Jonah’s Foolishness
Jonah 1:1-4
Intro.
Most everyone is familiar with the book of Jonah. Many deny that it is true. Our Lord believed it was true because he referred to it. We are all like Jonah in certain degrees. What the book does is give us a picture of Christian disobedience and God’s chastisement. The Bible makes it clear if you are God’s child and you rebell he will chasten you. Heb 12:6, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”
It also gives a picture of eternal security. God did not cast Jonah away although you and I would have in a moment. But God just caused Jonah to change. God has a way of getting his way. He doesn’t make us do anything against our will he just makes us willing!
The Bible shows us several things about God;
I. We have here a picture of some of God’s attributes and His character.
1. His Attributes:
A. His Omniscience: He is all knowing, some want to speak of God as fore knowing, He is much greater than that He knows our every thought and action, even before we do them. He is all wise, this means He cannot learn. And also let me say He can never make a mistake. His purpose is always right and good.
B. His Omnipresence: God is everywhere; Jonah was foolish to think he could run from God. And yet we have those today that seem to think they can hide their actions from God. David tells us that one cannot escape from God’s presence.
Ps 139:7-10, Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
C. God’s Omnipotence: He is an all powerful God, he can do anything he wishes he controls nature itself. In verse 4, it says, But the Lord sent out a great wind.
Look also at Dan 4:34-35
And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Would we want God to be any less? When I have problems he already knows, He is there and has the power to take control of the situation.
2. God’s Character:
a. His glory: We cannot see God or the glory of His existence. He declares in his word, “there shall no man see me and live.” (Exod. 33:20)
We see God as he is revealed in his precious son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Col 2:9, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
Jesus said of himself, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” John 14:9
His glory displayed in his will, God has a will of his own and the modern day church is in the shape it is in because they have ignored the will of God. we want to have our own way this is why there are so many fights in churches.
The greatest thing that man can do is to love to glorify God. Ill. William C. Burns was leaving Scotland bound for China. A man said sarcastically, “I suppose you’re going to China to convert all the Chinese?” He replied, “No, I am going to China to glorify God.”
II. It Is God’s Perogative To Do What He Wishes:
It is not always what we would do. Why did he choose Nineveh? Why did he choose Jonah?
1. Why Jonah: God knew how Jonah would react. He is mentioned as a prophet only one other time in the word.
When God told him he knew that Jonah would flee, he was like a bass fish when it is hooked he ran the other way. For the fish the hook is painful and running only sets it deeper in it’s mouth.
There are some in the modern day church that try to teach that God will not interfere with man’s free will. They need to read the book of Jonah. Any God called preacher that had ever tried to run from God knows this is true.
When sinners come under conviction they often flee and God sometimes give them line to run but when God hooks you you cannot escape.
God has a work for every Christian to do; he has a claim on our lives and the right to call on us to do it. 1 Cor 6:20
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Sometimes we get so comfortable that when God calls we know it is going to interfere with our rest and we just don’t want to do it. Yet we have no right to argue with God. we feel sorry for ourselves and we cry out, “Why me?”
B. Why Nineveh: There were many nations that were evil. It wasn’t as if Nineveh was the only ungodly nation in existence. God deals with nations as it pleases him. We could well ask the question Lord why have you blessed America? Why did God for many years ignore Africa? Sometimes we act as if God is a white American and speaks with a south Georgia accent.
Jonah thought God was a Jew and spoke nothing but Hebrew, he didn’t care anything about those people in Nineveh and he couldn’t imagine that God did.
III. God’s Taking Note Of Nineveh’s Sin:
Did God just discover that Nineveh was extremely sinful? In that day Nineveh was a Horrible and a base people but so was many others. They chopped off the heads of their enemies and put them on stakes around their borders so men would fear them.
Poor ole Jonah was like a south Georgis preacher being sent to New York City. He had heard stories, and he was afraid of the people there.
But God knows about all men’s sins, but when the Bible speaks of his taking notice, it means he is about to act with mercy. It is a terrible state when God just ignores the sins of people, in Rom. 1, he gave them over to a reprobate mind. It means he ignored them and let them follow after their own lust.
Don’t feel good when it appears that God doesn’t notice your sins. To be ignored by God is a sign of his judgment, to be noticed a sign of mercy.
David said, “Search me and try me, and see if there be any wicked way in me.”
IV. Jonah’s Foolishness:
He should have thanked God for choosing him. Instead we read the words “But Jonah,” Instead of being thankful he fled.
A. His Doubt:
It isn’t stated but it is implied that he doubted. This is always the root of sin. Satan always plants doubt, just as with Eve, “hast God said?” Satan even tried to plant doubt in Jesus mind, “If thou be the Son of God.”
This is a real problem today people doubt God’s word.
Had Jonah been fully persuaded he certainly would have gone to Nineveh without any argument?
Paul said, “Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel.”
It is only by the internal witness of God the Holy Spirit that we are convinced of the truth of God’s word. People today want to look for an external witness. If science says man evolved from an ape they set out to change God’s word to fit what the scientist say.
The church no longer influences the world but the world influences the church. German higher criticizm says deny theologizing the Bible. Miracles were myths in their mind.
B. Jonah’s Over Familiarization With Holy Things:
He thought he understood it all; this is a big danger today. The doctrine of God sovereignty is beautiful, the doctrine of justification by faith is precious, too often those who discover God’s sovereignty lose their zeal to serve. Too often when men discover the doctrine of justification by faith they ignore the command to live a holy life.
The Bible proclaims that we are to preach the gospel to every creature; God’s sovereignty should not be a deterrent. The bible says, “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.” Heb. 12:14
For those who say, “I am saved by faith and I can never be lost so I’ll live like I want to.” You better check up you probably are not saved.
C. Jonah Was Not Grateful:
Instead of thanking God for choosing him he was ungrateful.
We are to thank God for all things God did not need Jonah for the salvation of Nineveh, but he chose to use him. He should have thanked God. God doesn’t need the Billy Grahams nor the Charles Spurgeons but it is marvelous that he uses them.
Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few:pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he should send forth laborers into his harvest.”
The harvest is guarenteed God is the Lord Of the harvest we should thank him if he chooses to use us in his harvest. The Psalms are great for showing us how we should thank the Lord and praise his holy name.
V. The Providence Of His Sin:
He was running away to Tarshish and he found a ship going to Tarshish. He probably said to himself, “I must be doing right, here is a ship going to Tarshish.”
Too often people try to justify their sins because of providence. A crooked business man might say, “I must be doing right because God is blessing my business.” Sometimes Atheists do good in business.
God is not the author of sin. Jonah was running in the opposite direction and the word says, “but the Lord sent a great wind into the sea..”
In spite of our rebellion God stays with us. Thank God we can’t outrun him. “If I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there.” God always follows us and brings us back.
Ps. 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” You maybe commiting sins and telling yourself you are alright, but there is a wind rising coming your way. It is to warn you and to bring you back. Thank God for the storms in our lives. But Jonah….but the Lord.
