Rebellion to Repentance

Introduction

A fine christian doctor I know had a boy named Keith. He was an intellectual and graduated at the top of his class in high school. But the father began to sense some real seeds of rebellion that did not respond to his father’s counsel. Keith wanted his first year of college to be at Stanford. Since they lived in the southwest and it meant a significant outlay of money, Keith was told it would mean that he’d have to work to help with the expenses. He reluctantly said he would, and off he went.

While at Stanford, he never got a job, but he did get fed all the gunk from the secular world about parents and how terrible it is to be in submission and all that rot. So he went back home in the summer after his first year and announced to his dad that he was taking off.

Big mistake. His dad said, “Okay, son, tell you what. Everything you have, I bought for you.” He played violin beautifully. So he said, “That Stradivarius violin, you leave in my home.” The boy kind of gulped and blinked and, “Okay.” Then he said, “By the way, that new Chevelle that you drove to school is mine, so leave that in the garage.” “Okay.” “And the clothes hanging in your closet? I bought them for you. Leave them there.” “The clothes?” “Yeah, all the clothes. You may leave with the clothes that you’ve got on and you may have the shoes you’re wearing. Also, the money in your pocket is mine. Leave it there on the counter before you leave. And let’s see if there’s anything else.” Keith was shaken and said, “Dad, I think you’ve picked everything that there is.” He said, “Okay, then you can leave.”

That evening they sat down and had a long talk. Eyeball-to-eyeball that very wise father leveled that young rebel. Today they have a relationship that’s some thing to behold.

God hears Your Cries (vv.2-7)

Jonah had been commissioned by the Lord to go and take a message to the Ninevites. He decided he knew best and went onto another city. The Lord sent a wicked storm to stop him because Jonah was in rebellion.

The boat was coming apart and many were frightened. Jonah was the cause and was shown to be the cause of the storm. He finally submitted and told the sailors to cast him overboard so the storm would stop.

Over he went and God then sent a big fish to swallow him up.

How many times do we feel like we have been swallowed up by a big fish? Don’t we feel that maybe we made it through the storm just to be swallowed by something worse.

If we are in rebellion to God this should be expected. Jonah knew that the storm was his fault. He knew that when cast over it would cease. He knew his rebellion was to blame.

A lot of times this is our case. We have decided to do something that is not what God wants. We decide to go our own way and do our own things.

We maybe are like Jonah and just openly rebel against God for something we know we should not do. Much like the kid in the opening story. What is certain, if we disobey God he will send a storm and maybe even a big fish to swallow us.

Sometimes these are a test to strengthen us and build our character. We sometimes go through trials because it makes us better and stronger. Mush like an athlete. They suffer daily to become better. They strain forward through it all.

Regardless of our situation we need to be as Jonah was when he decided to repent.

He cried out to God from his distress. What’s more, he knew that God heard him. What is so interesting here is that he knew God heard him in the storm, so why not seek Him before the storm?

Too many times we decide to only seek God in the storm, when we should have sought Him all along.

Even though this may be how we do too, what we see is that God heard him. He was in the deep and in a despairing place.

This tells us that there is no depth of despair or place to far away that God does not hear our cries. As the apostle Paul said, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).

Nothing is too far away nor too deep for God to hear and respond.

Regardless how you got in the situation. Whether this was through disobedience, as was Jonah’s case, or just the evils of this world, you are not too far away for God to hear your cries of despair.

We need to be more like Jonah in these situations. He was being disciplined by the Lord for his rebellion. He recognized that this was true. He knew it was God who had placed him in the situation he was in.

Yet, he did not curse God. No! He praised Him and knew because of his returning and repenting of his wicked rebellion he would see God again.

He knew that this was not the end. He knew he would see the temple of God again. He knew God would restore him.

He had faith in the Lord to uphold His promise to those who prayed toward the holy temple would be heard and spared (1 Kings 8:38-40). He was looking to God in genuine faith and not just for a rescue.

God will hear and respond to you when you are genuine and truly seeking Him. But remember, do not blame God or begrudge God for the situation you are in. He may have put you there, but do not blame Him and get into a pity party because that will do nothing for you. Seek God wholeheartedly and He will hear you and respond.

When you are here...

Stay Faithful (vv. 8-9)

Those who seek God and remain faithful will not forsake hope. Staying steadfast and focused on God will give you hope.

If you think anything else in the world will help you, you are wrong.

All things in the world are just vain idols of the one true God. They have taken an aspect or attribute of Him and made it a God. These will not allow you hope or peace. No, they will only make the situation worse.

The world will not help you. It will come along with platitudes and a bunch of self-help stuff that is anything but that.

Interestingly enough, when we become so focused upon our own situation and our lives, it too can become an idol.

This was Jonah’s problem. His intense patriotism for his people was why he decided to not go preach to the Ninevites. They were bitter enemies of the Israelites.

He knew God is full of steadfast love and grace. He knew He would forgive the Ninevites if they turned to God. So he did not go. He began to worship himself and his own more than God.

It was here that he repented of his sinful rebellion to God. He admitted that he had forsaken God for an idol. How many of us have done such a thing as this?

It is so easy to become so focused on us that we miss God and replace God with a god of our own making.

We all do it. We all fall. What is important is to recognize this and repent of the failings we have. Turn back to God and stay faithful to the faithful One.

God is so much more and so much more above any and everything we can imagine. He is loyal and faithful.

He, “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty” (Ex. 34:6-7).

The guilty get punished for their guiltiness. This is what Jonah experienced. But, in his repentance he found forgiveness and a restoration. He found the steadfast, merciful, gracious love of God with outreached hand.

Reject vain idols and look to the Lord. Know that He is right, righteous, and just in all things. He is the one who will carry you through. He will strengthen you in the struggles. He will also punish you when you disobey and seek other gods.

When in these situations we must remember and be as Jonah was and say, “Salvation belongs to the Lord.” Remember this and it will help to keep you faithful and strong in the Lord in these difficult times.

We must keep our minds on God and always...

Trust God’s Ways (v. 10)

We see in the final verse that God heard and allowed Jonah another chance to follow and obey.

This was quite the ignominious way to be delivered. He was vomited out by the fish.

What I want you to get from this is that just because God delivers you from a storm and a desperate time does not mean it will be a beautiful deliverance.

You may be vomited out and look worse for wear. Sometimes these actions and deliverances are to humble us and make us remember why we went through the storm.

This form of deliverance may be a prison sentence. It may be a devastating accident that leaves you crippled for life. It may be loss of fortunes. It may be a loss of close friendships.

Many different things can be the result of the deliverance. But one thing we can trust in all of it is God’s ways.

We may not want to be vomited out onto the shore but that may be exactly what we need.

Just because you receive deliverance and rescue from a despairing time does not mean the lesson or disciplining is over.

There is another part to the Scripture from Exodus 34:6-7 I want you to hear. It goes, “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Sometimes the actions of one will trickle down and affect many others throughout generations.

Blights on the family name can carry along for sometime. These are reminders of our sinful deeds and part of the discipline we receive from the Lord. Just as Jonah was vomited out as an extra to his discipline, so we may have extra in our lives also.

Again, though, trust in God’s ways. He is doing what He is doing because He knows what is best for us. As the Lord told the prophet Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-9).

This is what we must trust in regardless of our situation. When we receive rescue that looks more like more struggle than rescue, trust in Gods ways. Continue to cry out to Him and trust that He hears you.

I promise that this is far better than trusting in vain idols to fulfill you. As we see in the final chapter of this short book, Jonah was displeased because God did not destroy the Ninevites because they turned to Him. Jonah was angered and would rather die than praise God because he still had an idol over God: His own nation and self.

We must let those go and cling to God alone. There may be things and situations we do not understand, but that is okay. We do not need to know all that God does to know He is worthy and righteous in all He does.

Trust His ways and you will be able to walk with your head held high and withstand all struggles and situations because you know God is in control and guiding you.