Bible Reading

Jonah Chapter 1 - The Absolute Authority of God

How do we respond to God’s will?

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Raising my Ebenezer

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2 min read

The biblical story about prophet Jonah is a notorious one that even young children know. Jonah chapter 1 records the word of God that came to Jonah to preach the word to the Assyrians in Nineveh for them to repent. In defiance, Jonah decides to travel towards the opposite direction to flee from the Lord (Jonah 1:3). However, God called a huge storm which threatened the ship. The men who were with him tried to row back to land before eventually throwing him into the sea, reflecting how futile are the small efforts of man to go against the almighty God.

In the church, we often hear of God’s calling for full-time workers, especially the preachers. Some did not want to heed God’s calling at first, and yet they eventually submitted to the will of God and became full-time ministers. If God truly calls us to do His work as reliable vessels, do we listen or do we pretend to not hear it? Jonah knew that the storm resulted because of his running away (Jonah 1:12), likewise, many people who ran away at first eventually came to realise that what was happening to them at that point in time was because of the decision they had made with regards to their calling. Perhaps we may run away because we believe we are not worthy enough to shoulder such responsibilities, or perhaps we feel that we are not ready at that point in time. Yet, the Bible says those who heed the word, those who trust in the Lord will be happy (Proverbs 16:20). Would this be a reflection of the state of our faith?

In our lives, we have definitely also made plans, even if you identify as a J or P using the Myers-Briggs personality test (MBTI); the former referring to someone who plans a lot and the latter referring to someone who tends to be more spontaneous. For example, we even plan what to eat, what to do for the day. Hasn’t there been days where it feels like our plans have been derailed, yet we somehow feel the presence of God’s hands working in our lives? The story of Jonah highlights the absolute control of God over our lives. Even if we were to deny the voice of God, He has a way for us to turn back to Him. What will you do when you have received God’s calling?  

 A man’s heart plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.
(Proverbs 16:9)



Related Topics

Jonah

One True God

See Also

Jonah Chapter 3 - The Generous Mercy of God

Jonah Chapter 3 - The Generous Mercy of God

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:3-4). Jonah Chapter 3 records a classic example of this exact sentiment. It records the story of prophet Jonah preaching to the people of Nineveh, and the repentance of Nineveh. When looking at the story of Nineveh’s repentance, there is a sense of comfort that we can find for ourselves. Just as God forgave the people of Nineveh when they were sincerely repentant, we also have confidence that God has the mercy to forgive us for our sins today if we repent with a sincere heart. We however should not grow complacent just because we think God will be merciful with us. Within this chapter, we see the lengths that the people went to in order to seek forgiveness from God. First, verse 6 records that the king himself mourned in sackcloth and sat in ashes. Verse 7 to 9 then record the decree made by the king, mandating fasting and mourning for all his people, driving them all to repentance before God. Take a moment to reflect on this, is this the state we want to reach before we finally turn to God? Although the people of Nineveh were ultimately spared, let us not be deceived, it was a sorry state that they were in. Furthermore, the Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:26 that “if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins”. God’s love abounds and His mercy is plentiful, but let us be careful never to take advantage of this love and mercy. Jonah’s story also teaches us about how we should treat others who we ourselves may deem as sinful. The narrative of the Book of Jonah centers around Jonah refusing to preach to Nineveh due to his hatred for the city and his skepticism that its people would change. When we read the story of Jonah, we are quick to say that Jonah’s attitude was not right. However, when we look at our peers around us, do we also unknowingly adopt Jonah’s mindset? Are we quick to judge people? To fit them into certain labels and refrain from helping them in their faith? Something we must remember is that God desires all men to be saved. Every soul is precious in the sight of God. If this is the case, as servants of God, we must fulfill his will and try to save every soul regardless of our perception of them. All in all, we have received this gift of love and mercy from God. We ought to share this wonderful gift with others.

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