Ever been asked to do something at church and really didn’t want to do it? Think about Jonah. He really didn’t want to go to Nineveh either. He was opposed to it so much that he was willing to go to the ends of the earth to not go to Nineveh. It would be like saying you had to go somewhere and couldn’t possibly be there to participate.
Now God wanted to make a point. When Jonah got on that ship, God wasn’t done using him. These hardened sailors were fighting a mighty storm like nothing they had ever seen before. It was a supernatural event. Immediately they began praying to their gods for relief. The storm raged on.
The shipmaster went below and awakened Jonah and wanted to know why he wasn’t praying to his god for relief. Then they drew lots to see who brought this evil on them (Jonah 1:7). Sure enough, Jonah drew the short stick. Now he had to ‘fess up’. They asked him, “What have you done?” Really, it was what he didn’t do.
Jonah confessed, told them to throw him overboard and they would have peace. The storm would stop. Even then, they didn’t want to take a life to save their own. So they tried harder to overcome their dilemma. They prayed to Jonah’s God, the God of creation, to not shed innocent blood. To no avail, though, and they threw him, Jonah, overboard.
As soon as they did, the storm ceased. These men, seasoned sailors, were so moved that they made sacrifices to the Lord (God) and vows. Did they become believers? This was about eight hundred years before Jesus. At that time mostly Jews believed in their God. But, who’s to say if others believed, too?
God’s love extends to everyone. “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:18).” Jonah did go to Nineveh and witnessed as God wanted him to. Before that Jonah’s escape plan was used to open the eyes of those sailors.
Jonah’s story is in chapter 1 of the book by his name. Jonah spent three days in the belly of the whale. Three days of convincing before he was delivered to the shores of Nineveh. Would to God that today’s believers won’t need that kind of convincing to carry out God’s will.
Now God wanted to make a point. When Jonah got on that ship, God wasn’t done using him. These hardened sailors were fighting a mighty storm like nothing they had ever seen before. It was a supernatural event. Immediately they began praying to their gods for relief. The storm raged on.
The shipmaster went below and awakened Jonah and wanted to know why he wasn’t praying to his god for relief. Then they drew lots to see who brought this evil on them (Jonah 1:7). Sure enough, Jonah drew the short stick. Now he had to ‘fess up’. They asked him, “What have you done?” Really, it was what he didn’t do.
Jonah confessed, told them to throw him overboard and they would have peace. The storm would stop. Even then, they didn’t want to take a life to save their own. So they tried harder to overcome their dilemma. They prayed to Jonah’s God, the God of creation, to not shed innocent blood. To no avail, though, and they threw him, Jonah, overboard.
As soon as they did, the storm ceased. These men, seasoned sailors, were so moved that they made sacrifices to the Lord (God) and vows. Did they become believers? This was about eight hundred years before Jesus. At that time mostly Jews believed in their God. But, who’s to say if others believed, too?
God’s love extends to everyone. “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:18).” Jonah did go to Nineveh and witnessed as God wanted him to. Before that Jonah’s escape plan was used to open the eyes of those sailors.
Jonah’s story is in chapter 1 of the book by his name. Jonah spent three days in the belly of the whale. Three days of convincing before he was delivered to the shores of Nineveh. Would to God that today’s believers won’t need that kind of convincing to carry out God’s will.
