What on earth made me think I could actually teach this lesson in one sitting??

Jonah- Part 1 (blog posted on September 25,2017) only covered up to the Lord calling Jonah to go to Nineveh and Jonah refusing to go- feel free to read it catch up to where this story picks up today!

As we move into the more “unbelievable” part of this story it is VERY important to remember these two biblical truths:

1.

AND

2.

Off we go into the times of Jonah~

We pick our story up with Jonah choosing to go the complete opposite direction of where God had commanded him to go. He did not just choose to NOT do what God wanted him to and  simply stay put in his current vocation in Samaria, he decided he would rather leave his home and go somewhere completely new instead.

This brings up an interesting thought- walk with me down this little rabbit trail.

Has there been a situation where you know if you go a certain way you will be prompted to do something? You could go on your usual way of life, but doing so may make that “something” come to mind or be in your path. So, the next choice is to go a different way.

Sadly, a circumstance comes to my mind that could very well be a good example.

I go to work in the “big” city of Lansing. This means I drive to work a couple of times a week. Not only that, I also drive home when I am done. It is safe to say I drive the same road twice (not once) a day  a few times a week.

Lately, there are certain corners where panhandlers stand with signs asking for money or “help”. I know which  corners these are. I also know which side of the road they stand on most of the time and, therefore, which car lane is closest to them.

I am guilty of consciously choosing the farthest lane from that corner on many occasions. My excuse is that it is hard and uncomfortable to see them “beg” every day.

If I do not “see” them the problem does not exist, right?

I am guilty of choosing to turn down a different street just to avoid a certain corner.

This choice, therefore, relinquishes me from any guilty obligation to assist.

Does that sound familiar to anyone else or am I alone on this one???

I want to clarify that I am not a heartless monster who refuses to help others, but I am acutely aware of how much I feel I am unable to help. I am aware that it is the same person holding the sign at particular corner- day after day, even year after year- and I wonder why nothing has changed for him?

I wrestle with judgment and compassion on a regular basis.

Like Jonah, I too have turned and gone a different direction instead of helping those that God has placed in front of me.

To get to Tarshish, Jonah needs to get on a boat so he books his passage on a small vessel with a handful of sailors. What does he do next?

Jonah goes to sleep.

The next part of the story reveals why that is so interesting…

As we are told, the ship sets sail and a storm blows in! This is no ordinary storm, though! This is a ship-sinking storm! A whopper of a gale! A real doozy!

The ship is being tossed around in such a manner that the sailors were TERRIFIED they would lose their lives…yet Jonah slept.

If I have not mentioned it before, I LOVE all shows about Alaska! I am not biased toward any particular network – I will watch Discovery, National Geographic, whatever to catch my fill! One show I thoroughly enjoy is Deadliest Catch. This series is about crab fishermen who fish in the winter on the Bering Sea. They encounter storms with winds and waves that rival hurricane strength! When these fishing vessel’s start to ride these waves there is NO WAY any of the crew would be able to sleep!

It may not have been an icy Bering Sea that Jonah was sailing on, but the storm was big enough to destroy his ship causing the sailors to fear their impending death with Jonah catching some

How on earth is that possible?!

Jonah has just disobeyed God, right?

But, he was sleeping so soundly that one would question whether he felt any guilt about his choice at all??

I don’t know about you but when I am upset about something, when I have done something wrong, wronged somebody, or am anxious or worried sleeping is not something I can do very easily…

I know many people who can sleep through a storm – I am also not one of those people either! And neither is my dog!

My kind of storm, though, is experienced from the comfort of my home on  stationary ground: THERE ARE NO WAVES knocking me around and out of bed!

The waves of Jonah’s storm are tossing the boat around, smashing the cargo all over the place, roaring LOUD with the sounds of scared sailors screaming for help….

yet Jonah sleeps.

Jonah had no guilt over his choice to disobey God- he justified his actions with his belief system that Assyria was an enemy not worth saving instead of seeing those 120,000 souls that God created  in His own image- just like He did Jonah.

That’s like me choosing to be in a lane that keeps me out of reach of the panhandler. I justify the fact that I cannot help him because I cannot reach him in that moment. The justification makes me feel better.

I rest in the justifying thoughts I have to make me feel better as much as Jonah did. Jonah’s thoughts were simply that the Assyrians were evil and deserved no mercy…period. Jonah became the Judge and the Jury while looking away without seeing  the individuals he was condemning.

All the sailors cried out to any god they thought would hear them and help them! They were desperate and looking for help wherever they could find it! Suddenly ALL religion mattered if it meant they could survive this suffering! They were no longer religiously segregated or biased!

This spurned them on to wake up Jonah and encourage him to pray to his God to save them as well: one god is as good as any other, right?

When Jonah opened his eyes

his eyes were opened.

His God he had run from was making His presence known.

Remember, Jonah knew God. He knew how awesome and powerful God was. And now, he was seeing God with open eyes….how big God was…and how small he was in comparison.

Jonah cannot run nor hide any longer! God is standing in front of him and Jonah fears it is to settle a score.

Jonah believes that God is telling him that

Jonah confesses to the sailors who this God is that he worships and what it is that he has done against Him. He then, surprisingly, tells them to toss him overboard so they can live and the storm be silenced.

Here is this guy who just said that your very life is in jeopardy  because of a wrong he has committed and the solution is to sacrifice him so you can live. Could you do it?

The sailors couldn’t.

They wanted to show him mercy…show him, a complete stranger who just confessed a sin, mercy.

They decided to draw straws (essentially) and let God choose Jonah’s fate or the fate of the poor guy who drew the short straw.

Jonah lost.

To save the lives of a few men he did not know, Jonah willingly went into the water to die.

Jonah had compassion on them and wanted them to experience the mercy of His Lord.

Jonah went into the water.

The storm silenced above him.

The sailors lived and praised Jonah’s God.

 Jonah sank and waited to die.

Why would he think God would save him?

In his mind, do you think he thought he deserved saving?

And then, in the deep darkness, a large shadow appeared…

STAY TUNED FOR MORE IN PART 3