Jonah and the Storm

This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.

Part 2 of 7: 

Storm  (Jonah 1:4-16)                                                             

There are three words that are emphasized in this section that give handles into applying the gospel to life today. These words are hurled, down and fear. Lets explore what these show us about the human condition and who God is today.

SEVERE SQUALL 

The word hurled is thrown around a lot in this section (okay bad pun). God hurls a storm at the ship. The sailors hurl the cargo in to the sea, Jonah asks to be hurled into the sea and eventually is hurled overboard. 

This was a massive storm. It was a storm that riled seasoned sailors into a panic. It was violent, powerful and strong. It brought fear into the hearts of men who had lived on the sea. In the midst of this God is in control. It is God who sent the storm. As big and wild as the waves and wind were, God is bigger and stronger. This is an important aspect to remember when the storms of life are hurled into life. God is in control of even the current storms of life that cause ships to break apart and begin to sink.

God is in control.

THE DOWNWARD DRAG

Another word  that is repeated in this first section of Jonah is the word down. We see that Jonah went down to Joppa, Jonah went down to the hold of the ship and Jonah laid down and slept during the storm. The same verb, down, is also used to indicate that Jonah went on board the ship. The Hebrew word for down was a euphemism for death. The author's intent is to show that as Jonah is fleeing from the presence of the Lord is going down, down, down.  To flee the presence of the Lord is to from flee life and thus encounter death. Apart from God, there is no real life (zoe in greek, hence the blog title). 

The direction one runs makes all the difference in the world, you can pursue life-giving goals  or you can pursue life-taking goals. The choice is made everyday in the attitudes we take and the actions we partake.

GROWING STORM, GROWING FEAR

The final word that is emphasized in this section is the word fear. It is repeated at the beginning of this section and at the end by the sailors (vs. 5,16); in the middle by Jonah when he claims to "fear" the Lord (v. 9), while the pagan sailors actually do fear (v. 10).

Things become so chaotic that Jonah actually asks to be drowned. He reasons that the storm is judgment on his disobedience and seeks to make an effort to save some human life. A great surprise, and sign of God's grace, is that the pagan sailors show compassion on Jonah and actually try to rescue him. Despite their humanitarian concern, the already raging storm, only intensifies. After drawing lots, Jonah is thrown overboard and it is only then that the storm ceases. The sailors we are told 'greatly feared' the Lord.

This is an amazing insight. God is able to take Jonah's disobedient action; his hard heart and rebellious actions and use it to further spread the glory of His name to those who hadn't heard. It is one of many situations in the Bible that affirm both human responsibility in Jonah's choices and God's sovereignty in the results. Both of these are taught to be true.

GOD'S MASSIVE MERCY

Many assume that the storm God sent was judgment on Jonah's rebellion. After reading this some more it is amazing that the storm is one of the places in the Old Testament that gives us a glimpse of Jesus. Here is how.

The storm in the grand scheme of things was God's mercy to Jonah. It was God's way of getting the prophet's attention and turning him back toward obedience. It was God's way of getting Jonah to where he needed to be. It is amazing that God sticks with Jonah, to bring him to Ninevah, to do his work, even though Jonah does all he can to escape the calling. 

Like the storm, which intervened in Jonah's case, Jesus is our greatest intervention. Jesus is the greatest example of God's massive mercy to us. The storm we deserve and often create by being slaves to ourselves was taken on by Jesus. The cross is the clearest example of God's desire for intervention in our lives. The good news in the gospel isn't that bad people become good, it is that dead people become alive. 

The applications from this section could be many. Here are two.

1) There are two ways to run away from God.

One can be righteous like Jonah and hide behind your religion and credentials (when asked Jonah proudly identified himself as Hebrew--God's chosen people). One can try to hide from God by being good.  Some may think, if big sins are avoided in life than perhaps dealing with God won't be an option. Many trust in their own righteousness.  This kind of thinking requires a lot of work in the belly of a whale to confront.  


The second way of running is by being free. Free to do what you want, when you want and how you want. This is the allure of the culture we live in. It was the freedom the pagan sailors enjoyed. They were running from God because they were worshipping other things--things they wanted to pursue. They like Jonah, but with a different flavor, where making themselves their own rulers. The beauty of the gospel is that it confronts both freedom loving pagans and rule following prophets and calls them to repentance.

Which group are you inclined to associate with and how does the gospel need to break into your heart today?

The second application is simply this: How do you view difficulties in your life? Do you see them as God's punishment driving you to bitterness or God's intervention calling you to be better?  At the end of the day, in the middle of the storm, one has a choice to either trust that God is in control or grow bitter by questioning?

Next time we'll see one of the strangest places anyone ever prayed.

Jonah Flees

This is a synopsis of a series on Jonah that was presented at summer camp.


Part 1 of 7: 
Jonah Flees  (Jonah 1:1-3)                                                             


The book of Jonah is most usually associated with the enormous fish, usually assumed to be a whale that swallowed Jonah. What is less well known, and often overlooked, is how the book of Jonah paints a picture of the gospel and points us to Jesus. This series will show how Jonah gives us lessons in the gospel to shape our lives today.


Most of the prophets in the Old Testament spoke the word of the Lord. The unique thing about Jonah is that he lived the message. Jonah's life and experience were meant to communicate the purpose and plan of God's redeeming heart. In the process one gains insight into one's own heart as well.


BIG THINGS
The book of Jonah talks about many great things. The great city of Ninevah, the great disobedience of Jonah, the great cruelty of the Assyrians, the great things that God sends to Jonah throughout the book including a great storm, a great fish, a great plant, a great worm and a great wind. We see that Jonah has great emotional reactions to what happens to him, sinks to great depths, and also tries to put great distance between himself and the Lord's plans. Of all these "great things" in Jonah there are three themes that develop which are key to understanding the gospel message in Jonah.


1. The great extent of our sin
2. The greatness of God's grace
3. The great scope of God's mission


1. THE GREAT EXTENT OF OUR SIN
There are not any human heros in Jonah. Neither the pagan sailors, the prejudice prophet and the pitiless Ninevites qualify as having it together. There is a lesson here; everyone, from every tribe and background, needs the gospel. Jonah the practicing professional prophet of Israel needs to know God's compassion in his life just as much as the pagan-worshipping sailors and the cruel Assyrian nation. Sin is sin and it drives all of us away from the presence of the Lord. What Jonah needs to realize more than anything is that he needs grace. In fact, we see in this book that Jonah is a rebel, prejudice, self-righteous and comfort seeking. His only hope is the compassion and mercy of the Lord, not his pedigree, background or accomplishments. 


Yet these are the very things that many people often times hide behind instead of seizing the grace which is at hand.


2. THE GREATNESS OF GOD'S GRACE
There is a great insight in Chapter 4, which we will get to, about the Lord. Jonah quotes from Exodus about God's character stating: He is a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. God's grace is for sinners. God relents if and when we repent. His ability to forgive is greater than our ability to sin. In fact of all the great things mentioned in Jonah, it is the greatness of God's grace that stands above them all. And it is this grace that points us to Jesus.


3. THE GREAT SCOPE OF GOD'S MISSION
What we see in Jonah is also the great lengths that God will go to in order to make his grace known. God's compassion is for the world. It is for Jews and it is for Ninevites and all those in between. God's grace on display through the gospel is needed to humble to pride of the religious and encourage sight to the blind pagan. God's power over creation is demonstrated again and again. His compassion for the lost city of Ninevah extends also to his lost and fleeing prophet. God doesn't give up on Jonah, the Ninevites and he won't give up on us....as long as we are given days to live. The book even goes as far to say that God's compassion for the cattle of Ninevah is greater that Jonah's concern for the people. Again we see the great scope of God's mission for the world he loves and has redeemed.


CONCLUSION
We see that the word of the Lord comes to Jonah, to preach repentance to his enemies and Jonah responds by fleeing. The kindness of the Lord toward Jonah's enemies is more than he can bear and so he sets out in the opposite direction. Human hearts reflect this truth in Jonah. The question Jonah poses from the beginning is this: Are you able to love others, including your enemies, because you recognize that God loved you while still his enemy?


How one answers that question will determine what direction one is fleeing. And that direction makes all the difference in how you handle the storms that are bound to come into life.




For further reading on Jonah check out:
Surprised by Grace by Tullian Tchividjian's
For the City  (especially chapter 10)by Darrin Patrick and Matt Carter