God is faithful and good. God is sovereign. God is our redeemer.
How did this prophet rebel?
Act Three: REbellion, Week 12
The Word of the Lord came to Jonah...and he rebelled. More than once, and in more than one way.
Jonah, a Hebrew prophet, was sent to a large, bustling city of Nineveh, and was asked to call out the evil of the Assyrians who lived in it (the enemies of Jonah's people). He didn't just NOT obey God, but he also attempted to run away from the presence of the Lord (are you picturing a little boy with his hands over his ears, running down the street?).
When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah made the choice to ignore the Word of the Lord, and he "paid the fare." At his own personal expense, he got on a ship to Tarshish (Hebrew for delightfulness) and went his own delightful way, in the opposite direction from where God had told him to go. But, as we all know after our sermon series in Psalm 139, we cannot run from God. A storm arose as Jonah attempted to sail away, and the ship threatened to break apart. The sailors cried out to their gods, and their cargo was thrown into the sea. People other than Jonah paid the cost for Jonah's rebellion. Even the Ninevites were impacted, as the message for them was not immediately delivered.
In the same way, people other than us pay the cost for our rebellion.
We can become so jaded—so content in disobedience, unaware of the noise of the storm around us, lulled by the enemy's taunts—that we can't even cry out to God. Why? Because we are fast asleep in our faith the way that Jonah was fast asleep on that ship. The other men cried out to their gods, but Jonah slept, trying to ignore his God, the God of the sea and the dry land. How ironic were Jonah's words when he was forced to acknowledge who he truly was? "I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land" (Jonah 1:9). By his actions alone, it is hard to know what Jonah's definition of "fear" was.
Eventually, Jonah's actions obey, but his heart remains in rebellion. Jonah knows God's character from his own experience. God saved him from drowning and from being digested, despite Jonah's defiance in running away. Jonah's God (our God) is "a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" (Jonah 4:2). Even though the Lord displays this to Jonah himself, it makes Jonah so angry to see it displayed towards his enemies! His heart screams out, "Life's not fair. Death is better." But God is faithful and good; He is sovereign and beyond our imagination. Can you see His redeeming hand scripting the story of Jonah? Can you see it scripting our stories as well?
What I want us to learn from this prophet who rebelled in action and heart, is that God never intended to keep His message and plan of salvation for only "His people," whether that be the "chosen" Jewish people or today's Christians. He is not partial to any people group. He created every people group in His image. He is the great I AM. "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe" (Deuteronomy 10:17, emphasis added). His desire is that all would come to worship and bow down to Him. That all men will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth in Christ Jesus.
Romans 10:14-15 tells us, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'”
Have you ever felt unqualified to share the gospel of Jesus? If you believe it, you are qualified to share His rescue story! We have been given our task, every one of us. Sisters, do not grow weary of doing good! It is not complicated. Jonah simply spoke the message to the Ninevites. We can do that! The Lord moved the hearts of the people. He can do that! The Word of the Lord is telling us to arise and go! The message of salvation belongs to the Lord and must be spread to all the nations. Do not be like Jonah, disobeying in action or heart. How much better is it to willingly, joyfully, participate in what God is doing?! Let's joyfully go with God where He is leading us —even if it is out of our comfort zone!
♥️ Meghan
Up next: Act four, Week 1 — What is the rescue story?
Don't forget to grab the Act 4: Rescue card from the women's board in the hallway.
