Prophecy to the People Part 1
Prophecy to the People • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Who’s Crying Out
Who’s Crying Out
I have a dog that is part bloodhound. Every time the train comes by and blows its whistle she cries out with a long sad cry. It reminds me of the story of the trains that would come by the churches in Germany and blow their whistles while the Jews in the box cars were being taken to the slaughter camps. In those box cars they were crying out but the so called Christians would just sing louder. They knew who was in those box cars and why. But their singing was not to drown out the train whistles or the crying out of the Jewish people. No, they sang louder to drown out their conscience.
Regardless of political outcomes the soul of our nation remains sick. A political movement will not fix what only the redeeming grace of God can heal. There is a crying out at this very moment in our day. Can you hear them crying out or do you just turn up the news or the radio. Does your music or does your talk radio drown out the cries of the souls lost and going to Hell. Maybe, through your theological or political discourse with yourself, you have resolved that they are all a lost cause and there is not one who desires to be redeemed.
If you cannot hear the cries of their desperate souls, I doubt you can hear the Word of the Lord either. Do not let your political opinions become idolatrous and silence your divine responsibilities and the opportunities granted by God’s sovereign mercies. Throughout Scripture we see the Word of the Lord come through the Major Prophets whose purpose was to address Israel, call them to repentance, warn them of significant events such as soon coming captivity for their rebellious and idolatrous ways. But the Minor Prophets were no less significant and equally as relevant to the Biblical times in which we now live. Of course, no one today would want to be considered a “minor” prophet. Everyone wants to be considered a “major” prophet because they think these terms have to do with reputation. But they have nothing to do with the prophets reputation. Instead, they had to do with the scope of the prophets messages.
The book of Jonah starts with these words, “Now the Word of the Lord came to Jonah.”
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”
The very start of this book is applicable to you and me in these days. For the Word of the Lord came concerning a prophetic Word of redemption for a people. This book just as well might start with, “Now the Word of the Lord came to [Insert your name].”
And what exactly was the dabar דבר (word) or command of Adonai? It was to go to a wicked and perverse pagan people and “call out against them.” Now, we might interpret this phrase today as to go and yell at them; to go tell them just how wicked they are and give them the “what for”. But it is actually an idiom that means to rebuke them. And boy does a religious spirit love that word. But it is only understood through the Spirit of the Lord for it is a call to repentance not condemnation. In comes from a heart of mercy not vigilance.
I think we live in a day, where as Christians, we have forgotten how to call people to repentance in the Spirit of the Lord without calling them to condemnation. Instead, the church has resorted to either complete tolerance or absolute silence.
Jonah was being sent to a people to “call out” on their behalf. He was being sent to call them to a God of mercy and redemption.
The city of Nineveh was considered one of the largest cities in the world at that time. It’s name means the dwelling place of Ninus. Ninus is found in Genesis 10:9–11
He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and
Nineveh was named after Nimrod who probably had a hand in the building of the Tower of Babel. Genesis says he was a “mighty man” or a Mighty hunter”. The word used here is gibbor גִּבּוֹר with several meanings one being a “tyrant”. It is said that the following phrase “before the Lord” implies that he was brave enough to stand in defiant opposition to God’s face. This man, a great grandson of Noah, stands in opposition to Adonai.
Nimrod builds the Assyrian empire where they worship the pagan goddess Ishtar (a goddess of sexual promiscuity and perversion). Sounds much like our day. From the names Nimrod and Nineveh we see the root word for the pagan god of Assyria “Nin” also known to us as Hercules.
From the Assyrians we have many cultural concepts such as postal services and the invention of things like locks and keys and much more. However, they were brutal when it came to war and conquering other peoples. They would decapitate and collect heads. They would skin their captives and hang their skins on their city walls. They would crucify them on crosses throughout the city and use their bodies as torches to light their streets. Many of these same practices we see Rome revive in the days of the Early Church.
Nineveh fell in 612 BC. However, the Assyrian people later became some of the first converts to accept and follow Yeshua as the Messiah.
It is also interesting to note that Jonah’s name means “dove” as a term of endearment relative to a tender messenger of grace. And his father’s name, Amittai means “my truth” being the truth of God. But instead of obediently going to the people of Nineveh, Jonah defies God like a Nimrod and goes the opposite direction to Tarshish which means breaking and subjection. So, the very city and direction he flees to from God, speaks prophetically of his futile effort to escape God’s presence.
But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
David said these words regarding the presence of God:
If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
No one will escape the presence of God. You will either be found in His presence in peace or in judgment. But none can escape God’s presence. In Jonah, the word for “presence” used here is panim פָּנִים or the “Face of God”. He was running from the countenance or Face of God. This is the same as when Adam and Eve chose to seek their own countenance and turn and hide from the countenance of God.
And in verse 4 we see God’s response to Jonah’s hardness of heart because he knew what God was going to do. He knew God was going to allow these people to repent. God was going to show mercy to “those people”. Be extremely careful when you use the phrase “those people” that you do not have the heart of Jonah lest God’s response to your heart would be the same as how God responded to Jonah’s heart.
But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.
So, here is the summary thus far: Nineveh is extremely wicked. God is extremely merciful. And Jonah is extremely disobedient. “BUT the LORD...” How often we want a “But God was merciful to us” moment but we miss it when He wants us to show His mercy to others. Hurling is God’s response to our hearts hardened towards those who God desires to redeem. The word “hurl” here is tul טוּל meaning to cast down vigorously. So, God with full intent, cast down a violent storm that struck fear in the hearts of these pagan sailors.
Notice what these sailors say call Jonah in verse 6:
So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
We find where Ahab called the Prophet Elijah a “trouble maker.” We see Gideon having a reputation as a trouble making idol destroyer. We see Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael as being singled out for their strong devotion and obedience to Adonai. But not Jonah. He is referred to as “a sleeper”. This seems to be most professing Christians for our generations.
These sailors had done everything to call out to their pagan gods with no response just as the prophets of Baal in the days of Elijah. So, they cry out to Jonah, “Call out to your God that we might be saved!” They command him to identify himself by his occupation, his heritage, his nationality, all that they may ascertain what God he worshipped. And look at his response:
And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
The days are upon us where they will challenge who you identify with in terms of what you say you believe. Can you say to them, “I am a follower of the Christ Jesus. I live for Him and serve Him alone. He is the Lord God Almighty, the only Savior of the world.”
Look at their response to Jonah:
Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
The problem they did not realize was not what Jonah had done but what he HAD NOT DONE in obedience to the Lord. He had not gone to warn the people of their sin and called them to repentance.
And notice that when they finally threw Jonah into the sea, immediately the storm ceased. They were fearfully amazed by the power of Jonah’s God. And what God would be so concerned and extend such mercy for such a flagrant disobedient person like Jonah?
Look what they do as a result in verses 14 and 16:
Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.”
So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
When the church becomes a voice like Elijah, employs the wisdom as a Daniel, stands in the faith as a Hananiah, Azariah and Misheal and lives by discernment like a Gideon instead of being a rebellious Jonah, then we will see the deliverance of our generations. Until then, the hurling of the earth and the vomiting of the land will ensue.
This is the word of the Lord to His people today in this hour. Do not be a Jonah. Cry out for the lost, the broken, the confused, the hurting. Call them to the way of the Lord and leave salvation in the hands of God Almighty. Be gracious and let Him be the merciful one He is. Hear their cries. If you will not call out to them and cry out for them, how will they know to whom to turn for salvation and deliverance?
