By: Eric Comer
We live in turbulent times. We also serve an awesome God, and I continue to be amazed at His timing. This article has been in the works for a couple of months and was submitted for publication weeks before the events surrounding Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the beginning of Pastor Snell’s sermon series on Jonah. Given these events, I felt it necessary to rewrite the introduction to include them. The circumstances around Charlie and other world events have caused a great deal of confusion. Our hearts and minds are sending conflicting messages back and forth. The line between right and wrong is continuing to blur more and more. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what we should do.
Jonah, my favorite Old Testament character, faced similar dilemmas. We’re all familiar with his story. Like a shallot – a small onion – the book of Jonah has many layers and packs a significant punch. From his refusal to go, in fact going in the opposite direction, to God’s provision of a fish, mirroring Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. To his prayer, redemption, recommissioning, obedience, success, and finally his whining and complaining – there’s so much in just four chapters, 48 verses, and approximately 1,200 words. Let’s explore one of those layers.
Jonah, often referred to as “the reluctant servant,” was called by God to go to Nineveh. His first thought might have been, “What NINEVEH?” or maybe just “Huh?” Nineveh was Israel’s sworn enemy and the center of the Assyrian Empire, known for their violence, immorality, brutality, and ungodliness. God called Jonah to warn the Ninevites of their impending doom, but Jonah chose not to go.
Here are three possible scenarios of why Jonah made that choice.
He was scared. Nineveh was evil in every sense of the word with temple prostitution, child sacrifices, infanticide, and more. They would remove the noses and ears of prisoners to maim them for life. They would drink from the skulls of the people they murdered. They could not be trusted, and they hated the Jews.
Maybe he thought they were irredeemable. He may have assumed that the Ninevites were beyond being saved and that there was no hope for them. That this would be a waste of his time.
He may have put his desires ahead of God’s. He knew God’s character, and knowing that if the Ninevites repented, God would forgive them and spare them from destruction – a outcome Jonah likely did not want.
So, let’s ask ourselves: Where or what is my Nineveh? What is holding me back?
Are we scared? Are there times when God puts us in situations where we are nervous or even scared? Perhaps an unsaved family member wants to challenge our faith, or some ungodly co-worker or colleague doen’t understand why we won’t go with them on their Friday night excursions. Sometimes it’s hard and scary to stand up for what we believe.
But God has promised in Isaiah 41:10,“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Are there times when we think certain people are irredeemable? What about that boss who mistreats us or that person on the street or that difficult neighbor? What about, what about, what about? We are not here to judge; just serve.
We all know John 3:16: “For God so loved the world…” but sometimes we ignore verse 17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.“
Are there times when we think we know better than God or we put our agenda ahead of His? Maybe there are times when “people” are so rude, hostile, or ignorant that we don’t want to share Jesus with them? Sometimes God puts us in situations where we know it’s the right thing to do, but we don’t want to do it because it doesn’t fit into our narrative of what we want to see done.
Proverbs 3:5-6 advises,“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
So why is Jonah my favorite Old Testament character? I think it’s because I see a little of myself in him. Sometimes I’m scared, sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it and sometimes I tend to think I know better. We can all learn from Jonah. We need to ensure that our desires align with God’s, not making God’s desires align with ours. May our morning prayer be, What things do You expect from me not What things can I expect from you?
P.S. As I was editing this, another thought came to mind. We all know that God uses small people to do great things because He knows we can handle it as long as we lean on Him. My challenge the last couple of years has been to never give up, always strive to do my best for Him, so what we do does matter.
1 Corinthians 15:58 encourages us, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
