Over the next few blog posts, I want to take some time to examine the life of Jonah, and see what lessons we can learn from him. In today’s post, we are going to be looking at Jonah Chapter 1, and we will discuss what to do if we are running from our God Given Calling.
Jonah Flees His Call
Do you ever wish you could hear the direct voice of God? Maybe you even wish you could have a burning bush experience like Moses had?
Burning bush moments are typically scarce, transformational, and impossible to ignore. I think some people get them because the message is either so important it needs not to be questioned, or the person has been running or ignoring God's quiet and still voice. Moses, after all, has his burning bush experience after 40 years of hiding in the desert.
Chapter 1 of Jonah opens up with the word of the Lord coming to Jonah. We aren’t told what it looks like or how he heard, but Jonah received a word from God. Jonah is told to go to Ninevah and call out against it. Jonah knows this is an evil place and doesn’t want to go.
Jonah knew that God was gracious and would offer the opportunity for repentance for what they had done. But what had they done? Ninevah was the capital of Assyria, and the Assyrian empire was responsible for the captivity of the Northern ten tribes.
When God spoke to Daniel, he listened to what God said to do in Babylon. However, as we will discover Jonah took the opposite approach and ran from the call on his life.
Obviously, I cannot get into Jonah’s thoughts. But if Jonah was anything like the average person, I feel like I know what he was thinking. Maybe it looked something like this…
”I know better than God. If they don’t hear about God, they can’t repent. If they can’t repent, judgment will happen quicker. If judgment happens quicker, they can be wiped out, and my people can return to their land. So Jonah begins to flee, and he goes to Joppa to board a boat in the complete opposite direction
Here is the issue, though, while the Israelites were God’s chosen people, all people were created in the image of God. God doesn’t desire that anyone shall perish, but all should come to a saving understanding of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Jonah acts purely out of his motivations and desire. What's best for me, what's best for my people. And he chooses to ignore the call of God.
Comfort In Disobedience
Now the first time you choose to disobey anyone, it is uncomfortable. I am, by nature, a rule follower. I feel uncomfortable if I know what I am supposed to do and don’t do it.
But the more you do something and get away with it, the easier it is the next time. Ask yourself this question, If the speed limit is 70 on the expressway, what speed can you safely go without getting caught? It’s likely that you just thought of a speed between 75-80. And your mind probably went to that speed with very little effort.
Now, this wasn’t Jonah’s first time disobeying God. Why do I feel comfortable saying that? Well, a storm is going on that makes the crew panic, and where is Jonah? He is asleep in the inner part of the ship. He had complete comfort in what was going to happen. In his mind, he was ready to go down with the boat and take these men with him. After all, he was playing his role in the Ninevites being judged.
Jonah was entirely comfortable in his disobedience because he thought he knew better.
I think this is one of the dangerous things about American society today. Everyone tends to think their idea is the best. Their minds are made up, and they are unwilling to have conversations. I see prophetic words on Facebook and YouTube that are more pathetic than prophetic. I see people pushing “Me First Christianity” because it is what is best or is the easiest for them. Excuse me, when did this ever become about us?
When we make Christianity into my way, or I’m going to another church, we pull a Jonah. We get comfortable doing it our way, and often we stop hearing from God. Not because he isn’t speaking, but we turned his voice off. We got comfortable in our disobedience and are headed in a different direction.
Jonah admits this is his fault but gives them the instruction to throw him overboard. The sailors tried to go to dry land, but any land other than Nineveh was disobedience. If Jonah had said, sail towards Nineveh, the storm would have stopped. But he convinces them to throw him overboard, and the men are saved.
You Are Appointed
Here is the thought I want to end with today. You are appointed for such a time as this, for God's call is on your life.
Can I be honest? There are times I wish I could have a different calling. Pastoring in 2022 is hard, but it is what God has called me to do at this point in my life, and I will do it until God says to stop and do something else.
There will be moments when God calls you to something big, and maybe you obey, and perhaps you flee. But it doesn’t change the fact that you have been appointed to do it.
Ninevah was about to be overturned or turned over, and it was up to Jonah to see what would happen. In this book, so much attention gets put on Jonah, the individual with the big calling fleeing his calling.
But maybe you sit here today and say, I have never received some big calling from God, and perhaps you haven’t. However, you are appointed. Did you know there is another creature in this story that was appointed, and it was the great fish. This fish was created for this moment. It was a vessel that would deliver the message of God to the people who needed to hear God’s voice.
The fish wasn’t glamourous; its name isn’t known. We don’t know what type of fish it was, but it did the job it was designed to do. You might sit back and think today that you don’t have a call, but you do. We are called to go and make disciples. We are called to share the good news of Jesus faithfully. We are called to give and to go. And we consistently do those things wherever we are, until God tells us to go someplace else.
If the great fish wasn’t in the right place at the right time, then maybe Jonah sinks and is never heard from again. Your appointment might look different than other people's, but make sure you keep that appointment with God!
If you would like a deeper dive on this topic, check out the full sermon on YouTube! Then come back next week for a look at Jonah Chapter 2 and we will talk about Confinement, Communion, and Confession.
Pastor Scott