Let Jonah challenge and comfort us

Jonah 3, along with the rest of the Bible, confronts us with the fact that we have rebelled, we have turned away from God, we are in the wrong and we need to turn back to him

This is challenging because we are full of pride - all rebels are! It’s not easy or comfortable.

But the story of Jonah and the Ninevites shows us that God graciously and supernaturally opens our eyes to see our condition and need for him, humbling us and showing us that there is nothing in us that can solve the problem. The Holy Spirit works the miracle in us that causes us to cry out to God.

The book of Jonah also comforts us with the description of the God that we are crying out to. He is the God who speaks, who has not just cut us off but comes to us with the warning that draws our attention to him. The fact that we are reading this warning is him still graciously coming to us, calling us to repentance.

The God we are calling out to is gracious and compassionate and forgives.

We do not need to hang our heads in shame, thinking ‘who knows if god will forgive’? We are not uncertain of his position towards us - he has proved it on the cross. While we were still sinners Christ died for us. We have not gone too far, we have not turned one too many times. 

Our sin is real, but so is the cross. It was dealt with there.

Who knows?

Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish. When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
(Jonah 3:8-10 ESV)

Do I have a natural tendency to think God owes me forgiveness? 

If I think I deserve grace, then I haven't understood it.

I haven’t just transgressed some arbitrary set of rules, I’ve violated a relationship. Sin is often described in the bible as adultery. Because of the pain that adultery causes, we would never say the person who’s committed adultery deserves forgiveness (regardless of whether it’s given). It's no different with the adultery that we have committed against God. That’s why it’s such good news that God does extend grace.

When the Ninevites repent, they do not see it as a transaction - they repent and God forgives. They recognise that they don't deserve to be forgiven, they don't assume that he will. That's why they say "Who knows?".

It is unclear to them how God could turn from his anger and still be just. They recognise their evil but don't know how it can be sorted out. We are not saying "who knows" now - we know that justice and mercy come through the cross. that’s where justice was done and our forgiveness was secured.

God has compassion. He relents. Great news!

video - Jonah 4 - Outrageous Grace

the miracle of repentance

let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
(Jonah 3:8 ESV)

Repentance is a miracle

When Jonah arrives in Ninevah, everyone repents from greatest to least. Then the king finds out and repents (which is shocking in itself - try and imagine a modern politician saying sorry, let alone putting on sackcloth and sitting in ashes!) and sends out a message to make sure everyone is repenting. This is comprehensive repentance!

It is not down to the great job that Jonah did - he had only just started - first day of a 3 day journey v3-4. The only recorded message he gave was very brief - emphasising it wasn’t the quality of his message v4. This is God’s power at work.

If it was down to us there would be no chance - look at the church - we are pathetic by the world’s standards. We can be encouraged that the small job that an imperfect, reluctant racist did, was used mightily by God to draw hundreds of thousands of people to himself.

This also tells us that no one is beyond God’s power to save. 

If you are a Christian thinking of a friend or family member that wants nothing to do with God, this encourages us that they have not gone beyond God’s reach. If you are thinking you’ve gone too far yourself, that you’re disqualified from this because of things you’ve said or done, then hear the message from God here that no one has gone too far, no one is disqualified. This message is for everyone, the evil, the disobedient and the self righteous religious person.

video - Jonah 3 - Repentance

sorry not sorry

How do you respond when told you’re wrong?

I am sorry that statements taken out of context have had such repercussions. (Francisco Javier León de la Riva)

Our cover illustration last week got strong reactions, which we regret. [...] Our intention was not to incite or offend. (Josh Tyrangiel)

If anything I said this morning has been misconstrued to the opposite effect I want to apologize for that misconstrued misconstruction. (Joe Barton)

I feel bad if her feelings were hurt. (Questlove)

The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

(Jonah 3:6-9 ESV)

The King wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes is an incredible sign of humility. It is a mark of genuine repentance, it's not the non apology apology that we are familiar with from public figures. 

They are not turning from violence in order to earn forgiveness from God. Their cry of 'who knows?' in v9 shows they have no hope in themselves, their only hope that God may be merciful. They don’t see God’s forgiveness as a right.

Do I respond with humility when I'm challenged by God’s word? I'm happy making vague statements about nobody being perfect and everybody making mistakes but find it so much more difficult to ask forgiveness for a specific thing. Then, at the same time, I take God's forgiveness for granted. I expect it, and take it for granted. I need to take my sin, and God's forgiveness more seriously. They are both big deals!

video - Jonah 2 - God Saves

video - Jonah 1

can you admit that you're wrong?

Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

Jonah 3:8-9

Repentance starts with recognising wrongdoing, can’t repent from sin if we don’t see ourselves as a sinner.

Jonah comes with a message against Ninevah (ch1). This is probably not all Jonah said but God’s opinion of their evil is certainly part of his message. The Ninevites hear they’ve got 40 days before God overturns the city and they believe God. This isn't softly softly approach, strong language is used - evil/wickedness.

Repentance is a massive challenge to our pride - we don’t want to admit that we are wrong. But there can be no turning to God unless we realise we have turned away from him.

a second chance

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, 

Jonah 3:1

 

Jonah disobeyed God, he wanted to get away from God's presence, but God pursued him and now speaks to him again - what grace!

The same message comes from God a second time. God gives a second chance, we should never take that for granted. We don't deserve a second chance. We tend to think we do - 'i've tried my best, nobody is perfect, why wouldn't God give me a second chance?' but that misunderstands the nature of sin.

We wouldn't presume a second chance wil be offered having committed adultery and that is exactly what we have done with God. We don't deserve a second chance, but He offers it.

getting out of the pit

I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.
Jonah 2:6

Jonah's prayer in chapter 2 is a description of the christian life. God brought us out of the pit.

Everything and everyone else offers you methods of getting out of the pit. That misunderstands how deep the pit is. Christianity says Jesus came down into the pit and lifted you out!

hitting rock bottom

The Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish
Jonah 2:1

This is the first time in the book of Jonah that Jonah speaks or prays to God. As far as we know, he didn’t pray when he received God’s command and didn’t like it, he didn’t pray in the storm - he would rather die than cry out to God at that point. Did he even pray when the fish swallowed him? Has it taken the 3 days/nights to get him to this point?

His prayer is described as being to the Lord his God - although Jonah has claimed allegiance to God in chapter 1, there hasn’t been much so far to suggest the personal relationship indicated here.

A fish belly is a random location for prayer! Jonah has hit rock bottom and then cries out to God. How often do we find that our prayer life comes alive when we’re at rock bottom and dwindles when things seem to be going well? It is God’s grace to put us at rock bottom if the result is that we start crying out to the Lord our God.

physical grace

And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 1:17

Just like God sent the storm, he sends a fish. Bizarre, yes, but the God who created the universe can control the physical elements for our good and His glory.

God is not finished with Jonah, He is still pursuing him - the storm was God’s grace, the fish was Gods grace, the 3 days/nights spent in there is God’s grace.

God could have made Jonah float or saved him another way, He could have made the fish take him straight to the land. Why 3 days/nights? It seems like Jonah needed that time to repent! He wasn’t repentent when he was being thrown into the sea, he wasn't crying out to God at that stage, he was asking to die.

God is in control over everything around us. And he uses his creation to extend love towards us

nothing to fear but Him

So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.(Jonah 1:15-16 ESV)

A storm so severe that professional sailors were afraid they would die, suddenly stops when they throw Jonah in. It's difficult to imagine what that would be like, but the end of the storm is so abrupt that it's clear that God is in charge.

The response of the sailors is not the absence of the fear that they had been experiencing, the fear just changes. They had feared the storm, now they fear the Lord. This is the same response that the discipleshave when Jesus calms the storm. If anything, they are more afraid after it has calmed down. Being confronted with God’s power over elements which are completely out of our control produces fear in man, due to the realisation that we’re dealing with someone on a different level.

The sailors start offering sacrifices and making vows, using God's name rather than calling out to any old God like they had been earlier.

We can be comforted that, no matter what is happening, God is bigger than the storm. We have nothing to fear but Him. And He is the one who loves us so much that he was cast into the storm in our place, he died so that death holds no fear for us.

I'll just row harder

He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 
Joanh 1:12-15 ESV

The sailors are saved by the sacrifice of Jonah to the storm. One man's death will save them.

The sailors do not want to accept this at first, they rowed harder. The death of someone on their behalf seemed extreme so they tried again to save themselves. Only when they were absolutely desperate, totally convinced they could not beat the storm, having tried everything possible in their own strength, did they throw Jonah in.

Jesus' death in our place can often seem just as unacceptable to us. It seems extreme. we don't want it to be necessary that a life needs to be sacrificed, so we, like the sailors, go back to rowing harder. It's failed before, but maybe we can just save ourselves if we try harder this time.

We need to come to the end of ourselves and cry out to God. Recognising that our rebellion deserves death we can worship the one who was willingly sacrificed so that we could be saved!

you have not outrun His grace

But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”(Jonah 1:4-6 ESV)

If the professionals are frightened, then you know it's serious. The storm that God had graciously hurled at Jonah was still terrifying. 

The sailors start desperately crying out to every 'god' under they've ever heard of. All their efforts have failed, they're now clutching at straws. In a similar situation in Acts 27, Paul encourages the sailors to have faith in God. Here, Jonah is asleep.

The prophet sleeps while the pagans screamAlistair Begg

The captain has to ask Jonah to pray to his God for help as there is no sign of him offering to pray (and we're not told that he did, even after being asked). The God who sent the storm is the God who can do something about it but that is the God who Jonah is running from.

The sailors, and Jonah, will survive and again, that's entirely down to God's grace and nothing to do with Jonah. How often are we like Jonah - running from God? Sleeping while people desperately need the good news of the gospel? However, we can be encouraged, no matter how far we have run, we have not outpaced his grace.

It is God's grace to send the storm

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. But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.(Jonah 1:1-4 ESV)

Jonah doesn't like what God has said so he tries to flee from the presence of the Lord. It would be obvious to Jonah that this is impossible, he knows Psalm 139! We also know it but still try to distance ourselves from God when we don't like what he's said. We stop attending church, stop reading the Bible, get away from anything that reminds us of God so we can pretend to ourselves that we’re not disobeying.


God could have left Jonah to his own devices and sent another prophet to Ninevah. So why does God send the storm? It’s not to punish Jonah, otherwise he would let him die when he ends up in the sea. 

It is God’s grace to send the storm. 

It is God’s grace to do anything that turns us back to him. No matter how much we might not like the means, anything is worth it when we are running from God because it is a life and death situation.

God doesn’t just want the message to go to Ninevah he wants Jonah to take it there. It is God’s grace to confront Jonah with a task that he doesn’t want to do with an outcome he’s not going to like in order to show him how amazing His grace is. This misson is as much for Jonah to see how gracious God is as it is for the Ninevites.

Is God allowed to disagree with you?

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)

God tells Jonah to do something and he doesn't want to do it. This shouldn't be surprising but often is - God can say something that we don't like! God's word doesn't always agree with ours and, when that happens, we're the ones in the wrong. In fact, if we never find ourselves in 'conflict' with God's word, then something would be wrong in the relationship

'Only if your God can say things that outrage you and make you struggle will you know that you have got hold of a real God and not a figment of your imagination. So an authoritative Bible is not the enemy of a personal relationship with God. It is the precondition for it.'

Tim Keller, The Reason for God