Where he sends we must go! Jonah 1:1-16

Introduction

How would you respond to this scenario?

England is going to come under the judgement of God, this is because of its repeated refusal to turn away from its wickedness and turn back to God. The nation that God is going to use to judge England is Russia. But before that happens Russia must repent from its own wickedness. God asks you to go to Russia to preach the gospel. He says go to Moscow that great city and preach against it.

You know if you do, they will repent. God will have mercy on them. They will be spared and England will fall to the Russians in God’s judgement.

How would you respond? Would you go?

Would you be an instrument of God’s mercy to Russia even though it means Russia will be God’s instrument of judgement against England.

This is the kind of scenario that Jonah was facing in this book.

Jonah is a prophet to Israel at the same time as Hosea. Hosea prophesied about the coming Assyrian invasion. Israel had refused to repent of their injustice and idolatry. God is going to show mercy to Assyrians in Nineveh, he wants Jonah to be his messenger to them.

Book of Jonah is about a merciful God and a stubborn prophet. A book I’ve read written about Jonah is called the reluctant evangelist, which is a good description of Jonah.

Who was Jonah?

Jonah son of Amittai was from Gath Hepher a town on the boarder of Zebulun. 2 Kings 14:25 tells us he Prophesied during the reign of King Jeroboam II who ruled over Israel- The Northern Kingdom. 8th Century BC.

Jonah was of the common mindset that because the Jews were God’s chosen people, they were supposed to keep God to themselves and for themselves. In the book of Jonah we see that God taught Jonah this was wrong.

This book records him being taught a hard lesson that God was merciful towards every nation and not just Israel.

This is something that is clear from the first chapter.

Three important truths- 1. God is merciful to all 2. God is Sovereign over all 3. Where he sends we must go

God is full of mercy and limitless in power. We should obey him in everything and proclaim him to everyone.

Retell Narrative

Scene 1 v.1-3

The Word of the LORD-

Go-

(Nineveh- One of the capital cities of Assyria, based in what is now Northern Iraq. It was wicked and Israel’s enemy)

But Jonah Ran away from the LORD- Many people think it was because he was scared but it wasn’t it was because he didn’t want God to show mercy to the people of Nineveh.

Joppa to Tarshish (furthest he could get from Nineveh- opposite direction)

Paid his fare got on the boat

Scene 2 v.4-16

The LORD sent a great wind-

Sailors were scared for their lives

Crying out to their gods

Throwing their cargo in the sea

But Jonah was fast asleep- Deep sleep

Why are you sleeping? ( What meanest thou O sleeper?)

Let us cast lots-

What have you done?

What should we do?

Tried to row but storm got worst

Lord forgive us for killing an innocent man

Jonah thrown over board

Sea calm

Sailors sacrificed to Yahweh and made vows to him

Three truths for us

I) God is merciful to all v.1, v.15-16

a) Ninevites v.1

God wanted Jonah to go so that they might repent.

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

b) Pagan Sailors v.15-16

They feared the LORD. Offered sacrifices and made vows to him.

How could God show mercy to pagans?

God can show mercy to all because Christ’s death and resurrection. Everlasting covenant revealed by promises and accomplished by Christ in New Covenant. They looked forward we look back. All who has ever been saved is through the blood of Christ.

Application

The application of this for Jonah was he was being sent as a missionary to the Ninevites. Something he didn’t want to do.

What does it mean for us?

We must be mission minded as God is mission minded.

Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...”

Korean Revival in Pyongyang 1907- seven minsters were being ordained and although the church was brand new, they knew they needed to send missionaries- Samuel Moffat- Historian records their conversation-

“We will be the first Korean ministers of the Korean church. But a real church has more than ministers. It has missionaries.” And they looked hard at a burly young man who had come a little late into their class at the seminary. “You stoned the first missionary you ever saw, didn’t you,” they said. And he hung his head. It was true. “Then you are going to be our first missionary,” they said, and walked in to be ordained. And the moderator of the presbytery, my father, who happened to be the missionary that man had stoned sixteen years before, ordained the man who had stoned him, and the church sent him off as their own first missionary, to a strange island off the southern coast where he in turn was stoned when he first stood up to preach the gospel.

Are you involved in missions? Praying, giving, going. At home and over seas.

If you aren’t a Christian this is good news for you!! Preach Christ.

II) God is sovereign over all v.1, v.4, v.7, v.13, v.16

a) Over nations v.1

What’s the God of Israel doing sending a prophet to warn Nineveh?

Why is God bothered about their evil?

He is the God of all the earth, every nation is under his rule and reign.

We see this all throughout Scripture- The Canaanites were removed from the land because of their sin.

Isaiah has warnings for Israel but also other nations.

b) Over creation v4, 13, 16

The LORD sent a great wind v.4

The LORD didn’t want Jonah to reach dry land so the storm got worse v.13

The moment Jonah was in the sea the storm stopped v.16

Reminded of Jesus calming the storm Mark 4:35-41.

c) Over everything v.7

They cast lots and the LORD made it fall on Jonah.

Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.”

Ephesians 1:11 “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Application

Jonah should have known better than to resist God. which we will look at in a moment

How should we respond to this truth about God’s sovereignty? We must bow and rest. Jonah didn’t do this.

We submit to his providence and we rest in his goodness whatever comes our way.

I was reminded of this recently in an email- It was really good to be with you again, although I was disappointed to have to cut my involvement short - but in the Providence of God he permitted Roberta's fall and that was it!

The sovereignty of God over everything means that what ever adversity we face as Christians we know we can trust God’s good and loving purpose for it.

Oh, fearful saints, new courage take: The clouds that you now dread Are big with mercy and will break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace. Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.

This means we must do what he says. It also means when we do we can trust him and depend on him. We don’t need to worry, he is in control. He will protect us, and any bad that comes our way we know he has a loving reason for allowing it.

III) Where he sends we must go v.3

Jonah tried to run from God v.3 From the presence of the Lord repeated twice

Why did he try to run? He tried to run because he didn’t want to warn the people of Nineveh.

Where did he end up? In the middle of the sea. In the belly of a sea creature.

Jonah was doing what Adam and Eve did. Gen 3:

Jonah knew the Psalms we see this in Ch 2. He should have remembered Psalm 139.

Jonah’s disobedience resulted in chastisement.

Illustration-

John G Paton was the opposite to Jonah-

He went to the Cannibals of the Fiji Islands-

It was a dangerous place to be a missionary. He could have ran like Jonah. But he had come to understand this truth. Where God sends we must go.

A Mr. Dickson exploded, “The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!”. But to this Paton responded:

Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.

Application

If God has told you to do something. The best response is obedience.

Has God told you to do something and you are running from him like Jonah?

Are you running from God in disobedience?

A call to missions like Jonah? - This is the main application

To repent of a particular sin?

To end a particular relationship?

Conclusion

God said go, Jonah said No. So God taught Jonah a valuable lesson about his love for other nations and his control over all creation.

Three truths-

God is merciful to all, God is Sovereign over all, Where He sends we must go.

God is full of mercy and limitless in power. We should obey him in everything and proclaim him to everyone.