God loves all people! God wants all people of the earth to repent and turn to Him!
* The prophet Isaiah delivered many messages from God to the surrounding nations warning them to repent!
* The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel also delivered warnings from God to the surrounding nations: Repent! Disobedience will result in consequences!
* Through the prophet Daniel, God spoke and dealt directly with the kings of Babylon.
* Both the prophets Joel and Amos warned the surrounding nations: Your mistreatment of others is terrible! God will hold you accountable!
* The prophet Obadiah wrote specifically to the nation of Edom: Your pride will not go unpunished!
And so we come to the book of Jonah. Just as Obadiah was given a message specifically for the nation of Edom, so the prophet Jonah was given a message specifically for the nation of Assyria. God commanded Jonah to travel to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and to preach repentance!
Many of the things God commanded the prophets to do were very difficult! God commanded the prophet Jeremiah to act out many strange and bizarre object lessons as a way to warn the people. Jeremiah obeyed God completely!
God commanded the prophet Ezekiel to act out many strange and bizarre object lessons. By far the hardest was when Ezekiel’s wife, the “delight of his eyes”, died and God commanded Ezekiel not to publicly mourn her death … as a way of demonstrating Israel’s lack of mourning over their sin. Ezekiel obeyed God completely!
In multiple instances the prophet Daniel was called by God to speak hard words of truth from God to the reigning monarchs. Daniel obeyed God completely!
The prophet Hosea was commanded by God to marry an unfaithful spouse. And to remain continually faithful to her … no matter what. Hosea obeyed God completely!
The prophet Amos was called by God to leave his small farming village in the southern kingdom of Judah and to travel up to the northern kingdom of Israel, where he was to preach repentance to the arrogant and wealthy. Amos obeyed God completely!
Jonah.
Jonah was a prophet from the northern kingdom of Israel. He was called by God to travel to Assyria and preach repentance throughout the capital city of Nineveh. Jonah did not obey God. At all.
Our background photo for today features the U.S. Naval Academy. In a way, I guess you could say God enrolled Jonah in his very own Naval Academy program. The U.S. Naval Academy program is strict and rigorous! It is hard! It is designed to shape leaders! Its basis is obedience! Total and complete obedience to the commanding officer.
Every incoming freshman into the Academy undergoes Plebe Summer … at the end of which is Sea Trials, an ultimate physical and mental test! Plebes must pass Sea Trials before they are officially accepted into the program as Midshipmen.
The prophet Jonah underwent his very own Sea Trials … an ultimate physical and mental test by God in order to bring about total and complete obedience!
The message of the book of Jonah is two-fold. First and foremost: God loves all people! God wants all people of the earth to repent and turn to Him.
Second: Our mistakes and failures don’t disqualify us from God being able to use us for His work. Jonah ran from God. Even if you too have run from God, if you turn around and repent, God is faithful to forgive you and He can still use you for His work.
In the book of Jonah God is still using object lessons. At the end of the book, Jonah is having a bad attitude (after having just been used by God to bring about the greatest revival in history!). God uses an object lesson of a vine to work on Jonah’s heart and illustrate compassion. (Jonah 4:1-11)
Jesus Christ in Jonah
Just as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the fish, so also Jesus was 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb. (Jonah 1:17; Matthew 12:40)
Just as Jonah preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins to the Ninevites, so also Jesus came from Heaven to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins to everyone. (Matthew 12:41; Luke 24:44-47)
