Running From God
Only four chapters long, the Book of Jonah is one of the shortest in the Old Testament.
But it packs a wallop. Jonah’s story is one of the most cinematic of the Bible, and it could easily serve as the plot for an action-packed movie.
Jonah’s life is a memorable one, even for people who last heard about it in Sunday school decades ago.
The book opens with God calling Jonah to serve as a foreign missionary to the wicked city of Nineveh. Jonah heard God’s call, then turned and ran away as fast as he could.
He couldn’t outrun God, though. Jonah boarded a ship, but God sent violent storms that caused the veteran sailors to take notice.
The sailors cast lots to see who might be responsible for the storms and the lot fell to Jonah, whom they reluctantly threw overboard.
Once he was off the ship, the seas calmed. But things were just getting exciting for Jonah. God sent a great fish to swallow him.
They say there are no atheists in foxholes or fish bellies, and sure enough, Jonah prayed to God once he was imprisoned in the stomach of the whale.
The call of God came a second time: This time Jonah didn’t argue. He obeyed God’s call.
Billy Graham would like to have had more evangelistic rallies that were as successful as Jonah’s crusade in Nineveh.
The people of the city believed God’s words, declared a fast, and put on sackcloth as a sign of their repentance.
Their response so impressed God that he decided not to destroy the city as he had promised.
But this made Jonah mad. He wanted God to zap the once-wicked city. Jonah was so upset that he even asked God to take his life.
God didn’t zap Nineveh—or Jonah. Instead, he tried to show Jonah that he cared for those people and would rather see them repent than go to their deaths.
The Jonah story contains plenty of stunning plot twists and special effects but stripped of all these elements, it remains a classic story of God’s love for humanity, even when we try to thwart his purposes.
God may not call you to preach to a wicked city, and he may not send a big fish to eat you if you disobey.
But think about how much better things would go if you did what he asked the first time!
Father, I want to serve you. Help me hear and obey your call on my life.