Jonah is a book about a reluctant Evangelist, sent by God to ‘Go’ and preach. Jonah was the first gentile preacher sent by God to Nineveh to preach a message of coming Judgement on sinners. However Jonah famously hops on a boat and runs away to sea. As the saying goes “If you want to run from God the Devil will always provide the vehicle to go in.”
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Journals show that another great preacher John Wesley felt like running away. He wrote shortly after being introduced to open-air preaching by American George Whitefield “I could scarce reconcile myself at first to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which he set me an example on Sunday, having been all my life-till very lately-so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order, that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin, if it had not been done in a church.” The rest is history.
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Jonah and the Whale is a popular and well-known Story read out to thousands of Sunday school children. Some believe it to be a myth a made up story, however Jesus believed it to be true. When he was asked by the Pharisees to give a miraculous sign proving he was the Messiah he answered thus: “None will be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt 12.39-40).
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In the book of Jonah we see a forerunner, a glimpse of the Gospel to come. God had declared in Genesis 12:3 that all nations would be blessed through Abraham. However, Israel very much as the church today, became nationalistic and exclusive reluctant to fulfil the mission. So God sent Jonah to Pagans with a message of mercy for those who would repent of their sins.
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We also see in Jonah a type of ‘Plan of Salvation.’
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Jonah-representing the reluctant church. Called by God to preach the Gospel.
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Nineveh-representing the wickedness and sin of mankind.
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The Storm-God’s wrath revealed
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The whales belly- Pointing to the grave and death.
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The whale commanded by God to vomit Jonah out-Pointing to the resurrection and God’s power
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And the word of the lord came to Jonah a second time “Arise, go to Nineveh and preach.” And this time Jonah went. He preached judgement on Nineveh “in forty days shall you be overthrown.” 120,000 believed God’s message. Conviction fell and the whole city of sinners fasted and wept, repenting before God of their sinful ways. And God seeing their repentant hearts withdraw His hand of Judgement and showed His hand of mercy. For God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4.6) As John Wesley said “Before I can preach love, mercy, and grace, I must first preach sin, law and Judgement.”
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To conclude
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The moral of the tale is this;
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Man cannot repent unless he is knows what he must repent from.
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When God gives you a task to do you must not run from it. And if you do, pray for a second chance.
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And unlike Jonah who’s vengeful heart grieved when Nineveh repented; we should grieve for those who have no idea they need to.
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e mail: contact@cornwallmission.org.uk
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