A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (July 11, 2016)
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
The Book of Jonah has long been characterized by some as just a funny fish story. Some modern-day theologians have even discounted the story as an allegory. The Book of Jonah is not an allegory! It is a very important prophetic book that especially applies to the times we live in. The Jewish people read the account of Jonah on Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. They believe that the central themes of this book are atonement and repentance and that it reflects the true heart of God.
Listen to what Jesus said himself about Jonah in Matthew 12:39-40 which confirms the Book of Jonah is not an allegory or just a funny fish story:
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
God instructed Jonah to prophesy to the people of Nineveh but Jonah refused. There were some obvious religious and personal reasons for this refusal. The gift of prophecy was restricted to the Jewish people and could only be heard in the Jewish land. His own people were falling away from God and Jonah probably reasoned it would be far better to minister to his own people. Also, the people of Nineveh were arch enemies of the Jewish people. They were ruthless and cruel people that Jonah wanted nothing to do with. It did not make sense to Jonah religiously, morally, or ethically.
I think there were some other less obvious reasons Jonah may have balked at this task. He knew God’s heart! He knew if he prophesied to Nineveh what God said “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown”, and they repented, God would change His mind and have mercy on them. This would ruin Jonah’s reputation as a seasoned prophet and more seriously make him a false prophet subject to death by stoning. This would put him in a position where he would lose all his friends and family and would not be able to return home. To Jonah, this was a losing proposition all the way around so he fled to Tarshish in the opposite direction.
The rest of the story is well known. Jonah was thrown overboard to save the ship from a violent storm and Jonah was swallowed by a big fish. After three days and three nights in Sheol (the place of the dead) Jonah prayed a powerful prayer of repentance and said, “Salvation is of the Lord”. Jonah finally acknowledged that the decision on who to save was God’s decision alone. With that, God had the fish spit Jonah up. He raised Jonah from the dead and gave him a second chance!!!
Jonah went on to prophesy to Nineveh, they repented, and just as Jonah had suspected God relented and had mercy on them. The Book of Jonah is a book about the heart and mercy of God. God does not want any to perish; even the ones that you and I think should perish. It is not our place to qualify who deserves salvation. It is a book about repentance, revival, and changing an entire city. It is a book about one man being obedient to say what God told him to say at the expense of his reputation, family and friends with the reward of 120,000 souls.
The big question is, are we willing to do that today to win a city?
