By Pastor John Pruitt
Have you ever been in a really, really tough spot? Have you ever found yourself in a real fix and you thought about how you got into it and wandered how you were going to get out of it? The second chapter of Jonah finds him in a really tough spot.
There is much to preach on in this little book of Jonah. This prophet learned before he went into the fish’s belly; that God had called him to a service and he could not escape the calling. And he learned after he came out of the fish’s belly; that God had called him to a service and he could not escape the calling; however, I will speak this morning on “What Jonah learned in the fish’s belly.” That pretty much restricts me to the second chapter.
The geography: Joppa was located on the coast of the Mediterranean about 30 miles from Samaria. Tarsus was to the north about 320 miles and Nineveh about 550 miles to the northwest. At 30 miles per day, Jonah could have reached Nineveh in a little over 18 days. It was about the same distance from Tarsus, give or take some.
The background: Jonah’s name means “dove.” We recognize the dove as a symbol of peace. He was the son of Amittai and a native of Gath-hepher; 5th of the minor prophets who prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, who reigned sometime between BC 798 and BC 762. According to 2 Kings 14:25, Jonah had been used of God at previous times. 2 Kings 14:25 He [Jeroboam II] restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which [was] of Gathhepher.
Israel had been in a state of rebellion and was openly practicing idolatry. Jeroboam II, the 13th king after the dividing of Israel and Judah, was a wicked king who had led Israel after the standard of wickedness which Jeroboam I had set. Israel had become very powerful but was threatened by their bitter enemy the Assyrians. Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria at that time. Israel hated them with great passion. The last thing that Jonah or anyone else would even think about doing would be to go to the capital city of their worst enemy on earth and proclaim a warning from God to repent or He was going to destroy them. Chapter four, verse one would suggest that Jonah had argued with God over this matter when God had initially called him, because he knew that God was merciful and would forgive their sins if they repented. I would like to point out a few things that Jonah learned while inside the belly of that great ocean beast. Here are the first two of ten points I would like to make:
When god speaks we should listen: Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. It was not that Jonah didn’t understand what God said, he just didn’t agree with what God said. Please understand, no matter whether you agree with God or not, when He speaks, you obey period. That was Jonah’s first mistake.
In is easier that out: He learned that “it is easier to get out of the way when in it, than to get in the way once out of it.” [Pilgrim’s Progress] Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarsus from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarsus: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarsus from the presence of the Lord. Therefore, it is better to stay in the way and not get out of it. E-mail, johnpruitt@frontiernet.net
