Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah…Arise, go to Nineveh…But Jonah rose to flee…
Jonah 1: 1-6
After looking at God working invisibly in the Book of Esther, let us, now, look at God, still invisible, but, who calls a prophet to a task and how God deals with the rebellious prophet, Jonah. Prophets of God were called, either from the womb before birth or at some point after birth. Jeremiah was an example of God “calling” him while still in his mother’s womb. Samuel is an example of God calling him, verbally, when he was a child living with Eli. In Jonah’s case, all the Scriptures tells is, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah…” Jonah’s initial calling by God is not given in Scripture. But, we read that God communicated with Jonah to “arise, go to Nineveh…” God told Jonah that the sins of Nineveh were great and Jonah was to tell them to repent. So, Jonah obeyed God’s call. Well, sort of. Jonah did arise. But, then, Jonah ran in the opposite direction from Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire, which will conquer the Northern kingdom, Israel, in about a century. The Israelites hated the Ninevites who were a terribly oppressive people. But, God will use them as His instrument of judgment against His chosen people, the Israelites. In running from God, Jonah displays a trait that all humans since Adam’s and Eve’s sin in Eden. In their sin, all humans born from them were, and are, born with a corrupted nature that does not want anything to do with God. As Adam and Eve “hid” from God when He came to visit, so, all humans are NOT inclined to seek, or worship, God. They want to hide from Holy God. So, Jonah, acting in rebellion toward God, boards a ship bound for a port thought, in that day, to be the end of the world. Today, humans are no different. They are NOT, by nature, seekers of Holy God. They may want the blessings of God but, they are not willing to worship God. Paul writes, in Romans, that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. Dear reader, if you are a sinner, as all humans are, there is a Savior who forgives your sin, who clothes you in His righteousness and, who will bring you into heaven to be with Him eternally.
Source: S C Ball September 17, 2023
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