1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."  3  But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

A Christian woman was on an air flight reading her Bible. The passenger sitting next to her saw her and asked: “You really don’t believe all that stuff in there do you?”

The woman responded: “Of course I do, it is the Bible.”
The man said: “Well what about that guy that was swallowed by the whale?”
She replied: “Oh, you are talking about Jonah. Yes, I believe that. It is in the Bible.”
He asked: “How do you suppose he survived all that time in the whale?”
The woman said: “Well, I don’t really know. I guess when I get to heaven, I will ask him.”        
The man mockingly responded: “What if he isn’t in heaven?”
The woman retorted: “Then you ask him.”           

Many skeptics find this story hard to believe. In another conversation a man told a pastor “If you can prove to me that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, I’ll believe all that the rest of the Bible.”    

“What do you think of Christ?” He asked.

“Well I think Christ was the wisest man that ever lived.”           

“Well, Let me show you that the wisest man that ever lived believed the story of Jonah when Jesus said, Matthew12:40 “As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a fish so must the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.           

When it comes to the story of Jonah, Jesus believed it and preached it.           

This book has great value in several areas. It is an excellent illustration and challenge for missions and the love God has for the lost world. It speaks of Christ, cultural relationships, nationalism, racial tension, rebellion, and pride as well as priorities of one’s life.           

Jonah is also a prophetic book in that it points us to Jesus. We see how Jonah becomes a type of Israel called of God to witness to the world, but disobedient in her commands. He suffered discipline from God and yet evidenced the grace of God.             

We begin the story with Jonah’s protesting against God’s command for him to go and preach against the sin of this great but ungodly city. Jonah’s protest turns to rebellion against God’s will.

Even then God called and used those who disobey. The sin of Jonah is telling God no and rejecting the complete plan of God. Rebellion comes when we refuse or neglect to obey.

Application: May we all examine our own hearts to see where we might be resisting the voice of God in our lives. 

Prayer:   Oh, Lord, You call us to witness to the world.  Lord may we be Your walking testimony who willingly go when called.  

Dale