Jonah The Second Call of Jonah Jonah 2:10-3:10 One of the narratives I use frequently in my counseling is the account of the Prodigal Son. Here we have a son, be he Hebrew or Christian, he is God s son. Anyway, he has moved away from the Father desiring the things of the world. And just like us, he finds that the satisfaction we receive from the temporal is short lived. The Prodigal Son rejected the Father s love. He rejected his Father s house. He desired to live a lifestyle like those around him. If this story were found in Pilgrim s Progress, he d probably have gone to Vanity Fair. And the world s pleasures do have an appeal even to believers. But the day came when the Prodigal realized he couldn t really find any satisfaction away from his Father. He returned home a broken and repentant man. He was willing to be a servant in his Father s house. But the Father is both loving and forgiving. He took back His son, restoring him to his place in the home. God never moves from us. He desires us to be in relationship with Him. And when we move out of fellowship, through sin, He patiently waits for our repentance desiring to restore that fellowship. And when we loose opportunities for service is because of our choices. God is willing to give us a second, third and what ever number of chances we need, though we can harden our hearts to the point where we are unusable. But this is our choice, not God s. Because He forgives He calls us to forgive. Remember the words of Christ to Peter: Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times (Matthew 18:21-22). And just as God took back the Prodigal, and continues to give us opportunities to repent and to serve, so He was also about to give Jonah a second chance to serve Him I Introduction Verse 10 II Mercy Toward All People Verses 1-10 III Mercy Toward Believers I Introduction: Poor Jonah! He had been called by God to bring a message of impending judgment on Nineveh. He didn t want the Ninevites to repent and be saved. After all, these fierce Assyrians were sworn enemies of Jonah s people, the Israelites. So what did he do? He ran away. But God didn t allow him to escape. Jonah was caught up in a supernatural storm. He was thrown overboard into the raging waters. A special fish was created by the Lord. It swam up and swallowing Jonah, sheltered him within its belly for three days and nights. Now he was on his way to Nineveh.
Sometimes God, who knows what is best for His children, may act in ways that appear to be unmerciful. Jonah certainly must have felt God was being unmerciful when he was forced to go to Nineveh. Has there ever been a time when you believed God was being too hard on you? Looking back how do you feel about it now? Jonah had been called to a very difficult mission for an Old Testament Prophet. God s specific intent was for Jonah to bring the Ninevites a warning of God s impending judgment. Jonah s reluctance is understandable. He knew that God was merciful to those who turn to Him. Jonah feared the people would repent and then God would spare them. Jonah did not want to be the instrument of salvation for Israel s enemy. Remember, he also was concerned that a repentant Nineveh could be held up as an example to an unrepentant Israel. When Jonah fled from God, he may have hoped God would choose somebody else to carry the message to Nineveh. Through a series of supernatural interventions, God told Jonah he was going to Nineveh willing or not. Chapter 2 concludes with Jonah lying on the shore, having been thrown up by the sea-monster. Between the time Jonah refused God s call, and his realization that he wouldn t be able to get away with it, he demonstrated his faith and trust in God. Jonah s behavior demonstrates it is possible to be aware of attributes of God, be obedient to His call, and yet not have an obedient heart. Jonah succeeds in caring the warning to Nineveh. But his desire for the destruction of the city doesn t change. This chapter is more than a passage dealing with Jonah s further adventures. It shows God s infinite mercy toward His creations. God is often called the God of the second chance. Has God ever given you a second chance? The analysis of Chapter 3 will examine the mercy of God toward all people. The lesson drawn from the Chapter will be one of God s mercy towards believers. II Mercy toward all people: Verses 1-2: Jonah found himself unable to flee God s purpose for him. He realized he still had faith and trust in the Lord, even though unhappy with the assignment. So once again God called him to travel to Nineveh and give the message of His judgment. God cared about both Jonah and the Ninevites, both Hebrew and Gentile. God gave Jonah another opportunity to serve. He received a second chance to be used by the Lord. Sometimes, when a believer refuses to obey, the opportunity to serve is lost. If God calls you to speak to a stranger, and you don t, you may never get another chance. Praise the Lord though, for He is a patient and loving Father. He constantly works with us, giving us numerous chances to serve Him, bringing Him glory. The Lord, The Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger (patient), and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives the iniquity, transgression and sin (Exodus 34:6-7). Verses 3-4: Jonah repented and without further argument goes. This isn t because his views have changed, but because he bows to the inevitable. So, Jonah brought his eternal message: ) 20 (
God judges sin. It is amazing how difficult this is for people to understand. GOD JUDGES SIN. Some believe God is so loving that He cannot bring Himself to judge sinners. Others claim there is no such thing as sin. In contrast, there are those who believe they will get another chance to come back and do it right. But God says, man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Judgment for the Ninevites was first to be temporal. Since the wickedness of the people was so great, God promised to destroy the city in forty days. Implicit in the promise was the withholding of judgment if repentance occurred. The pre-delluvian world had 120 years (the time it took to build the Ark) to repent to be saved from world-wide flooding. The wicked of Noah s day did not repent, and so their world was destroyed. My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal, his days will be a hundred and twenty years (Genesis 6:3). It took Jonah three days to walk through Nineveh. The city measured about sixty miles in circumference. He conveyed God s message of judgment to its citizens. He would stop along the way and present his message. And if he really did look like he d spent three days being digested, it s not surprising that people stopped and heard his message. In our first lesson the following quote was drawn from The Paranoid Prophet by William Backus. This is the fictional response of Jonah s psychologist on first seeing him. My first impression (of Jonah) was of more white blotches. They covered his face, arms and hands. What had caused them? I had never seen the like. Behind the blotches was sunburn, from the bald patch on top of his head down to the massive calves showing beneath his long tunic. 1 Jonah s condition was a product of being in the fish for three days and nights. Imagine the effect this strange individual would have had on the Ninevites. This possible disfigurement may have been why Christ called Jonah a sign to the city. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation (Luke 11:30). If this is a valid assumption, it means people would be even more aware of his presence. Verse 5: Much to Jonah s chagrin he experienced the greatest success of any evangelist in the entire history of the world. Billy Graham would be thrilled to see such spectacular results. Here is an entire city which came to know the Lord. Through Jonah s proclamation and the working of the Holy Spirit, everyone in the city repented of their wickedness. This was exactly what Jonah had feared. First, the people manifested faith in God. They believed that God meant it when He said He would destroy them for their wickedness. Solomon expressed it well when he said: 1 Backus, William, The Paranoid Prophet, Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, MN, 1986, p. 15. ) 21 (
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). When the citizens realized of the truth of the divine message, they responded by calling for a fast and putting on sackcloth. Note that all the city repented, for this was the response from the greatest to the least of them. What saved them? It was the power of God s word and the work of the Holy Spirit. While the text doesn t identify the Holy Spirit specifically, we know that it is only the working of the Spirit that brings people to God. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you (Romans 8:11). Verses 6-7: Even the King, when hearing Jonah s message and of the subsequent response, put on sackcloth and ashes. He too repented of the city s sinfulness. It is very possible the king, more than any other individual, was responsible for the city s evil condition. Nineveh s ruler proclaimed the fast, making it official. He carried this action even to the extreme of dressing the animals in sackcloth. He exhorted his subjects to turn to God and repent of their sins and violent behavior. The King hoped that if God saw true repentance in Nineveh, He would save them. As Jonah was aware, this was a legitimate hope. Nineveh s widespread repentance was another supernatural act. Only through God s intervention, combined with the power of the Holy Spirit, was an entire people able to turn to Him. It is only through the direct intercession of God that any are saved. And only the Holy Spirit working in the heart of the sinner, can more that heart to repent. For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:4-5). Verse 10: As expected, with Nineveh s repentance, God relented. He did not judge the nation. He did not bring down destruction. This greatly upset Jonah, as we ll see next time. This is the appropriate point to make a parenthetical comment on the repentance of God. Does God change His mind? God says, I the Lord do not change (Malachi 3:6). This is true. What is referred to as God s repentance is an anthropomorphism, a word that is used to describe God s actions in terms we can understand. When Scripture speaks of God changing His mind, it refers to the fact God can change His actions in response to man s repentance, or lack thereof. ) 22 (
III Mercy toward Believers: The lesson in this passage is as follows: Even if you have missed previous opportunities to serve God, He will open other doors so you can be used by Him. But you must be willing to carry out His work. As with Jonah, you are not called to save the world, but to carry the Good News to people. Can you think of a specific example in your life right now where you can take the message of repentance? The sinner s decision to repent, turning from wickedness and violence, is between him or her and the Lord. When the child of God puts aside the stubbornness that causes her from joyful service, then the loving Father will provide numerous additional opportunities. Jonah s basic problem was attitudinal. He believed that when it came to the Ninevites, his views outweighed God s Every believer is sometimes angry at God. He knows he needs to pray. But his attitude when praying is poor. I m praying because I know I m supposed to. I don t really want to. I m not really sorry, but I know I m supposed to be so it s Your problem to make me. This doesn t mean that he shouldn t have prayed this way. I know for myself, there are times when my attitude stinks. Then I don t really want to talk to the Lord. But I chose to go to Him and admit my attitude isn t great, like He doesn t know. I tell Him, that I know this is wrong and He is going to have to bring my attitude around. And not too surprisingly He does. Tell the Lord how you feel and let Him bring you in line with His way of thinking. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2). Obedience coupled with reluctance is not necessarily wrong. Obedience in action often brings about a spirit of willingness. However, in these situations it is better to confess a negative attitude to the Lord. For even if you serve out of obedience, you will not experience the joy that comes with the desire to serve. Wouldn t it be better to say with the prophet yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign Lord is my strength (Habakkuk 3:18-19)? Believers can experience abundant blessings because of the Lord s willingness to use them as His instruments. You can build for eternity. All you have to do is to be open to His leading. What a joy to be able to lead a meaningful life. So many are looking for a chance to do something that will last and be of significance. However, only Christians are given this opportunity. Can you think of anything more joyous than being a creature of a loving Creator Who is not only willing but desires to use you as His instrument? He doesn t need to use people at all. He simply wants to. Paul recognized this when he said To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with ) 23 (
the eternal purpose which He cared out in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:8-11). Your Christlike walk and words can convey a divine message to the unbeliever. Through your obedience to the Lord s calling, sinners lives can be changed for all eternity. Someday you will be able to stand before the Lord and meet the souls who were saved through your willingness to serve. While salvation can only come about by God at work in the sinner s heart, you can take an active part in this process by being His chosen instrument. Can anything be more blessed than building for eternity? Believers secure in the Lord s will are enhancing the ministry of constructing an eternal building. This is God s church. You have much to be grateful for. Pray you will stand before the Father and be so blessed to hear Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master (Matthew 25:21). Abraham, our father, answered his hineni When the Lord commanded him to offer up his son. He took the wood and fire, and journeyed to Moriah, And there he build an altar to complete what he d begun. Moses was in Midian lab ring as a shepherd. He saw upon the Mount of God a bush that was aflame. Twas there the Lord commanded that he deliver Israel From Egypt s bondage to freedom s brighter day. Refrain: Hineni, hineni, hineni hineni, hineni, Adonai. Hineni means, I m ready, Lord. Hineni means, I ll go, I ll go. Hineni means, I m list ning Lord. Tell me, Lord, what You would have me know! Isaiah was a prophet God spoke to our fathers standing in the Temple He s speaking to their children. He saw a vision of the Lord He spoke then thro the prophets; lifted up and high. now He s speaking thro His Son. He saw himself as lowly In Torah and Neviim when he saw the Lord so holy, the eye of faith can see Him. and when a voice said, Who will go? If you ll accept Y shua, he answered, Here am I! new life will have begun. 2 2 Dauermann, Stuart, Avodat Y shua, Hineni!, Purple Pomegranate Productions, San Francisco, CA, 1991, # 296 ) 24 (
Jonah The Second Call of Jonah Jonah 2:10-3:10 I Introduction Verse 10 II Mercy Toward All People Verses 1-10 III Mercy Toward Believers I Introduction: (Matthew 18:21-22) II Mercy toward all people: Verses 1-2: (Exodus 34:6-7) Verses 3-4: (Hebrews 9:27; Genesis 6:3; Luke 11:30)
Verse 5: (Proverbs 9:10; Ezekiel 36:26; Romans 8:11) Verses 6-7: (Ephesians 1:4-5) Verse 10: (Malachi 3:6) III Mercy toward Believers: (Romans 12:2; Habakkuk 3:18-19; Ephesians 3:8-11; Matthew 25:21) Personal Application: I think we lose sight of the fact we are building for eternity because we get so caught up surviving the present. This week focus of treasure we are building in heaven rather than being so concerned about building one here. Prayer for the Week: Lord help us maintain a heavenly perspective, desiring to hear You say, Well done. In Christ s name, amen.