBLE folks, like Jonah, were real flesh and blood people... with lots of issues, who still did the work of GOD during their little, puny, life times. And some of them left written pages to tell us about their adventures...their triumphs...and their failures...their disobediences...their wise choices...and their not so smart ones.
I wonder if any of these writers foreknew that hundreds of years latter people would be opening up the BOOKS that expose their strengths and weaknesses. Reading the stories that expose their failures and flaws. And that some single mama somewhere would be blogging about them on her random internet site. I wonder.
When i read through the pages of the BIBLE and marvel at the stories within i often remember New Testament verses:
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
and
GOD's power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
Maybe that's why Jonah ended up sharing his story. Revealing how he was so foolish and so weak, but also showing how GOD was so wise and so strong.
Maybe Jonah got it after all.