Good Monday to you my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
You and I live in a world where so much is happening SIMULTANEOUSLY that even 24 hour news networks can’t keep us adequately informed. And if you have a large extended family, scattered far and wide, do you find it hard to keep up with all that is happening SIMULTANEOUSLY with their new jobs or babies or dating relationships or who is in what grade involved in what sport etc.?
So today, let’s take a look at what was happening in the region of the Middle East SIMULTANEOUSLY to what we’ve watched happen in the last few days through “Walking with Jesus” in the southern kingdom of Judah and King Uzziah as recorded in 2 Chronicles 26.
You’ll recall we’ve looked at King Uzziah’s story and he reigned in Jerusalem for 52 years, from about 790bc to about 740bc with his son Jotham reigning as co-regent for the last few years of Uzziah’s life because God had struck Uzziah with Leprosy and he was forced to live in isolation. SIMULTANEOUSLY in the northern kingdom Israel, King Jeroboam II reigned 41 years thus both kingdoms were experiencing continuity in governance which was rare! The northern kingdom Israel continued their idolatrous, rebellious path away from God and sadly, after the man of God Zechariah died, King Uzziah also turned away from God following the counsel of ungodly advisors.
Unknown to both of them, but SIMULTANEOUSLY, the nation of Assyria, with its capital far away in Nineveh, was rapidly expanding through aggressive invasions of surrounding smaller kingdoms. It was becoming known as the Assyrian Empire with its long term goal of dominating the world, including Israel! God always has a global perspective and He was watching all of this carefully. As His people the Israelites, both in the northern kingdom Israel and the southern kingdom Judah, drifted morally and spiritually further and further away from God, in God’s perspective it became time for action and God called on a little known prophet with an assignment that seemed far beyond reason. It seemed illogical, beyond belief. Have you ever heard of a man named Jonah?
It was about the year 759bc and the Biblical record says: “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me.” (Jonah 1:1) In that era of history news traveled with trading caravans bringing goods from one region to another, and Nineveh had a reputation… WICKED and VICIOUS! It was the type of reputation that caused people of all surrounding nations to avoid Nineveh at all costs, unless absolutely necessary. So as Jonah wrestled with the message he believed he had heard from God Jonah had two major problems:
* First, why would God have any interest in the wicked people of Nineveh other than to destroy them, and if that was His plan, why bother warning them?
* Second, why would God send a Jewish prophet Jonah, to wicked, Gentile, Nineveh, risking his life among such barbarians?
Yet it appears regardless of his questions and reluctance, the more Jonah reflected on his message from God the more he was convinced he had heard it correctly and that left him with only two choices: Obey and head for Nineveh and most certainly his death; OR run away! Have you ever had the inclination, even strong temptation, to pack up and run away from your obligations and maybe your problems? I don’t mean as a 6 year old taking a few things and walking down the street to your friend’s house! I mean RUN as an adult, as far and fast as you can, leaving everyone and everything behind!?
That is exactly what Jonah tried to do heading for Tarshish, a city on the far western end of the Mediterranean Sea. While some disagreement exists as to its exact location in 750bc, Tarshish would have been a coastal city either in modern day Portugal or Spain, thus the extreme western side of the known world at that time, absolutely the farthest west a person could go from Israel! I don’t believe Jonah ran down to the port and simply jumped on the first ship he found. Oh no! This was by intention a choice of ships heading in the exact opposite direction from where God told Jonah to go and the absolute furthest away from Nineveh that a person could go at that time in history!
The record leaves no doubt WHY Jonah chose a ship bound for Tarshish: “After paying the fare, Jonah went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to FLEE from the LORD.” (Jonah 1:3) If you’ve ever tried to ignore God or run away from God have you noticed God really only has two options: Let you run away and live the rest of your life with the guilt and shame that you ran away from God OR God chases after you to bring you back into alignment with HIM and what He is trying to do in your life! In Jonah’s case, God ran after Him! If that’s been your story too, aren’t you glad God didn’t give up on you or abandon you to your self-destructive, selfish desires, as you tried to run away from God?
Don’t you love the fact that with God there is no limit to His creative ingenuity nor are there any restrictions on God’s power!? In Jonah’s case, evidently God allowed this ship to clear port and head out, perhaps a day or two into open Mediterranean Sea, heading west, before God intervened! God chose to use a storm. Not just any storm but the record says “…a violent storm arose that threatened to break the ship apart.” (Jonah 1:4)
Now, let’s understand my friends, these Tarshish ships designed for long distance travel in the open sea were sturdy, rugged and made for such storms. This one, therefore, is described as unusually violent! This was not a passenger cruise ship, it was a cargo ship and thus the most valuable thing on board was the cargo, yet the record says: “All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship!” That was not an insignificant decision. With the cargo lost at sea the shipmaster would be responsible for repayment to the owners of the cargo for not delivering it safely to Tarshish! There was no storm insurance!
Jonah had sought a quiet corner down below deck to hide from God and sleep. But the ship’s captain found him and awakened him shouting: “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe He will take notice of us so we will not perish!” (Jonah 1:6) One of the realities of life in the ancient world, and many parts of our world today with less technology and scientific sophistication, was that people of all cultures lived then assuming there was a very close relationship between what was going on in the visible, practical world here on earth and the spiritual world above.
Tragedies like this storm had much more to do with the gods or demonic forces than with atmospheric high/low pressure systems and barometric readings which of course were unknown to those sailors. Thus the captains’ urgent demand that Jonah cry out to his god on their behalf. Whoever or whatever Jonah’s god was had little significance to the captain and crew, unless Jonah’s god could stop the storm.
You and I have been in enough storms, and perhaps even on board ships in storms so it should not be difficult for us to put ourselves in the ferocious winds, rain and waves crashing over this ship. Do you feel the panic of these seasoned sailors? Can you hear the creaking of breaking wooden beams and tearing sails? Can you hear the shouts of the captain and the crew crying out to their gods for help as they throw cargo overboard?
Don’t minimize it friends, this is a life and death situation for everyone on board. . . and Jonah caused it, by refusing God and running away from God! Let’s pause right here. What have you experienced is the price of running away from God? To what extreme has God gone to draw you back to Him? Let’s ponder that and thank Him with this worship song and tomorrow we’ll climb back into the storm to see what God did next! Have you seen God come to your rescue in the storms of your life?
Today’s Scripture: Jonah 1:1-6.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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