🌈 God’s Commission to Jonah: God’s word came to Jonah not in the temple nor in the open place but at his home (4:2). He is to go to Nineveh and to preach against the Ninevites. For God had noted down the wickedness of Ninevites. Jonah has mentioned only their evil ways (3:8b,10) but their wickedness can be traced out from the book of Nahum:
1️⃣ Rebellion against God (1:9)
2️⃣ Counsels / Encourage wickedness (1:11)
3️⃣ Plotting evil against God (1:11)
4️⃣ Injustice, Bloodshed, Immorality, Sorceries, Witchcraft (3:1-7)

📝 The Urgency: Even though the Assyrians did not worship the God of Israel, yet He is going to judge them. For He cannot ignore atrocities and the sufferings of innocent victims.
📌 The countdown of God’s judgement has started the moment when God gave him the commission. 40 days dateline, and Jonah had to take 3 days to cover the city with the 8 words message: Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.

WHAT WOULD JONAH DO❓ Jonah knew God as gracious, compassionate, abounding in love.. who relents from sending calamity. 4:2b
1️⃣ So Jonah ran away from the Lord: Jonah went down to Joppa… down in the ship.. down into the sides of the ship to sleep.
📌 When we turn away from God we go down and down and down…. and had to pay the fare in our pilgrimage.. 🛳
2️⃣ Jonah was not interested to pray 🛐
✅ The terrified sailors prayed to their own gods (1:5)
✅ The captain of the ship woke up Jonah and told him to pray (1:6)
✅ The sailors prayed before throwing Jonah into the sea (1:14)
📌 But as for Jonah, he was not at all interested to pray.

3️⃣ He wanted to die (“Pick me up and throw me into the sea” 1:12). So the sailors threw him down but God was merciful and he sent a fish 🐋 to rescue Jonah.
4️⃣ Jonah prayed from inside the fish and expressed his faith: SALVATION COMES FROM THE LORD 🙌
5️⃣ Jonah obeyed God and preached the same message: God was at work and the king and the people responded in repentance. God relented and decided not to destroy Nineveh (3:10)
6️⃣ Jonah was angry and wanted to die (“Lord take my life..” 4:3) because God had spared the Ninevites.
🌈 God said to Jonah, ” Do you have a right to be angry ?”
God was trying to change Jonah’s view of God, humanity and of all other things he had created. For He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked… Eze 18:21-23, 31; 33:11

📌 Jonah – the man who wanted to die:
🎯 was displeased with Nineveh’s repentance
🎯 was disappointed with his success.
🎯 was a preacher who regrets that God has used him.
🎯 was forgotten after this episode but Jesus referred him in NT (Mt 12:39-41; Luke 11:29-32)

💕 Beloved Church, “It is not too late to be used of God”
“Whatever your past, God will meet you today “
Glory to God🙏🏼
✍🏾 Mark Boje, ArP 🇮🇳

Reach out to your e enemies Jonah 2:7-9 When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord and my prayers rose to you to your holy temple…..But I will sing a song of Thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you…

God sent prophet Jonah to the last place he wanted to go _ to preach to his enemies in the totally wicked city of Nineveh.

But Jonah went away from the will of God. But the lord made a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the stomach of the fish. After (v3) days Jonah decided to pray. Nothing happened. Then he started praising God. He vowed to do God’s will. Then the lord commanded the fish to vomit Jonah out on the land.

Loving and reaching out to your enemies might be the last thing we want to do but it is the top thing God requires us to do.

Moreover we should praise God at all circumstances instead of complaining, then God will deliver us. Jehoshaphat was praising God, when surrounded by great armies and God delivered him. Ps106:12 They believed His promises and sang His praise. When you praise God, you express your faith and make a way for Him to deliver you

Cynthia Sathiaraj
Chennai