PROBLEM PROPHET’S PITIFUL PLIGHT
I. PRONOUNCEMENT:
A. Preach!
B. Place.
C. Portraiture.
II. PROBLEMS:
A. Particular.
B. Perplexing.
C. Painful.
III. PERFORMANCE:
A. Perceived.
B. Postponed.
C. Procured.
God’s longsuffering is amazing. How many of us would have given up on Jonah at the first time he openly rebeled? I am glad that we do not see things as He sees things and I am realy grateful to know that He knows human hearts better than we know them. God knew Jonah and He knew that this prophet could do the job which He wanted done whereas there was simply no other person who could do the task of going to Nineveh, preach to it and reap the rewards that God wanted. Let this man, this situation forever be uppermost in our minds when we think we cannot do that which God has called us to do. He believed in Jonah when the prophet did not believe in himself. God believes in us, even when we are doubtful of the tasks He has outlined for us to accomplish.
Continuing with the theme of my series on Jonah, I see three things about these fisrt three verses of Chapter One. The fisrt thing I note has to do with God’s PRONOUNCMENT, His clear calling to Jonah to go and preach for Him. The next part of my sermon has to do with the PROBLEMS which became evident when God called Jonah to His mission field. Then, I note the PREFORMANCE of God’s man for the hour and for the city of Nineveh.
I. PRONOUNCEMENT: I cannot but notice the words that God spoke to Jonah in these first three verses of chapter one. God certainly knew His man’s heart and his prejudices, but He knew that Jonah was thee man for the job and He would not take, “No” for an answer.
I notice that God told Jonah a thing which is vital for all people who are to proclaim the name of our Lord-regardless of our ability: “Arise, get up, be industrious and do something for Me.” If one declares to believe in God and yet is lazy, the testimony of that lazy person is equal to one’s inactivity-it is a lazy message. God wants people who are active to be proclaimers for Him. All people who name the name of Christ can do something for Him, and we are to arise, get up, and do what God wants us to do.
It did no one any good for old Jonah to sit and say that he was a follower of God and do nothing. No, God said to old Jonah, “Hey, you believe in me, get up, and go Preach for me. Not all Christians can be preachers but every Christian can do something for God. God gave Jonah his marching orders and he was to get up off of his cushioned seat; get out of his town; and, get down to Nineveh. God disturbed His prophet by giving him His message, but then God has a way of doing that to all of us who name His name. He likes to come along and stir us from time to time to get us out of our comfort zone and do something extra ordinary for Him.
Church history has verified this over and over again. God told Francis of Assisi to start out to preach about Him, and not stay with his father’s very profitable furniture business. Francis did and look what happened!!! God told Hudson Taylor to go to China-leave comfortable England and go preach to the Chinese-look what happened!!! God told David Livinstone to leave comfortable England and go to dark Africa-look what happened!!! God called the Wesley boys to leave comfortable possibilities of being priests in the Chruch of England and go preach to miners who worked long hours in the darkness of the earth-look what happened!!! God called John Calvin to leave a comfortable law office and go preach for Him-look what happened!!! God called William Booth, the Founder of the Salvation Army to go preach to the poor of England-look what happened!!!
God has a way of calling, convincing and commissioning people for His work and Jonah was called to go and Preach, but first he had to get up, get ready and go.
Next, I note the place where God sent this man to go and preach for Him-Ninieveh. In my last sermon I outlined some of the barbaric practices that the people of Nineveh practiced against their enemies. That would be enough of discouragement for any prophet to face. However, there is something else involved here.
Some ministers are selective about where they are to go due to their self-inflated ego, but these places may not be where God wants them to go. Certainly Nineveh did not regester on the top ten Churches of any district or conference as far as being the choisest plum of parishes. In fact, there was no congregation, no building of worship for the most High God, no set salary, no perks, no lfe or health insurance, no fancy house, no fine cars-no nothing to attract one who has just been commissioned to preach for God. Jonah was to go to a place and start from nothing and work up to something and he said no.
Today, it seems that evey preacher dreams of going to “First Chruch” to begin one’s pastorate. It seems as if one is not pastoring a big, prosperous church-in any denomination-that preacher is not worth his salt. No one seems to notice the ones who go to the small churches where the labor is long, hard and never ending. Not too many preachers are promoted to a larger church who starts out small and stays small, but God knows and in His time, He will advance His person for His glory. No the Place of labor was not one of the choicest places for Jonah, but it was where God wanted him to be.
Amateur preachers never pay the price and they never go to Nineveh. God does not always call preachers to green pastures; sometimes He calls them to barren and needy places. Nor does He always call His spokesperson to wells next to waterfalls. Wells need digging in dry and barren locales. A man or women who wants to preach to the choir is rarely called to preach at all, and there are more street corners than pulpits for one to go to preach to the needy. Jonah needed to learn this valuable lesson.
I have noticed the PRONOUCNEMENT given by God to Jonah, regarding Jonah’s call to Preach and the Place of his ministry. Finally, I notice God’s Picture or His Portraiture of Jonah’s new charge. God said that the city was so bad, that the city’s wickedness had arisen before Him. There are very few places in the Bible where such a discription is given of any city. One of these cities with this onerous reputation was Sodom and Gomorrah. Here God gave the same desription of Nineveh.
God was up front with His man as He laid out the scope of what Jonah was to face. God did not candy coat the situation but he was truthfull with His man and this was part of the test which Jonah faced that day as he thought about his calling. It will be interesting to see what takes place as Jonah thinks about his choice on whether to obey God or not.
II. PROBLEM: God had a great PROBLEM with this city. Even though it was not Hebrew and was of Gentile extraction, God still loved the people of Nineveh but He had a situation of just whom to send to convey His message of warning and repentance.
This Problem which God had was one of a Particular nature: trying to reach Gentiles with His message of hope and forgiveness. This dilemma which confronted God concerning Nineveh was one that had existed ever since the Children of Israel entered into the Promised Land. God did not deliver these Hebrews just so they could arrive in the Land of His Choice and there rest forever. No, His plan was that the Israelites would be messengers to the surrounding nations about God’s deliverance from bondage. These Hebrews were living proof that God could do a miracle of deliverance and lead all people out of their bondage, of degradation, darkness and death. But the Children of Israel failed in fulfilling God’s wishes and the heathen nations finally swallowed up the Israelites instead of Israel bringing help and holiness to their neighbors.
Not only was this problem a Particular one but it was a Perplexing one, from God‘s view point. The Israelites could not see God’s wishes nor it seems they did not care to see God’s desires. Instead, the Hebrews seemed to dwell more on their self-preservation rather than being missionaries for God.
The question seemed to vibrate down through the corridors of time on how to get the Israelites to see that their mission for being where they were was not one of self-enjoyment and self-aggrandizement, but they were to carry forth the “gospel” of Jehovah to the region and beyond. When Jesus ascended into the Heavens after His resurrection, the angel in Acts 1:8, told the Jewish followers of Jesus that they were to be preachers of the Master in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost part of the world. If I understand the Book of Revelation, the Jewish people will ultimately be the missionaries to the world. This was their life long charge by God, but He could not get them to see it then. It was a very Perplexing predicament which confronted God for centuries. Now, with the call of Jonah, He was trying, once more, to get His people to see their mission as He saw it.
Just as sure as the situation was ongoing to a loving God, it was also very Painful to Him. Sometimes a parent stands aside and wishes one’s offspring would do differently, but realizes that all admonishment to change is useless. Knowing all sides to a situation is one thing, but to see one’s child refusing to pick the correct path to follow is heart wrenching to say the least. This was God’s quandary concerning the Jewish state and the need to evangelize the world for Him. The Jewish people would not have to suffer if they would only follow Him and His plans for them, but they chose the opposite and God watched with a broken heart the stubbornness and blindness of His people to spread the news about Him to others. It was indeed very heart wrenching to a loving God.
III. PERFORMANCE: Once Jonah was called, the question then arose, “Would he obey?” The next few verses record his answers.
The first thing I note about Jonah regarding his actions after he was told to, “Arise and go,” was that he did arise and he did go, but not to Nineveh. As I read verse three, I note that Jonah heard very well what God had told him. Jonah Perceived the voice of God. What made him arise and go seeking a ship to Joppa, if it was not the fact that he heard the voice of God telling him to do something which he did not want to do? He was comfortable living at his home, earning his livelihood as he did, and having his friends and family close by-yet he was willing to leave all and go to another city. What made him of a sudden do what he did? What made him willing to cast off all of his good life and go to Joppa, if he did not understand that God was calling him to do something for Him? Jonah understood very well his new charge. He heard every word spoken to him by God and yet chose to ignore it.
We will be judged on what we know. Some never have heard God call them to a specific task and there is no problem nor condemnation upon that one as long as that one has a willing and an obedient heart and would do anything God would ask that one to do. But what about the many who have heard God call them and they choose to ignore or disobey that call?
A classic example of this is the story of Ruth Judd Whinny, a condemned killer of years ago. I attended a church with a man who personally knew her and he verified that she had a call to the mission field for God, but said no to His leadings.
Years later, she was reported to have killed a lady, stuffed her victim in a suitcase to throw her into the Pacific Ocean-the “Suitcase Murder Story” and spent many years in an Arizona prison. The case was all hush-hush; even Senator Barry Goldwater told a writer of the book about this strange case to stop his investigation and to leave it alone. Ruth was finally released from prison and moved to California. When the reporter tracked her down, she refused to give her side of the story and asked her inquisitor to leave post haste.
What makes this story so poignant is the fact that Ruth became an escape artist and she was able to find her freedom so often while incarcerated. When the news would break that she had escaped again, the police would sweep the dessert near her prison and would usually find Ruth, on her hands and knees, preaching to the desert animals about Jesus and His forgiving power. Ruth would be gently taken back into custody and incarcerated again. Her time of preaching to human souls was long gone and she was a lost creature without God herself. Ruth heard God’s call but said no and she paid a heavy price for her disobedience. So did Jonah; but he heard, he Perceived well God’s call upon him.
Not only did he hear the voice of God, He Postponed his eventual rendezvous with God. He put off his meeting with God as long as he could. When God calls-He does not forget and every one to whom He has extended an Olive Branch of mercy, He will meet that person sooner or later-face to face. Jonah put off his day of reckoning with God as long as he could, but in his heart he knew he would have to meet God on His terms. It does not pay to try to avoid one’s meeting with God.
As I conclude this last part of my sermon, I have to make mention that not only did Jonah preformed a certain way by perceiving the voice of God very well and yet decided to put-off meeting God until later, Jonah Procured his ticket to Joppa his trip to his own ruination. I notice some things about Jonah here in verse three. First of all he went down to Joppa, then he went down into the ship then later he went down into the water and then he went down inside of the big fish to the roots of the mountains. Once he turned his back on God, he started a descent away, far away from God before He was rescued and restored. May that be a lesson to all of us. Walking away from God means only one way and that is “down.” No one walks away from God and walks up, it is always down.
Jonah heard God call him; he had a problem of obeying God; yet, he perceived God’s voice but postponed his day of reckoning with God by going farther and farther away from God’s presence. May we learn from Jonah and do the opposite of what he did.
