Jonah often gets a bad rap, which is in some ways understandable. As he did run from the calling of the Lord. But if we are honest we have all run from what we know God has called us to be or do at one time or another. What makes Jonah better than most of us though is that he listened to and obeyed the call the second time. Doing what God had instructed him to do albeit reluctantly so.
Truly I can only speak for myself but I know that multiple times I have not lived up to the call God placed on my life. I have often run from what I know I was supposed to do for various reasons. I have shared the feelings Jonah expressed in the whale’s belly. Lying awake through the night tossed back and forth. Finally crying out to God in repentance admitting to the wrong I had done. Thankfully receiving the same experience of freedom the very next morning that Jonah did.
Jonah 2:1–4 (ESV)
1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,
“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
3 For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away
from your sight;
yet I shall again look
upon your holy temple.’
Jonah 2:7–10 (ESV)
7 When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
However, unlike Jonah, I didn’t hold to the promises I made the night before. I didn’t immediately straighten up and respond quickly to the Lord’s call. Instead, I still tried to go my own way only to end up back in the same state as before. Thankfully we serve a God of unending mercy. Who is willing to continually forgive and offer us yet another chance to do as He has called us to.
Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV)
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Another chance that Jonah didn’t need as he quickly learned his lesson. He didn’t want to go to Nineveh and he couldn’t understand why God wanted him to. But he put that all aside and went anyway. Giving us a great example of what it means to truly be a believer. Willing to put away your own beliefs, opinions, and ideas to accept and live out the truth that God provides.
The simple truth is that Jonah is better than most of us. Because many of us still try to run from God or go our own way even after facing the Lord’s correction. But Jonah was different. He made the decision to put aside what he wanted to do to fulfill the call God placed on his life after falling only once. As a result, an entire town was saved from destruction.
Jonah 3:1–3 (ESV)
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.
Just think of what we would be able to accomplish in our world today if we would stop running from God. If we would finally be the Christian He has called us to be and do the very things God has called us to do. Walking in the fruit of the spirit, keeping ourselves from sin, and sharing the Gospel message with everyone we can. The world would begin to look much different if we could learn the same lesson Jonah did and begin to do all God has called us to do even when we don’t agree with or understand it.
Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
John 13:34 (ESV)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
We should not condemn Jonah for his actions. Yes, he should have answered the call at first as we all should. But we should really see him as the example of righteousness that he is. Teaching us to put aside ourselves in order to follow the Lord. Accepting correction the first time and not trying to run from God multiple times. Doing what God has said even when we don’t think it makes sense or is necessary. Jonah learned and then lived on the knowledge that God is greater. Just as we all still should today. Jonah may be better than most of us but we all have the choice to be as good as he was. We simply have to choose to respond to God’s call.
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