It's Not About The Fish
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. - Jonah 3:1-10
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. - Jonah 3:1-10
Jonah is a great story, about a great city, that is in great peril, with a not so great prophet, who get's caught in a great storm when running from a great God.
He ends up in the belly of a great fish and....that's all that people seem to remember! No one cares what happens after that moment because "How can anyone end up inside a fish for three days and survive?" The short answer, I don't know. Perhaps it's possible through natural circumstances or perhaps it requires some supernatural intervention on God's behalf. However, what I do know, is that is not even close to the most important detail of the story, and there is so much for us to learn about the character of God and how to live in relationship with Him in Jonah's adventure.
Perhaps, above all, God is so patient with his creation.
From the Ninevites to Jonah himself, we see God pursuing his rebellious creation so that he can show them mercy and grace to provide a way back to relationship with Him. Of course, this is a microcosm of the entire biblical narrative. God loves us so much, that even when we rebel and reject him, he will sacrifice himself to make a way back to restored relationship with him.
In addition to His patience, God empowers us to make a difference with our lives.
Once Jonah surrenders his will to God's plan and acts in obedience to the call that God put on his life, cool things start happening; even cooler than a giant fish swallowing him up. The Ninevites hear Jonah's message and they repent. From the greatest to the least, including the King. Some estimate up to 140,000 people turned to the Lord and they were spared from judgment.
The reluctant, imperfect, sinner - Jonah - made a huge difference in their lives.
Imperfect obedience can make a great difference in peoples lives when it’s empowered by a perfect, great God.
- Pastor Mitch
He ends up in the belly of a great fish and....that's all that people seem to remember! No one cares what happens after that moment because "How can anyone end up inside a fish for three days and survive?" The short answer, I don't know. Perhaps it's possible through natural circumstances or perhaps it requires some supernatural intervention on God's behalf. However, what I do know, is that is not even close to the most important detail of the story, and there is so much for us to learn about the character of God and how to live in relationship with Him in Jonah's adventure.
Perhaps, above all, God is so patient with his creation.
From the Ninevites to Jonah himself, we see God pursuing his rebellious creation so that he can show them mercy and grace to provide a way back to relationship with Him. Of course, this is a microcosm of the entire biblical narrative. God loves us so much, that even when we rebel and reject him, he will sacrifice himself to make a way back to restored relationship with him.
In addition to His patience, God empowers us to make a difference with our lives.
Once Jonah surrenders his will to God's plan and acts in obedience to the call that God put on his life, cool things start happening; even cooler than a giant fish swallowing him up. The Ninevites hear Jonah's message and they repent. From the greatest to the least, including the King. Some estimate up to 140,000 people turned to the Lord and they were spared from judgment.
The reluctant, imperfect, sinner - Jonah - made a huge difference in their lives.
Imperfect obedience can make a great difference in peoples lives when it’s empowered by a perfect, great God.
- Pastor Mitch
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