Gtcotr/077019
Jonah 1
1 ¶ Now the word of the LORD
came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
·
The
Word of the LORD came to Jonah saying …
o LORD =
Jehovah, “The Existing One”, the proper name for the One True and Living God.
o Word = The
Expression of God,
His communication; the revelation of His will; His command.
The
Word of the LORD could have been sent to anyone, but it came to Jonah. The name
Jonah means dove, the representation of peace
and of a gentle carrier of the Holy Spirit of God. God knows the true nature of
a person and even though they may not see themselves as God sees them and they
may even fight against doing His will, yet God chooses best.
Jonah
was the son of Amittai. When we say this in English is doesn’t mean as much as
if we were to say it in Hebrew. Amittai means “My
Truth”. Reading this verse with these things in mind helps us to
understand that:
1 Now the Word of Jehovah,
which is the expression of the perfect will of the One True and Living God,
came to a dove, who was a son of Truth, saying … 2 Arise and go to Nineveh …
·
The
Word of the Lord came to Jonah saying …
o This opening phrase
in Jonah 1:1, “The Word of the Lord came …” is found 92 times in the Old
Testament.
o Each time this
phrase is used it reveals a part of God’s perfect plan for mankind. These
revelations are pearls of great price given to mankind by God to reveal His will.
Strung together over the course of 4000 years they show us the goodness and
kindness and loving care of our heavenly Father for His children. When God
sends us His Word, He is giving us His best. Every Word is a pearl of great
price …
Jonah 1 NKJV
1 ¶ 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.”
Why
did God want Jonah to go to Nineveh? Because God loved them. God wanted the
people of Nineveh to have a chance to know they had displeased Him and have the
opportunity to change before the wages of sin consumed them. God did His best …
He sent His Word to Jonah and told him to take that Word to the Ninevites.
God’s hope was salvation …
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.
Why
didn’t Jonah want to go to Nineveh?
·
He
didn’t like those people. He believed they didn’t deserve to be forgiven. The
Ninevites were historical enemies of the Jews …
·
And
besides, Jonah was comfortable right where he was.
·
As
well, Jonah knew God was going to find a way to save the Ninevites with or
without him and so:
o Why bother – It’s
going to be ok – Not my problem …
o It’s just not worth
the effort – It’s a waste of my time
o It appears that
Jonah didn’t care about anyone but himself.
·
God
knew Jonah would feel this way before He sent His Word to him.
Nonetheless,
the Word of the LORD came to Jonah and revealed the will of God for Jonah’s
life. Even though it may have affected Jonah, and costs him some comfort, maybe
it wasn’t all about Jonah. Jonah felt differently.
When
we read, “The Word of the LORD came to Jonah saying …”
·
It’s
interesting to note: This phrase, although used 92 times in the Old Testament,
is not found even once in the New Testament.
·
Why?
Because …
·
In
the Old Testament the Word of the Lord came only to special people at special
moments for special things … but …
·
In
the New Testament however, the Word of the Lord came in the flesh, and He made
everyone special - Jesus is the Word of the Lord!
King
David prophesied about this truth when he wrote:
Psalms 107 NKJV
20 He sent His word and
healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh, that men would
give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful
works to the children of men!
The
elder Apostle John wrote to us about this Word of God:
John 1 NKJV
1 ¶ In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning
with God.
14 And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The
Word of the Lord has come to you in a much better fashion than it came to Jonah
or to those in Nineveh. The Word of the Lord, Jesus our Savior, now speaks in
the hearts and minds of each and every one of us and we hear His voice.
The
Word of the Lord has come to you. He wants to save you from the wages of sin
and from things which want to rob your joy, steal your peace and destroy your
life. What is the Word saying to you?
·
Repent?
·
Love?
·
Forgive?
·
Stop
something?
·
Start
something?
·
Go?
·
Stay?
Will
you be like the Ninevites and turn to God and follow Him or will you be like
Jonah and figure:
·
What’s
the use? I’m too tired. It’s too much trouble to do it God’s way. It’s just not
worth the effort. I’m comfortable right where I am.
·
God
is going to take care of it anyway … why bother?
·
It’s
a waste of my time and energy.
·
Besides
these things, I don’t really want what God wants …
·
I
just don’t want to do what the Word says …
·
It
will be ok … God will do it without me.
You
know, God was prepared for what He knew Jonah was going to do. God prepared a
great fish, not to punish Jonah but to save him. Perhaps it wasn’t a vacation
on the Mediterranean Riviera, but it was an all-expense paid three-day
excursion in a private room, no view, but with a 24-hour seafood buffet, room
service and express disembarking beachside right onto dry ground.
God
was prepared to give Jonah the same second chance that God wanted to give the
Ninevites. God saved Jonah in that fish.
God
is also prepared for what you will or what will not do with His Word. But just
like Jonah, when we disobey God’s Word it makes life more difficult for us and
everyone else. In fact, it can become unbearable and when we finally do decide
to change, and we will … all we are going to hear is the very same Word … The
Word of God does not change!
Jonah 3:1 Now the word of the
LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that
great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”
In
closing I’ll ask you this morning: What is the Word saying to you? Not what is
your flesh saying; not what are your likes and dislikes; not what’s easiest.
Remember, It’s not all about you and yours … It’s about
Him and His! What is the Word saying to you today?
·
Love;
Forgive
·
Stop;
Start
·
Go;
Stay
God
has a special Word for you … Hear what Jesus is saying. Every Word is a Pearl
of Great Price! Strung together in our lives they paint a picture of God’s
best. It may not always be easy or even desirable to obey God and you may not
always agree, but when you have His Word, you have everything you need for the
moment. He will take care of the rest.
Let
me encourage you: Obey the Word … Don’t hesitate any longer … Just simply say
yes to Jesus today. Your obedience will be a blessing to God and to everybody
else. Be the dove God needs … Be the son or daughter of Truth … Say yes to the
Word and take that Word to others.
