Sunday PM 8/8/21
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Jonah’s Errors
Jonah’s Errors
He thought he could run from the presence of the LORD.
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
His false doctrine led to sinful behavior. Not only did he think he could run from the Lord, but he told others this as well. At some point in time during the journey he told the others on the ship in 1:10 that he was fleeing the presence of the Lord. Jonah gave a false message… God can be hidden from just like any other god that man makes up.
Maybe Jonah thought God was only present in Israel. “If I get out of God’s land, maybe I’ll have a chance to get away.” How did Jonah dismiss what God had told him in verse 2 though? If God could be escaped, how did God even know what was going on in another foreign land?
Skip ahead to 1:17. Would someone read that verse?
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. 1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish,
It seems that Jonah did not pray to God until 3 days and nights had elapsed. Maybe for three days and nights he thought he was too deep in the ocean for God to know about him so that is why he didn’t pray sooner. Maybe he came to the conclusion that God is omniscient and omnipresent. Either way, he either didn’t know Scripture or just disregarded it. Jonah would have lived during the time of Jereboam 2 around 793-753BC. This was after David’s reign and he should have been familiar with David’s words in ps 139:7-12.
We are familiar with these verses. Would someone please read them?
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.
Jonah had lots of other proofs from the OT books that God is omnipresent, but it seems that Jonah only believed in the parts of God He was in agreement with. Changing history is not a modern problem!
Is anyone familiar with Thomas Jefferson’s Bible?
Excerpt from history.com.
The ex-president bent over the book, using a razor and scissors to carefully cut out small squares of text. Soon, the book’s words would live in their own book, hand bound in red leather and ready to be read in private moments of contemplation. Each cut had a purpose, and each word was carefully considered. As he worked, Thomas Jefferson pasted his selections—each in a variety of ancient and modern languages that reflected his vast learning—into the book in neat columns.
Thomas Jefferson was known as an inventor and tinkerer. But this time he was tinkering with something held sacred by hundreds of millions of people: the Bible.
Using his clippings, the aging third president created a New Testament of his own—one that most Christians would hardly recognize. This Bible was focused only on Jesus, but none of his mystical works. It didn’t include major scenes like the resurrection or ascension to heaven, or miracles like turning water into wine or walking on water. Instead, Jefferson’s Bible focused on Jesus as a man of morals, a teacher whose truths were expressed without the help of miracles or the supernatural powers of God.
Made for his private use and kept secret for decades, Jefferson’s 84-page Bible was the work of a man who spent much of his life grappling with, and doubting, religion.
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Interestingly enough, all incoming Senators from 1904-the 1950’s recieved their very own copy of this Bible. Some things should not be restored nor propagated and this NT is digitized today for anyone to read.
Jonah thought he could pick and choose who he loved.
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.”
He told the men to throw him over so that they might be saved. He was willing to give his life for them, but not for the Ninevites!
Wasn’t this Peter’s trouble too in Acts 10? I’ll take the liberty to paraphrase Peter’s thoughts… “But God, the Gentiles are beneath me!” “They are not worth saving! Do you know the crimes and atrocities they commit? Do you know how they worship their gods? Maybe you don’t know all this God....”
God’s word is clear, I need to love all people, no matter their political or religious affiliation.
Jonah thought he could escape God’s plan!
We are fickle and as dumb as sheep. Sheep wander, get tangled up in brambles making easy dinner for predators. They fall off cliffs, injure themselves, and can’t hardly find their own food and water on their own.
What Biblical characters also thought they could escape God’s plan?
If God didn’t enact His will, no prophecy would ever have been completed. What do I mean by this statement?
God is intimately connected with human affairs! How do confession and repentance show this? (relationship, orchestrates events to cause repentance, assigns consequences,
There is no such thing as free will.
Illustration of driving a car:
When you get in a car what do you have control of?
(steering wheel and pedals, nothing more) Like life. You can make decisions while driving that effect the outcome of the trip, but God can intervene whenever and however he wants along the way and there is nothing we can do to prevent it.
God’s power should be viewed as a blessing and not as a curse.
Jonah underestimated the power of the Gospel.
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. 7 He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8 “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9 “Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
Jonah had only barely begun preaching repentance and the entire nation spun on it’s heels turning from catastrophe to blessing.
The Gospel is incredibly powerful! We have talked a lot about witnessing. Nineveh is a wonderful example of a people whom God had been preparing for the Gospel. When the timing is right and his people are obedient, the Gospel, the powerful, living, sharp Word does its thing. We should not underestimate the power of the Gospel.
Jonah didn’t see the connection: his own transgressions against God were just as awful as the Ninevites transgressions against God.
1 But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry.
2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. 3 “Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” 4 The Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”
11 “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”
Jonah wanted all 120,000 people to face God’s wrath! God’s plan was opposite Jonah’s plan. Jonah would have rather died than continue observing God’s incredible salvation!
What would have happened if Peter could have run from God’s will? Even though Peter wrestled with God he still believed God is in Heaven and does what he pleases! Peter relented. Instead of praying Jonah’s prayer… “I’d rather you killed me God than saving the Gentile peoples” Peter’s “free will” led to an attitude shift… he repented. Jonah’s “free will” extended his poor attitude.
How was Jonah’s sin identical to the NInevite’s sin? (sin is “running from God.” Ignored God, wanted to do his own thing, not be accountable to God, disobedience. God was slow to anger, merciful, gracious , and abounding in steadfast love toward Jonah just like He was toward Nineveh!
God still did what He wanted, Jonah was simply more miserable as a consequence. Peter’s “free will” trusted that God’s plan is always good, and reaped God’s blessings. That car was still going to reach its destination whether or not they agreed with God in the process.
Principles:
Principles:
We can’t escape the mission God has planned for us! (nor should we want to!)
How should this impact our lives this week?
We should model God’s attributes as listed in..
Jonah 4:2 (NASB95)
...for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.
How did Jonah’s belief impact his choices?
How should this belief impact our choices this week?
