We’ve often turned this story into one about disobedience (Jonah runs away from God’s mission) and punishment (Jonah gets swallowed by the fish until he gives in). All this may be true, but it completely misses the main point of the story. What did God want the people of Israel to learn from the story, and what can we learn today?
Read: Jonah 1: 1-3
- The Assyrians, whose capital was Nineveh, were Israel’s number one enemy, and a nasty, brutish, violent oppressor at that, who made things hard for Israel year after year.
- This is the backdrop to the story of Jonah.
- It seems that Jonah thought that his people, Israel were the only ones God cared about, and that God couldn’t possibly love people as terrifying and bad as the Assyrians. If Jonah thought that, you can bet that the people of Israel did too.
- Do we ever think we’re the only one who matters to God, getting lost in our church culture and forgetting God loves us all.
- We all have our Nineveh’s…people we’re not prepared to mix with, or share the gospel with. It may be their culture, their lifestyle, the fact we’re afraid of them…
- We all have our Tarshis’s…place we run and hide when God challenges us and things get uncomfortable. It may be our job, our family, our church, our “if only” dreams
- Sometimes, when God wants to break us from the comfortable and the familiar he goes to great lengths to change our attitudes and our willingness to work with him. Sometimes he does things we don’t expect!
What small steps can I make to move in the direction I sense God is wanting me to go, rather than running away. It might involve actually surrendering something which gives me a false sense of security. Perhaps I need to reach out to someone that God has been encouraging me to show some love.
Pilgrim Traveller 