"Now the word of the Lord Came"

“Now 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 he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” (Jonah 1:1-3 ESV)

There are two Old Testament Books that I see especially illustrate our life and our relationship with God. Today’s verse comes from one of them, The Book of Jonah. The Second is the Book of Job. In Job, we have a clear illustration of many things: the sovereignty of God, the subordinance of Satan to God, and, most importantly, a demonstration of the depth of faith one should have in God when it seems our entire world is collapsing.

But before we can have such a faith as did Job, we must come to God when He calls us and trust in Him alone. Today’s verse is the opening verses from Jonah. These verses are a reminder of the challenges in being obedient to God. That includes resisting His call to salvation and to service.

Jonah was a prophet. In this book, the details of Jonah’s call by God to prophesy to Nineveh are provided. You see, Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire. The city was wicked, known for its viciousness and its brutality. It was no wonder Jonah feared this place. So he tried to flee God.

Imagine trying to run from an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing God, but is that not the very thing we do? When we are in the world, we may receive the gospel call many times from people God places before us. Thankfully, God is patient. We may hear the gospel many times and reject salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We may even have had God work in our lives, a testimony sitting there as to what God did for us, and yet we cling to old ways, incorrect teaching, and are still trying to work our way to salvation, which we cannot.

At some point, the gospel begins to hit home. In fleeing God, Jonah boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, where they encountered a great storm. That storm was the internal conflict Jonah felt for disobeying his God. Like us, Jonah felt guilt over his disobedience and had the sailors throw him overboard. In this, the storm was quelled, and the ship was saved.  

For Jonah, it was into the belly of the great fish. It was there that Jonah realized the depth of his guilt and disobedience. He prayed to God in repentance as he spent three days in the belly of that fish. Three days in which he was reconciled to God. Does this sound familiar? It should. Christ spent three days in the ground so that you and I could be reconciled to God.

Jonah completed God’s mission as he was instructed.

While Jonah contains much more to learn, this first chapter of Jonah is a reminder that, even as we may try to run from God by rejecting the truth of the Gospel, God will eventually issue a divine, ethereal calling that you cannot resist. The grace of God is irresistible.

God is calling you because you are here, seeking Him out, learning more about Him, and looking for the Lord who will change your life and give you the free gift of true salvation. Stop running and go to Him now. In His love, He is waiting for you.

Grace and Peace.