Leave me alone God

The Word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”

The next time you pick up the Bible, see how the different books are introduced. They are very interesting and different! The book of Jonah, is very direct and gets straight to the point. There was a problem, God wanted someone to get down under the car with the spanner and the wrench, get dirty and clean it up and that man was Jonah. Jonah, however strongly felt that he was not the man for the job. Bible scholars tell us different reasons why Jonah acted the way he did. Nineveh was a sinful and an arrogant city. Jonah was almost certain that sharing the news was pointless there…”these people are going to ridicule me, mock me…it’s throwing pearls before swine. God – I don’t like this plan. Please change it immediately and get back to me if it would be something that would interest me and go well with my personality.” They were also known to be a violent group. “What if I get killed there? Who will take care of my father’s property and the family business? After considering all the pro’s and con’s, I have decided to pass this.” Also, they were enemies of the Israelites. “My fellow countrymen would not like it. This should come all the way from the top. If they think this is a good idea, then they should commission me and send me on a peace mission, then maybe I would go, hopefully with military protection”. Whatever was the reason, Jonah was very intentional about his plan and also very swift to act. Verse 3 in Chapter one mentions the word ‘down’ at least thrice in different ways. He went ‘down’ to Joppa. He got a ticket for Tarshish which was in the opposite direction and he went ‘down’ into it. The same verse also says that He wanted to escape the presence of the Lord…. twice. It is interesting to note how one can become much focused and intentional when they want their plan to succeed against God’s…

By verse 4, the big storm sets in that is threatening to break the ship. I love the pace of the story in this book! Twice in this book we see Jonah sleeping and this is the first time. The rest of the chapter is the conversation between Jonah and his fellow passengers. Before the captain found him sleeping in the inner part of the ship, the other sailors had prayed to their gods for help and also hurled the cargo in the ship into the sea. It is almost certain that ships carry a lot of cargo for trade. Each trip was to raise revenue and this would be the bread and butter for people depending on it. The cargo is now gone. Jonah on the other hand was fast asleep. He thought that his plan to run away from God had worked. Twice in the next few verses we have clear indication of the sovereignty of God. First, the captain finds him sleeping. Why would the captain of the ship come to the deep inner parts of the ship when he should be on top giving orders? Out of all the people who could have come down at that moment, it was the captain who shook him awake and questioned him. Jonah who probably needs a few seconds to gets his awareness now gives no reply to the captain. He is still in denial! Maybe this storm is coincidental. If we wait it out, it will go away. The next instant we see God’s sovereignty is when they cast the lots and it falls on him. When I was in school and the teacher asked us a tough question and then points his or her finger to me to answer it, I would try to hide behind the student in front of me or look behind at student sitting behind me hoping that the teacher would change their mind and ask them the question instead of me. But, then you hear your name being yelled. “ALLAN VICTOR! I want you to answer the question!” Gulp. Jonah’s name was on the chit of paper. Jonah is now very certain that it is because of him the storm has come upon this entire crew (V.11). The other sailors, with the storm getting wilder, ask him five straight questions. Jonah answers only two of them. “I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven who made……… the sea and the dry land.” At this they were greatly afraid. They knew that he was running away from God. What have you done Jonah? You are running away from God who controls this sea? When they asked him what to do to quieten the storm, Jonah had few options. He can choose to obey God now and go to Nineveh.  “Can we turn the ship around and go back to Joppa? I will take the next ship and go to Nineveh. Or take me to nearest port here and I will redirect my journey.” But he is still reluctant. He chooses to die in sea than obey God. At least now God will leave me alone. Reluctantly the sailors throw him overboard. Let’s try to think what would have gone in Jonah’s mind right now. Even as he is tumbling and falling, did he think about his family? Did he think about God? Or was he mentally preparing himself for certain death? His body splashes into the water and he comes out again gasping for breath. Should he shout to the sailors who are looking at him from the starboard and ask for help? “I have made a mistake!!! Pull me back! No…no… it’s ok.. just a few more minutes before it’s all over… his body now starts drowning… his hands and legs flailing in the turbulent waters..his vision is completely blurred….any moment now… and then it happens… Jonah has no clue. He is swallowed by a big fish.

Let’s just go back to this one point that the ship was violently shaken…almost broken… cargo lost before Jonah began to act. I tend to get this feeling… when God wants to get our attention, He can get it by means which are unpleasant…sometimes even violent…He can get it in way that can affect people around us too… in some context.. it can be our loved ones. I shudder to think of this. “Lord, am I running away from some mission you have for me that for you to get my attention it might affect loved ones around me? “

Even as Jonah was drowning deeper into the sea waiting for his death, he is rudely interrupted. He finds himself stuck inside a fish. According to John Macarthur, this story is romanticized so much that we  almost think that this was a nice experience for Jonah! Not at all! I remember seeing a cartoon picture when I was small that Jonah was sitting inside the belly of the fish very comfortably with a bonfire in front of him to keep him warm! Almost like a campfire! Jonah’s orientation would have been 90 degrees to his usual walking position. He would have hardly had any space to move his hands or legs..I am sure Jonah would have thought.. Death is still coming soon. I can still escape from this call of the Lord. Three days and three nights… 72 hours… is a really long time to be stuck in this position.

In the previous scene, lives of people around us can be unsettled for God to get our attention. Here, Jonah’s life becomes very difficult and in that moment, he understands his mistake. Somewhere in between these three days from waiting for death and not getting it, Jonah had a change of heart and submits himself to God again.

How does God see this? Can we run around like Jonah and expect God to follow us? To be at our beck and call. Why did not God kill Jonah for his disobedience and rebellion against God? Is it because, we can get away with acts of disobedience and face no consequence? By no means! God is a righteous, holy and the eternal One! His anger and wrath is terrible to face. It is because of His mercy we are not consumed! God’s emotions and the way He looks at us is not like how man sees mankind. We will never be able to comprehend His love for us. We will never be able to feel the anguish He feels when His creation works independently of Him and He constantly woos us. But for those who know Him, have tasted and experienced His love, who have accepted His sovereignty in our lives cannot mock Him. He is a just God! In the 4^th verse of the 2^nd chapter, Jonah realizes that He is driven away from God’s sight. He sees how lost He is. The best place a person can be is in God’s presence. Better is one day in courts O Lord, than a thousand elsewhere! How lovely is Your dwelling place.. my soul even faints and yearns for You. One thing I ask of You O Lord, that I may dwell in Your house forever. I rather be a doorkeeper at Your house than serve in the courts anywhere else. The worst place one can be is away from God’s presence. God is omnipresent and He is everywhere, but this is being away from where He wants us to be. Jonah feels the sting of being away from His presence.

By verse 7, we see that Jonah’s heart has repented and now He is sure that His prayer has reached God. “And the Lord spoke to fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.” When true inner transformation happens, we know that our heart has changed and the Lord who sees our hearts and examines our minds knows it too and in His sovereign power changes our circumstances too.

Chapter 3 starts by saying that the Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Isn’t it also a privilege to Hear God speaking to us? How many thousands have this question of How can I hear God? For those who have heard Him and yet do not obey Him, it is a form of spiritual arrogance. God is yet forgiving and a God of second chances. He gives Jonah the same message again and this time Jonah obeys God.

The salvation of the great city of Nineveh happens in a very strange way. I would expect Jonah to ask for an audience with the king and the other rulers, share the message and look for some revival. But Jonah just goes and shares the message with the people… the common man. The news spreads fast and the king gets to hear it and he repents and he puts a proclamation calling for fasting and repentance for the land. Jonah does not even meet the king! Isn’t amazing to see that by obeying God and carrying on His message, the hearts of Kings change and rules of a nation changes. Truly the heart of a King is like a river and God directs it wherever He pleases.

The book of Jonah has 4 chapters. Three chapters in this book are about Jonah, while 8 verses are about the repentance of Nineveh. An astounding fact that I am not able to wrap around my head completely is how even as 120,000 souls are important to God, so is one soul… the soul of Jonah. It wrecks my human logical and mathematical understanding. God’s ways and His thoughts are higher than ours. We cannot even begin to understand it. Our lives are important to Him.

Is there something today, that is making me run away from God? Am I telling Him, “Leave me alone God! I have my life to live?” He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End, the One and Only. The Eternal Father, The Ancient of days, the King of Heaven and the ruler of all dominion. One day every tongue will confess that He is God and every knee will bow in submission to Him. I CANNOT dictate to God. Who am I but a worm before Him? What is my excuse to run away from God today?

Also, why did God go through all this struggle to pursue with Jonah? If he is reluctant, God could have used somebody else. Can He? Yes, He can. He might and He will but that is not the point here. God as Father used this as a teaching moment for His son Jonah to understand His love and His value for one soul and the souls of 120,000. Also, as one of the church leaders put it, “I do not fear that God’s work will not get done, I fear that it will get done without me being a part of it.” Woe to me if I was in that state. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.  As Paul says, I count it a privilege that HE has considered me faithful and appointed me in His ministry. Who am I but a worm?

Writing this exposition on the life of Jonah has been a different experience for me. I believe there is someone out there who needs to hear this message. If God has appointed you for His service and given you a mission, let it not take the backseat for things of the world.

“If God calls you to be a missionary, don’t stoop down to be a king” – Jordan Grooms