The account of Jonah could be representative of my own heart when it is bitter. This historical account – a mere 2 pages in my Bible – is a real life template, if you will, of what happens to us when we do not align our hearts with God’s.
- Jonah was a prophet (I can hear the Veggie Tale fans…”Ooo oo”), which meant in Old Testament times that he was given the task to speak the words of God. He was to go to Nineveh and deliver the message of God and call them to repent and become the people of God. There was absolutely NO WAY Jonah was going to do this. On the one hand, I can’t fault the guy. This people (the Assyrians) did great harm to his people, the Israelites. Seriously, they were a gruesome people. On the other hand – well – he was running from God.
- Jonah chose passage across the Mediterranean in a mid-ish 700 BC ship to an industrious city called Tarshish. He never made it. Once on board and on his way he was so confident that he had out witted God that he laid down and took a nap. A horrible storm arose…it was so bad the sailors came to get him that he might pray…they were all praying to their gods. Jonah knew right away what God was doing. He called himself a Hebrew, a believer in the One True God – going so far as to say he fears Him. He instructed the sailors to throw him over and they would be safe. The sailors called out to God confessing what they were doing and seeing that they all had an accord – God, Jonah and the sailor’s – they threw him over. The sea quieted and the men worshipped. This is really an amazing account. I would encourage you to read it…it’d probably take 10 minutes.
- The next paragraph is so personal (as if the storm wasn’t). The LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. The Hebrew here has the sense that the fish was created for this purpose. As Jonah spends 3 days in the belly of this fish he prayed and recounted what happened to him, knowing that God in His great grace was saving him from otherwise certain death. Jonah’s prayer makes up chapter 2.
- Jonah finds himself on the beach, vomited up by the fish. Again he is instructed by the Living God to go to Nineveh to call the people in Nineveh to repent. Chapter 3 is devoted to the strength of the Word of God: .1’Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time…’ .3’So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.’ .5’And the people [of Nineveh] believed God.’ The word reached the king and his nobles and they did likewise. They felt the weight of their sin and repented of it. Jonah records that because of their repentance God did not bring disaster on them – they turned from their evil way. The Word of God speaks to us and it tells us the truth about our nature…and that Word calls us to repent. Anyone may be called – no matter how vile. But like the people of Nineveh the response must be from your heart.
Jonah was displeased. Not just a little displeased but exceedingly displeased with what God asked him to do – and he was angry!..so angry that he wanted to die!
Have you been there?
I think the heart attitude of Jonah can help us to examine our own hearts as Biblical Women. We can see from the text that Jonah’s actions were obedient. However, he was not in agreement with God. Although the people of Nineveh heard the Word of God and repented we do not read in this account that Jonah did.
He was offended by these people – It seems from 4.2b that he was offended by God’s plan also, ‘That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.’ God asked him about his anger: ‘Do you do well to be angry?’ God reached out to him by blessing him with shade as he sat and sulked in his ‘poor me’ attitude. Nothing. God took it away and asked him, ‘Do you do well to be angry for the plant?’ He replies to God in anger with the force of an expletive!..to God!
Listen: Jonah was angry because his mission that was prepared in advance that he should walk in it wasn’t what he wanted. He believed a lie. What Jonah wanted and what God wanted was not the same thing. Jonah’s desire was for self – we can see that when God takes the vine away; his shade and comfort. Jonah again tells God he is angry enough to die. Jonah wanted life his own self serving way. God wanted to save Nineveh – that was His plan. God’s heart had pity on that great city.
Understand: When our emotions inform our will we are almost sure to do the wrong thing. ‘See that no one leads you astray’ says Jesus to his disciples (Matt.24.4). This is an active stand against an active move toward you by the enemy. Doing the right thing is not all we’re called to do by God. Being right before God through the blood of Christ is what we’ve been amazingly called to. That comes from believing that God’s Word is true for us and we agree that God’s Word is better than ours.
Desire to serve a Living God – not a dying world.