Jonah 1:1-10
January 23, 2007
Running From God
READ: Jonah 1:1-10
Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. —Jonah
1:3Why do people run away
from God? Is it because of anger, disappointment, despair,
disobedience, or a web of rebellion woven from our own desires?
The book of Jonah looks at a prophet who rejected God’s call to
deliver His word to the people of Nineveh. In the first chapter
(vv.3,10), we read that Jonah deliberately headed for Tarshish to run
away from the Lord. He knew exactly where he was going and why. After
being given a second chance (3:1-2), Jonah delivered God’s message but
reacted angrily when the Lord spared the repentant city (3:10–4:2).
The book ends with the Lord speaking to Jonah about His compassion:
“Should I not pity Nineveh?” (4:11). But there’s no indication that
the disgruntled prophet changed his attitude. The people of Nineveh
repented; Jonah did not.
The story of Jonah should cause each of us to be honest about our
feelings toward the Lord. Do we harbor resentment for His leniency
toward people we feel deserve judgment? Have we forgotten that God has
forgiven us? Are we ready to obey His call and leave the outcome to
Him?
The story of Jonah illuminates our reactions to God and measures our
willingness to trust Him when we can’t understand His ways. —David C.
McCasland
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Sometimes it’s hard to trust the Lord
When you don’t understand;
But fight the urge to run from Him—
Reach out and take His hand. —Sper
He pleases God best who trusts Him most
Jonah 1:2-3
June 26, 2004
Sign-Seekers
READ: Luke 11:29-32
This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given
to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. —Luke 11:29
A skeptic once said to me, "I'll
believe in Jesus if He comes down and appears visibly above my house."
Not necessarily!
The Christ-rejecting religious leaders who requested a sign from Jesus
had plenty of evidence for believing. They had undoubtedly heard of,
if not seen, His miracles of healing, casting out demons, and even
raising the dead. What more did they need?
Jesus therefore called them an "evil generation" (Luke 11:29). The
only sign they would be given was the sign of Jonah the prophet, who
had been thrown into a stormy sea (Jonah 1:2-3). When the Ninevites
heard Jonah's message of repentance after he had spent 3 days in the
belly of a fish, they believed God had sent him and they repented.
Likewise, the religious leaders who already knew of Jesus' words and
works would soon see Him crucified and securely entombed. And in the
following weeks they would hear personal testimonies from those who
had seen Him alive, and had even touched Him, but they still wouldn't
believe.
Today we have in the Gospels a record of what Jesus said and did,
written by people who knew Him. If we are open to the truth, we have
all the evidence we need to believe. We don't need to be sign-seekers.—Herbert Vander Lugt
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