Tag: Jonah

Scripture: Jonah 1: 1-3

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ²“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Scripture Commentary: Jonah flees from the Lord.

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach the Word of the Lord to them. Although Jonah knows God is omnipresent, he runs and hides from God.

How many times have you ignored God when He is talking to you?

Maybe you aren’t literally running away, but when you decide not to listen, you are hiding from God.

Jonah hated the people of Nineveh so much that he didn’t want them to be saved. God will put you in places that won’t be to your liking and may make you uncomfortable. You are to take God’s Word wherever you are sent, not where you can go and feel comfortable.

Think about all that God has done for you.

Jonah’s story began with disobedience and with the possibility of a great tragedy of 120,000 people being lost forever.

This story illustrates that at your worst, God will give you a chance to repent and accept Him. You cannot seek God’s love and run from Him at the same time.

Believe in God and do His will.

Read the Entire Chapter:

Jonah Chapter 1

 

 

Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, the son of A-mit’-tai, saying, “Arise, go to Nin-‘e-veh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tar’-shish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Jop-‘pa; and he found a ship going to Tar’-shish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tar’-shish from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah 1: 1-3

Commentary:

We know the story of Jonah and the fish, but what is God telling us? God told Jonah to do something, and he did not. What is God telling you to do? Are you listening? Jonah did not like the Assyrians and did not want them to receive God’s mercy. Are their people in your life you – for whatever reason – dislike, and you will not pray for them? If so, you are not doing what God tells you to do. Because of Jonah’s disobedience, God has shown us how he took non-believing sailors and made them believers. Jonah was in the fish for three days, Christ was in the grave for three days, and when they both came up they preached the Word. God wants us to be concerned for all his children, the ones that are saved and especially the lost ones.