We sang this song on Sunday that made me think of the story of Jonah. As you listen to it, picture Jonah in the shadow of death, when he is caught in the middle of the storms of this life…he will see a light that is coming and a hand to hold on…it tells the tale so perfectly!

Then my pastor mentioned  Andy Stanley saying that “Christians believe the craziest things” …I think that is called having a leap of faith! The story of Jonah is a big leap so let’s get jumping!

Jonah is on dry land after surviving an unbelievable life threatening event…What does God do?  God said to Jonah -Go to Nineveh.

Jonah was  given a second chance to do what God wanted him to do in the first place. He had really screwed this one up and yet was forgiven. God now sets him out to do orignal task  as if nothing had happened between him and God.

How crazy is that?? That is God’s mercy at its finest!

If we turn back to God, He forgives us and moves forward without holding our mistake against us!

Jonah heads to Nineveh and over the course of 3 days he tells the people the news of God’s plan to destroy them because of their detestable, godless, sinful ways. He tells them that God’s plan of judgement will come to them in 40 days…

After sharing this (insert sarcastic eye roll here)

 

joyous and uplifting news with the people of Nineveh, Jonah heads over to a hill to get a front row seat to watch God’s wrath in action.

After all, Jonah has completed the task he was saved for…right?

The King of Nineveh, however, responded to the message given by Jonah as a warning…He told his people that MAYBE God would not destroy them if they turned from their evil ways and turned to God instead. He thought MAYBE  the point in Jonah coming to tell them this news was for them to have  chance at salvation.

MAYBE, just maybe, they could have a second chance…

Jonah 3:9 says “who knows, God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his anger.”

What did they have to lose by repenting with sincere remorse??? Their LIVES were on the line!!

Question:

Answer:

YES!

We turn our heads back to our friend Jonah, you remember him- the one who used to speak on God’s behalf but then ran as far as he could because he did not want to do what God told him; he’s the one who almost drowned in a storm before he got SWALLOWED by a huge fish and sat inside it for THREE WHOLE DAYS; he’s the one who told God how thankful he was for the mercy that was shown him before he was puked back onto dry land- yeah….THAT  Jonah.

Can you see him sitting on that hill overlooking Nineveh?

Let’s just say his response to God changing his mind was not as appreciative of the mercy shown to him…

Jonah knew God was merciful and had experienced mercy himself when he did not deserve it…yet he was so furious with God that God backed down from the plan that Jonah decided he would rather be dead himself than live in a world with that kind of compassion!

Wow.

He would rather be dead than have these people be given a second chance to get life right with God.

Jonah was looking like a fool suddenly. He had made this HUGE declaration about what he thought God would do…and completely forgot the character of God and how God’s compassion would deter His wrath.

God asks him- is it right for you to be angry?

God was teaching Jonah about mercy and forgiveness…that it goes beyond Jonah.  Jonah had forgotten the mercy he was so thankful for when he was in the belly of the fish.

 God’s mercy, compassion, and forgiveness extends to ALL people. NO ONE deserves mercy but yet we all are given it- even the bad of all bad if they choose to stop running from God and toward Him instead.

God tries another angle to get Jonah’s attention for mercy…this time he uses a simple comfort. In the heat of the day, God provided a branch that gave Jonah shade while he pouted. In the night, he let a worm eat the branch and therefore destroy the chance of shade. When the hot wind began to blow Jonah was in great discomfort.

Jonah’s indignant response???

I wish I was dead!

Really?? You survived drowning and lived for three days in the belly of a whale and NOW, because you are hot, you wish you were dead??

How fast we all fluctuate in our responses to God….when it rains, we wish it was sunny but when it is sunny, we complain that it is hot…It’s like having religious bipolar-we bounce from one feeling toward God to another!

God’s response was the same as before- is it right for you to be angry?

Do we wish for God’s compassion on those who are wicked?

On those who have wronged us?

On those who are different from us or someone we don’t know?

Do we wish for them to know God’s mercy and forgiveness?

God saved the sailors in this story when they pleaded for help. They knew Him not.

God saved Jonah from drowning and had him tucked safely in the belly of a whale. He deliberately disobeyed God even though he knew Him.

God saved the people of Nineveh– who were completely wicked and godless- when they responded to Jonah’s teaching.

God sent Jonah to Nineveh because He had created those people too and loved them as much as He loves all of His creation…He sent Jonah to Nineveh because God knew they were ready to hear what Jonah needed to tell them…

 

Here’s the crux…God desires ALL to know Him, trust Him, and be saved.

God will use anyone and everyone to get this Good News to those who have not heard it or received it. He will pave a way for them to respond to the messenger, whether you are as reluctant as Jonah or not.

To be saved- as with Nineveh- we need to HEAR the promise of God and also RESPOND obediently to it. Responding in obedience means to follow His path (God’s path with instructions given to us in the Bible) toward right living (not OUR OWN path-what we think we should do– or the WORLD’s path-what everyone else is doing). 

When we do so we will be met with compassion, forgiveness, and mercy…just like Jonah and the city of Nineveh.

THAT is the lesson of Jonah.