So much suffering, so much expense, so much extra mileage could be avoided if we just obeyed God. 3 Albert Einstein said,God does not play dice with the universe. He hated the notion of a universe governed by probability, a fundamental concept of quantum theory. We read: 7Each man said to his mate, Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 601-604. Nineveh was probably the greatest city in the world in Jonahs day. Then, God prepared() a worm to eat the gourd which killed it (Jonah 4.7). Jesus used the word to refer to the sea creature which swallowed Jonah (Matthew 12.40). This revelation terrified the men even more. Gods will and plan operates within and accommodates human volition. Deliverance-Then they cried to the LORD, We beseech you, O LORD, let us not perish for taking this mans life; do not charge us with shedding innocent blood, for you, LORD, have done as you saw fit. Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the seas raging abated. Jonah was a typical Jew who wished to have no dealings with Gentiles. At Gods behest, Noah builds an ark, Abraham leaves his homeland, Moses returns to Egypt (where he is wanted for murder) to free the Israelite slaves. But Jonah received more than a mere mention. Surprisingly, the men are not willing to kill him,at least not as the first recourse. Jonah Scott is a Voice Actor, Singer and Twitch Streamer from Los Angeles. Now, with a quick divine reminder, the reluctant prophet heads straight for Nineveh and delivers the intended prophecy: Nineveh is wicked and will be destroyed in 40 days. 1 Now the word of the LORDcame to Jonah the second time, saying, 2Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you (Jonah 3.1-2). and suffer great losses (by throwing their cargo overboard) on account of Jonahs sinfulness. Ask Jonah. It is a story of repentance. Both messages resonate on Yom Kippur: repentance is staggeringly hard but Gods mercy is generous and swift. He is good and acts accordingly. Often the last one to know or admit the damage he does is the sinner himself. If you wont do it for your own sake, then do it for oursbut call on the Lord! Does he change his mind? villains of the ancient world whose sins are so terrible they merit destruction. What is your country, and to what people do you belong? Jonah answered them, I am a Hebrew, I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him, How could you do such a thing? They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD, because he had told them. The passage reveals Jonahs thinking and motivation in fleeing God. God asked Jonah if he should really be angry about the plant, and Jonah said he should be angry, even to death. Jonah hit the warm waters of the sea with a splash. The crew, decent men, insist on trying once more to row to shore, a desperate attempt to save the man who had callously endangered their lives. and a cause of grief to others around him. Those who are morally alert do not say such things; those who are in the darkness of delirium, in a moral slumber, say them. Let us cast lots. In a remarkable turn in the story, those who are not believers in the God of Israel dress down Jonah, who is to be Gods prophet, unto repentance! These and many other sins unleash storms that affect not only us but others around us as well. The arks lid was called the mercy seat (Exodus 25.17-22; cf. In the belly of the fish, Jonah finally descends as far as possible and hits (literal) rock bottom the bottom of the sea. So easily they remain locked in self-deception and rationalizations, ignoring the damage they are inflicting upon others. He tried to kick up to the surface, but no air was foundonly waves and water. Does God repent? Finding him asleep, the flummoxed captain said: How is it that you are sleeping? Nineveh was located on the eastern bank of the Tigris river, opposite the modern city of Mosul in Iraq. In effect, God says to Jonah, Now, where were we?. From one end of the Mediterranean to the other, God pursued Jonah, and Jonah ended up right back where he started, with the call of God, in Israel. Jonah could not win. He knew that God was compassionate and suspected that the city might repent and be spared. After He calmed the storm, they had declared, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him? Same power. In the end, they DID finally turn to God in repentance. This familiar expression is found in many books of the Bible, occurring 92x (e.g., Genesis 15.1; 2 Samuel 7.4; 1 Kings 6.11, 16.1, etc.) Defiance also indicates a lack of faith because it comes from the Latin . Rather than trusting God, he brazenly disobeys, foolishly thinking that he can outrun God. To paraphrase: God, I told you they would just repent and you, being a merciful God, would forgive them. Note that he also puts down good money in order to flee. The Ninevites' lostness did not greatly burden Jonah. They question Jonah more closely and though Jonahs responses are minimal and cagey, eventually the sailors are able to pull from him the whole story of how he has run away from a divine directive. Read Jonah for Spiritual Growth. He plays with loaded dice. Jonah thought he would drown when thrown into the sea. It presents two very different stories about repentance. Its another classic example of archaeology confirming the Biblical record. This idiom indicates a child under the age of two. Jonah 1.1-2 should arrest ones attention. When Godquestioned Jonah over his anger about the loss of the gourd he responded: My anger is justifiedeven to death(Jonah 4.9). If you wont do it for your own sake, then do it for oursbut call on the Lord! In other words, get back in touch with God, from whom youre running. Defiance also indicates a lack of faith because it comes from the Latin dis (against) and fidere (believe). This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Despite his rebellion, Jonah kept his testimony and spoke the truth: I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land. God honors His word. Somehow, they sense His just verdict yet they fear their own judgment and ask for His mercy. In Jonahs day, they were Israels great enemy. Patient-Home-4877 1 yr. ago Nineveh is the capital of Syria, the mortal enemy of Israel. And yet, the minute they genuinely repent even though that repentance is, admittedly, self-interested God is merciful. Or whither shall I flee from thy face? Jonah could not understand Gods mercy to Israels enemies. Jonah provided no details of the nature of their impending destruction but history records this was a period of Assyrian weakness. Hence Jonah is not just insubordinate; he is unbelieving and untrusting. Thanks. Jonah did his best to escape one great fish, only to be swallowed by another. The Book of Jonah is read in synagogue on the afternoon of Yom Kippur. Being a king, he understood authority and sovereignty (cf. Then the mariners became frightened and each one cried to his god. God didnt pursue the question; He gave Jonah time to reflect. He then asked the laborers if he did not have the right to do what he wanted with his own money. Water, whale, withering wind: Jonah wished to die (Jonah 4.8 cf. The simplicity of holiness is often far less onerousand less costly as well. Jonahs defiance sends him and others headlong into a stormthat grows ever deeper. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple., ut You have brought up my life from the pit, O, Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple (Jonah 2.4). b. In order to avoid going 500 miles into Gods will, Jonah runs some 1500 miles away. To lighten it, they began to toss cargo into the sea (Jonah 1.4-5). God sends a giant fish to swallow Jonah. When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah fled as far as he could from God. Meanwhile, the gales grow stronger and civilization continues to crumble. But unlike other prophetic books, what follows is not an account of the divine words that Jonah received, but instead a story about Jonah who, it turns out, was a very reluctant, even recalcitrant prophet. Its a pretty bad day for a prophet when those whom he is supposed to address, must turn and call, First there comes the pointed question, What are you doing asleep?. Jonah's willingness also shows his awareness that his actions had displeased God. 4 The God of heaven was a term known to Gentiles (cf. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple (Jonah 2.4). Jonahs prayer was bitter: I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. I knew it. At the end of the day, 6 p.m., his foreman paid each man a denarius. (Conington's trans.). Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. This mercy is available for nothing. His eye was evil but God was good. book of Jonah is the old outline which accents the word running. And boats are wrecked; true men and thieves, HOR. Jonah instinctively knows that if they repent of their sinfulness they will grow stronger. 7 Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. To defy means to resist what one is told to do, openly and boldly. He went down into the heart of the earth as in Matthew 12 and brought back those saints that had died and took Paradise to heaven. How much of our trouble comes from our sin? The centralandmost important piece of furniture in its design was the ark of the covenant. In an attempt to absolve themselves . Their story highlights Gods benevolence, the quickness with which God wishes to forgive people who want to make a genuine change, whatever their motivation. I just knew it. 3 For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me. The Book of Jonah on Yom Kippur. Then the LORD commanded the fish to spew Jonah upon the shore. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. 1The etymology of the name is literally wine-press of the digging and is mentioned in Joshua 19.13 and 2 Kings 14.25. Jonah 3 God gave His commission to Jonah a second timeand this time, Jonah was ready to obey. Dignity-still the men rowed hard to regain the land, but they could not, for the sea grew ever more turbulent. The Lord upbraided their lack of faith (Mark 4.40; Luke 8.25) but Jonahs sailors became believers. She taught her how to rinse dishes and put them in the dishwasher, how to wipe counters, and how to sweep. Jonah was called to preach the word of warning to the city of Nineveh, but he ran in the opposite direction. Gods statement to Jonah reminds one of Jesus parable of the laborers of the vineyard (Matthew 20.1-16). 2He prayed to the Lord and said, PleaseLord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? As our defiance deepens, the headwinds become ever stronger and the destructive forces ever more powerful. c. Proclamation was one of Judgment. Learn how your comment data is processed. All things are His. We might have expected Jonah to be pleased. 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