“Jonah was a prophet,
Oo-ooh!, but he really never got sad but true...” sing the vegetables in the
Veggie Tales movie Jonah. The story has a lot of
silly stuff happening in it, but this song nails it. Jonah was a prophet, and it seems he
never did get it. Jonah did get it. that God could show mercy, and he never wanted that to happen.
In the first chapter, Jonah, who later confesses God was the Lord of the land and the sea, tried to
run from God's call by going on the sea. This is as smart as jumping into the ocean to
escape sharks. In the defense of his thinking, it wasn’t like staying on the
land was going to help him any better. However, he should have known there
wasn’t anywhere he could run to.
Though Jonah was not an
example of what a prophet should be, I am amazed to see God using Jonah’s
actions to bring people to Him. We see at the end of chapter one, as Jonah is
being swallowed by a great fish, the sailors are in revival (calling out and
making vows to God).
God can even use
disobedience, though that doesn’t save the disobedient from trouble.
Jon 1:1-17
(1) Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
(2) Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
(3) But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
(4) But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
(5) Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
(6) So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
(7) And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
(8) Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
(9) And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
(10) Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
(11) Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.
(12) And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
(13) Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
(14) Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.
(15) So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
(16) Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
(17) Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Photo by Chantal Garnier on Unsplash
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