JONAH: The Inescapable Mission
When You Run Away from God’s Service
Psalm 139:7 (NKJV)
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
Text: Jonah 1:1–17
Jonah is an authentic biblical narrative. It is not a legend or a myth. Jesus gave Jonah a stamp of approval. Matthew 12:38–41
2 Kings 14:25 (NKJV) 25 He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.
1. The Commission of Jonah
Jonah 1:1–2 (NKJV) Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
a. The call of Jonah. Jonah 1:1
b. The Command. Jonah 1:2a
c. The cause of the command. Jonah 1:2b
Cf. Jonah 3:8; Zephaniah 2:15; Nahum 2:13; 3:1,4,16.
Hebrews 4:13 (NKJV) 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
2. The Contumacy of Jonah
Jonah 1:3 (NKJV) 3 But Jonah arose 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 from the presence of the Lord.
Cf. Psalm 139:7–12; Jonah 4:1–2
“No matter how Jonah might have rationalized, minimized or whitewashed his doings, the stark and horrible truth remained that he was disobeying the God of heaven and earth. Neither prophets nor preachers have any more right to disregard the word of God than other men. Believers today are under a commission to carry God’s word to distant lands as much as was Jonah.” --James E. Smith
3. The Consequence
Jonah 1:4-16
a. The Crisis and the Concern of the sailors. verse 4-5a
“Prayer and other religious exercises cannot cancel the effects of deliberate disobedience.”--James Smith
Acts 27:17–18
b. The Complacency of Jonah. Verse 5b-6
c. The Cause of the crisis. Verses 7-10
Casting of lots. Proverbs 16:33 (NKJV) The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.
(cf. Lev. 16:8; Josh. 18:6; 1 Sam. 14:42; Neh. 10:34; Es. 3:7; Prov. 16:33; Acts 1:26).
Jonah 1:8–9
All other gods
They are the works of men
You are the only one
There is none like You
They are the works of men
You are the only one
There is none like You
All other gods
They are the works of men
You are the only one
There is none like You
They are the works of men
You are the only one
There is none like You
--A Nigerian Music
Genesis 24:3, 7; Exodus 20:11; Psalm 89:9, Psalm 95:5
d. The Chiding of Jonah. Verse 10
e. The divine chastisement. Verses 11-14
Jonah 4:3,8
1 Corinthians 11:32 (NKJV) 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
f. The Calming of the storm. 15-16
4. The Providential Care of God
Jonah 1:17 (NKJV) 17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Great Fish: Hebrew (dāḡ gā∙ḏôl) sea monster, formally, big fish, the associative meaning is this is a creature so large only the Lord could control it.--DBL Hebrew
Cf. 2 Timothy 2:13
Cf. James Bartley -1870-1909 - A Modem Day Jonah.
