Jonah Runs & Gets Swallowed 1

Now many people I'm sure are familiar with what is most often called the story of "Jonah and the Whale" but I'd like to take a deeper look at that story and some biblical principles we can take from it and apply to our lives.  Jonah was a prophet to the 10 northern tribes of Israel, though that is not what he's most remembered for.  The city of Nineveh is also mentioned in this story.  This city, possibly the largest in the ancient world, is the capital of Assyria and known for its cruelty to people.  Nineveh was also a constant enemy and nemesis to Israel.

Now for Part 1 of the story.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me."  But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.  He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish.  So Jonah paid the fare and went into the ship to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.  But the Lord hurled a great wind onto the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.  Then the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god.  And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them.  But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had laid down and was fast asleep.  So the captain came to him and said, "What do you mean you sleeper?  Arise, call out to your god!  Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish."

One of the first things we see in this story is obviously that God chose Jonah to send to Nineveh.  Based on Jonah's reluctance to go, why would God have chosen him?  I believe that it's because God knew what Jonah's spiritual gifts were, and that he knows our strengths and weaknesses today and calls us to serve him in those ways. 

God's command to Jonah was not complicated.  He didn't give Jonah every little detail, but God did give him the who, what, and where for his plan.  God may not give us every little step of his plan today (that teaches faith), but he does not leave us confused by not letting us know what he wants us to do.

After Jonah's disobedience to the Lord's command, God reacted with justified anger.  We  see both the Lord's anger and power displayed in the storm he sent upon Jonah and the sailors.  This action displays God's power of nature and all creation.  It also shows us that the Lord will do whatever it takes to get our attention if it's his will, no matter how drastic it may seem to us. 

As the storm is beating down on the boat, the sailors hurl the cargo into the sea in an effort to lighten the ship and save everyone on board.  They valued their own lives, and the lives of those on board, more than whatever cargo they had on the ship.  This cargo they threw into the sea could have been valuable items, or even goods they were transporting which would mean a loss of income and jobs when they arrived at their destination without it, but those things were of less importance than human life. 

And lastly in this first part of the story, we see that the ship's captain is lost.  How could someone who knows God's love say, "Perhaps the god will give a thought to us."  Maybe he's known God before and something tragic has happened in his life making him question is faith.  Or maybe he's never known God and is just hoping that the god Jonah calls out to will help them.  Either way, we see that he is missing that loving personal relationship with the Lord.  Without knowing the love that comes from God, how are we to know how to love others? 

This part of the story is found in Jonah 1:1-6.  To be continued...