1 Corinthians 15:1-22 John 3:16; Matthew 26:57-22; Daniel 7:9-14; Exodus 4:21-23; Matthew 27:35-46; Psalm 22:1; 7; 17-18; Psalm 22:12-13 Ephesians 4:4-10; Colossians 2:15; Colossians 1:15-20 Michael Heiser “Unseen Realm” “Israel (corporately) is referred to as God’s servant in Isaiah 41:8-9; 44:1-2; 45:4; 49:3. Like Adam, Israel transgressions lead to exile from the place where the divine…
When we look at our world today we think that God somehow lost control of everything that is going on. That God orchestrated the entire drama even during out lifetime becomes evident whenever we consult God’s book, the Bible, instead of consulting political or economic periodicals.
Jonah is the son of Amittai, a native of the tribal area assigned to Zebulon. This region was later a part of Galilee. Jonah was born a few miles away from the city of Nazareth, where our Lord Jesus Christ was brought up.
Why did Jonah decided NOT TO GO? The Assyrians where arch enemies of Israel. Why should Jonah get a better treatment than being killed by those enemies? A dangerous mission indeed. Well, once on the ship, Jonah proved however that he was not afraid to die.
No, Jonah hated the people in Nineveh so much that he was afraid that if they hear that God is about to destroy them, they would have a chance to repent and God would spare them.
There are a few things we need to highlight in these verses.
How did Jonah KNOW that the storm would cease once he was off the ship? Jonah told the sailors to send him to his death. He was willing to die so they could live. Did God tell Jonah to do this? I believe that it could have been so because Jonah heard God speak to him before. Remember, Jonah was now in the middle of the Mediterranean or Atlantic and how could he ever get back to Nineveh. God must have told him that He already had a great fish on standby to take him back to where he is supposed to be. Seems like Jonah was willing this time around to follow orders.
Jonah knew his God. He never starts anything and then leaves it half finished. He always finishes what He starts.
What Jonah did not know is HOW GOD IS GOING TO BRING HIM BACK WHERE HE BELONGS.
What can we learn from this?
First there is nowhere in this world God’s people can hide from God. We can run, we can disobey, we can go the opposite direction, but God will meet you and me somewhere on our journey. If necessary, a mighty storm in our life will bring us to our senses. The people who have helped us to disobey God without even knowing it will be a part of this storm. If we repent God will tell us what to do, saving those around us while at the same time bringing us back to where we belong.
God’s people are NOT CALLED to make our nation a better place or to help the world to live a better life.
God’s people are CALLED TO
GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU, AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE. AMEN.
That is when we enjoy the freedom God has given us. That is when we are truly free. Not free to do our own thing as Jonah did, but free to serve Almighty God who orchestrates the entire drama. Hallelujah.
“When the outlook is bleak, try the uplook.” He saw the Lord Jesus Christ because the invisible became visible and the spiritual became real. The HEBREW word SERAPH comes from a root meaning “to burn” suggesting that the seraphim are the guardians of the blazing holiness of God. It is not enough in our worship only to see the Lord, for if we truly see Him as He is, we will also see ourselves as we are. It’s unfortunate that we often minimize the importance of feelings in our experience of worship. We certainly want to avoid shallow emotionalism, but we do not want to grieve the Holy Spirit because we strive to be ‘PROPER’. Real worship, true spiritual worship always leads to surrender, which means that we see the need and volunteer to do the work God wants us to do for Him.