The Story:
When we left Jonah last week, he was in the belly of a great fish. This has been a point of disagreement between scholars. Some argue that this is a metaphor, others think this was a literal, factual event.
In the 2nd verse of the 2nd chapter, Jonah says he cries out from the belly of Sheol. The word Sheol is a Hebrew word meaning place of darkness where the dead go. Scholars argue that this verbiage indicates that Jonah literally died, then was brought back from the dead at the end of chapter 2 to continue on with the mission God had put before him. It is often mentioned that being swallowed by a fish, and surviving, is scientifically implausible. Meaning this was a miracle. Of course, miracles are nothing new in the old testament, so why not? Others argue that Jonah was literally swallowed by a giant fish and spit out on dry land as indicated at the end of chapter 2. In any case, this was where we left Jonah last week.
Jonah is spit out onto dry land, travels to Nineveh and preaches against the people there. In both the ESV and the NIV translations, it is written that Jonah says “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” The word overthrown is translated from the Greek word Haphak. This word’s basic meaning is “to turn” but can be used to mean both destruction or transformation. So while our English versions translate to destruction, previous texts suggest the prophecy against Nineveh is ambiguous. Jonah was tell the people of Nineveh to repent and be transformed, or to be destroyed. This ambiguity in the prophecy left the outcome up to the actions of the people of Nineveh.
Spoiler alert: The people repent, they fast and put on sack cloth. They cry out to God and even the King himself humbles himself by sitting in dust/ashes. Because of this change of heart, this absolute repentance and humility, God relents in his anger and the city is not destroyed.
The Take-Aways:
Discipline is transformation, punishment is transactional. When we are being disciplined, it is to curb poor behaviors to improve or transform ourselves. When we are punished, we lose something because of our actions (whether that is being grounded, going to jail, losing your driver’s license, etc). In the second chapter of Jonah we see Jonah being disciplined for running away from God. He doesn’t lose his life, but he does get to take the most uncomfortable ride of his life in the belly of the fish. This is discipline, used to redirect his actions.
Second: We are Nineveh. I’m not saying you or your community is so ridiculously evil, or cruel. However, we are still sinners just like Nineveh. We have to ask for forgiveness, and it will be given. Moving forward God is asking for a change of heart and a change in the way we live our lives. It isn’t enough to apologize and then go back doing the same things we just apologized for. That isn’t repentance! Sometimes these habits can be hard to break. Sometimes we are going to slip up. I am not preaching legalism here, I don’t believe we have to be perfect in order to receive grace. I do believe God can tell the difference between a heart-felt repentance (like what the people of Nineveh did) and a “just for show” apology. To be honest, the only ones who are going to know your heart is you and God. I don’t want you to feel guilty if you fall back into bad habits or sin, because it happens, but you can rise above it and change your life just like the people of Nineveh.
Finally: God answers prayers. He hears you. If you need help rising above a particularly tricky sin, pray. If you feel lost or like you are drowning in the belly of a metaphorical fish, pray. In fact, God is able to do so much more than we could ever imagine. He is capable of miracles, and if we are bold enough to ask God can and will work miracles in your life.
Self Application:
I’m talking to myself when I say this: Make prayer a part of your daily routine. We should be calling on God as often as we call our closest friends, more even. We don’t expect a person to enter our house without an invitation, and the same can be said of God. Invite Him to become an active participant in your daily life. Prayer looks different for everyone, some keep a journal, some pray quietly in a designated prayer room, and some speak out loud while driving to work.
I judged Jonah for waiting until he was in the sticky situation of being swallowed by a fish before he started praying, but how often have I done the same? Instead of praying daily I wait until the stress is too much for me to handle on my own and then I beg God to help me get through it.
Also, as I continue to compare myself to Nineveh, sometimes big changes require big actions. They wanted God to relent in his fierce anger, and he was threatening to destroy the city completely. That is a big risk! So they took big steps to repent and change. We might have to do the same thing. If we struggle to handle our alcohol and become emotionally or physically abusive when we drink, it might not be enough to “limit” our alcohol, we might have to do something BIG and stop drinking and get help. If we have a porn addiction, it might not be enough to cancel the pornhub subscription (which I recommend even if you don’t think you have an addiction, read more about it here), you may need to get professional therapy to work through that addiction. Do those big actions seem scary and embarrassing and life changing and difficult? They should. It won’t be any more embarrassing than the king himself putting on sackcloth and sitting in ashes like the king of Nineveh did. Plus, it can save you (and your family).
Bottom line - if your sin is preventing/hindering your relationship with God, it’s time to do what it takes to remove that sin and improve your relationship with our savior.
Coffee Tip:
Only buy enough coffee for the next two weeks. An opened bag of coffee with begin to oxidize and the flavor profile can lose it’s freshness the longer the bag is opened. I know we have all heard the trick “buy in bulk to save money, freeze the extra beans” and I am here to tell you that that will also break down the flavor of your coffee. Those extreme low temperatures break down the bean, and those porous little beans will start to soak up the flavor of whatever is around it - like that frozen lasagna your neighbor dropped off.
As always, I am but a work in progress.
Cheers.
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