God's Object Lesson

God is active in our world.

This is one of the greatest hopes as we live in todays world. Though some may believe, and many act, God is not dead. God is alive and active in our world. Yet, we may scratch our heads some weeks asking,

How is God active in our world?

All of us are searching for answers to this question. Can you and I see God? Even more bold of a question, can we see him today? I may be setting myself up for failure this morning but I do think these questions are important for us to ask, contemplate. If you are a Christ follower, the question takes you beyond the point of “salvation” and to how you are or are not experience Christ each year you follow Him. For those who maybe have not made the decision to submit to Christ, to have Him as your Lord and Savior, to Say He is the King of all, you may wonder these thoughts. In some way.

Jonah goes out of the city, to watch it be turned upside down.

Going deeper: Heading East in Scripture is normally not good.

This is true from the beginning of Genesis and I find it to be true in Jonah.

God covers Jonah’s inadequacy.

Truth: God uses everyday objects to reveal himself.

How does God speak, reveal and be “seen” today? Just look around. We believe that God is sovereign, meaning in control of all things, and thus he can use normal everyday and common objects to teach and reveal who He is.

God provides comfort.

God is still merciful to Jonah even though he has given his complaint, not answered God’s question, and still waiting for destruction.

God provides discomfort.

The second object lesson is a worm.

God uses the wind and sun to get Jonah’s attention, again.

Object lessons are not the final product, or the end.

Jonah’s emotions were a signal to go deeper.

God goes to the heart of the issue.

God wants engagement with His people.

Being a Christian, Christ follower is not a passive experience where you and I sit down, enjoy a bag of popcorn and watch a show. It is being active and engaged with God. The beauty of Jonah is we see God is not scared, weak, or unable to engage us regardless of where we are.

Question: Do we care about the things God cares about?

The story ends in essence with this question. No further dialogue. No further action. Just this question. We are left wanting more. We are left with the tension of what happens next. As some commentators on this passage have noted, it leaves off in such a way that each and every reader is left with the question as if we must answer it.