Jonah - To Run or Not to Run

Intro

This week are continuing the sermon series that you have been in the midst of called Defining Moments. You have explored Scripture to learn from the defining moments thus far in the lives of Gideon, Daniel, and the Woman at the Well who had a life changing encounter with Jesus. Today, we are going to dig into the story of Jonah to find what we can learn from his defining moment.

Background

Before we get to his defining moment, though, I think it is important for us to establish some context for what we are about to discover. First of all, Jonah was a prophet of God to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Prophets were called by God to serve as messengers typically to the nation of Israel, but sometimes, as we’ll see today God even called His prophets to serve as messengers to pagan nations. Sometimes these prophets delivered messages concerning future events, but oftentimes they delivered warnings from God.

Now, I don’t know if you caught it or not, but I mentioned that Jonah was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. You see, at the time of Jonah, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms; a kingdom to the north and a kingdom to the south. The kingdom to the south was known as the Kingdom of Judah while the kingdom to the north (again, the kingdom to which Jonah prophesied) was known as the Kingdom of Israel.

Jonah was coming on the scene as a prophet to the northern kingdom as Elisha’s ministry as a prophet was coming to a close. At the outset of Jonah’s ministry as a prophet, he and the Israelites were witness to a shifting in the balance of power in the region.

The Assyrian Kingdom waged a campaign against the Kingdom of Damascus which had gained significant control over a significant portion of land and the internal workings of the northern kingdom. Assyria crushed Damascus and became the new power player in the region.

The defeat of Damascus allowed the northern kingdom to recover their territory. Then, by God’s providence, the Assyrians experienced a period of internal strife that allowed King Jeroboam II of the northern kingdom to fully restore Israel’s northern border.

In 2 Kings 14:25 we are told that it was Jonah who delivered the word of the Lord regarding the restoration of Israel’s boundaries before it took place. It says, “He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.”

After re-establishing their boundaries, the nation of Israel experienced a brief season of peace. It was during that season of peace, that Israel began to boast of its newfound power and obvious favored status in their minds with God. One commentary put it this way, Israel, at the time of Jonah’s ministry as a prophet to the northern kingdom “was politically secure and spiritually smug.” Unfortunately, rather than turning fully to the Lord and recognizing the grace and mercy He extended to them, the nation of Israel became steeped in both religious and moral corruption.

And that is where we pick up with the story of Jonah, which is a historical narrative recounting just a season of Jonah’s life.

Defining Moment

Now, when you think of the story of Jonah, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? (The Whale, The Fish, etc).

Upon first glance at this story from Jonah’s life, it would be easy to believe that Jonah’s time in the belly of the great fish was the defining moment of this season of his life. After all, it was in the belly of the fish that Jonah committed to doing that which God commissioned him to do in the first place; preaching a message of warning to the people of Nineveh which was a great city in Assyria. I mean, when Jonah looked back on his life, that was probably a moment he was very proud of…or was it.

What if I were to tell you that Jonah’s defining moment was not when he made the decision in the belly of the fish to obey God? What if Jonah’s defining moment was nothing at all like what we would typically ascribe to a defining moment. In other words, what if Jonah’s defining moment wasn’t a moment to be proud of at all?

As I was preparing this sermon, I typed into the old google machine “Define a Defining Moment.” And wouldn’t you know, Dictionary.com actually had a definition for a Defining Moment. This is what it said: A Defining Moment is a point at which the essential nature or character of a person, group, etc., is revealed or identified.

You see, as we are going to learn today, the essential nature…the essential character of Jonah during this season of his life was not revealed during his time in the belly of the fish. The essential character of Jonah was actually revealed, not in Jonah Chapter Two, but in Jonah 3:10 - 4:3.

This is what it says, “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.””

It is in this moment that Jonah’s essential character manifests itself as one of contempt, indifference, and self-righteousness. But this revealed character of Jonah should come as no surprise to us. As you will see, this morning, the revelation of Jonah’s essential character unfolds before us through each movement of this story from the beginning to the end. And what you are also going to see, is that the unfolding of Jonah’s essential character in this season of his life is tied to his incessant desire to run away.

Let’s go back to the beginning (Jonah 1:1-3)

Jonah Attempts to Run Away from His Calling

There’s a word for this…sin (not doing what you know God wants you to do).

Even more, he was deliberate in his sin.

Surely he knew he couldn’t outrun God, but maybe he thought he could get far enough away from Nineveh that God would realize He would have to choose a different prophet (maybe Amos could do it!)

Jonah 1:1–3 NIV

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Jonah Attempts to Run Away In the Midst of the Storm

He goes to bed to avoid God’s pursuit.

This puts the sailors at jeopardy…and it should not be lost on us that these sailors were pagans just as the Ninevites were pagans. And just like Jonah had no desire to help the Ninevites in any way, he had no desire to help the sailors either. In fact, it was the Captain (a pagan) who roused Jonah out of great concern for everyone on board.

Jonah 1:4–5 NIV

Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

Jonah Attempts to Run Away Forever

On the surface, this decision to be thrown into the sea might seem noble, but in actuality it reveals that rather than go and deliver God’s warning to the Ninevites, Jonah would rather die!

Jonah 1:12 NIV

“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

When we look at these events in this story from this season of Jonah’s life through the lens of 3:10-4:3, you can see that his motivation to run away from his calling was driven by contempt

for the Ninevites

you can see that his motivation to run away in the midst of the storm was driven by indifference

towards God’s pursuit

towards the sailors he put in jeopardy

towards the Ninevites who needed to hear from God

you can see that his motivation to run away forever was driven by self-righteousness

his actions revealed that he didn’t believe the Ninevites were good enough to hear God’s message through him…to the point that he was willing to die to prove it. Talk about thinking of yourself more highly than you ought.

Finally, when Jonah hit rock bottom, he cried out to God and God saved him and gave him another chance to fulfill his commission.

Check this out:

Jonah ran away from his calling and God sent a storm to get his attention.

Jonah ran away in the midst of the storm and God sent a captain to give him a wake-up call

Jonah attempted to run away forever and God sent a fish to extend Jonah mercy and provide him one more chance to do what he was called to do.

Then, in the belly of the fish, Jonah commits to fulfilling the commission to go and deliver God’s message to Nineveh. Jonah doesn’t attempt to run away and God sent Jonah to get the attention of the Ninevites, to provide them with a wake-up call, and to extend them the mercy of God!

And upon hearing the message of God from the lips of Jonah, the entire city repents and turns from their wicked ways. In response, God relents and chooses not to destroy them.

And that brings us full circle back to 3:10-4:3, where just when you think Jonah gets it, he doesn’t and in just one small vile prayer to God, he reveals all that his actions leading up to this moment in this story from this season of his life already revealed, his essential character was one of contempt, indifference, and self-righteousness. This was in fact his defining moment.

In a display of petulance, Jonah tells God that once again he desires to run away forever. And God, in a display of patience and mercy sends a plant and a worm to teach Jonah a lesson; that God is concerned for all nations…and that it is His desire that all would turn from their wicked ways and follow Him.

This story, for Jonah, ends there. We do not know how he responded to God’s lesson. But we do know that this story was to serve as both a lesson and a warning for the nation of Israel to fulfill its original calling to be a blessing to all of the nations of the world. We also know, the nation of Israel did not learn the lesson and did not heed the warning and for that reason, they experienced a great destruction and exile at the hands of the Assyrians.

But what about you? What will your response be? You see, this story serves as both a lesson and a warning for those of us who claim to follow Jesus. Just like the nation of Israel received a commission to be a blessing to all nations, and Jonah received a commission to preach a message of repentance to the Ninevites, we have also been given a commission…to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, son, and holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus said.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been commissioned to share the gospel with people who desperately need to know Him. That includes the good people that you know who demonstrate great concern for others just like the sailors on board with Jonah. And that also includes the wicked and the ruthless people you know just like the pagans in Nineveh.

Are you going to respond like Jonah who ran away from home, like Jonah who ran below deck, like Jonah who threw himself in the sea all to avoid delivering God’s word to those who desperately need to hear it, or like Jonah who expressed anger at the notion of his enemies receiving the blessing of God’s mercy and salvation? Are you going to demonstrate a character of contempt, indifference, and self-righteousness? Are you going to give in to the desire to run away?

If so, you are going to be in for a world of hurt. And rock bottom is waiting for you. (Thankfully we serve a God of second chances…and God is patient…but His patience will not last forever).

But, if you can overcome the desire to run away in the face of the great commission, then watch what happens when you allow yourself to be used by God! Watch what happens when you trade contempt for compassion, indifference for mercy, and self-righteousness for humility. An entire nation of people known for their wickedness just might come to know Jesus as their savior through your willingness to be used to get their attention, to give them a wake-up call, or to extend them His mercy!