Lessons From Jonah - Not Just A Fish Story (Part 2)

The Sovereignty of God As Seen In the Weather 

 

Reading the Book of Jonah provides many great messages and truths of the Bible. As I previously wrote on, Jonah is a classic example of what happens when we choose to exercise free will over God’s will. When God calls us to do something we should listen and obey. But even if we don’t, Jonah reminds us that God is sovereign, and His will shall prevail.

The sovereignty of God is the second gem of truth we find in the story of Jonah. Listen to what happened when Jonah decides to ignore God’s Word and go the other direction.

Jonah 1:4
The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.

The fact that God is in complete control of the weather is made evident many times in scripture. We see it in the great flood and then in its aftermath.

Genesis 7:4
"For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made."

Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.

Genesis 9:13-14
I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud.

Job knew God was sovereign.

Job 5:10
"He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields.”

Its seen in the Psalms.

Psalm 147:7-8
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre,  Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

Psalm 78:26
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens And by His power He directed the south wind.

And yes, Jesus, in an exercise of His deity, gave a demonstration.

Matthew 8:26-27
He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.  The men were amazed, and said, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

The Bible is clear, God is sovereign. This means when storms come, God is behind it. When God created the world, He also established the laws of nature. In science we can find certain answers to weather patterns and so on, but even if a certain weather event is explained by the laws of nature, that still means God is in control. If a tornado wipes out a town or a flood devastates a community, God could have prevented it. So, whether God directly brings upon an event or He simply allows it, we can trust that even in tragedy, He is working it through for His will. This was the case for Jonah.

Jonah 4:6-8  

So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered.  When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, "Death is better to me than life."

Jonah was in rebellion to God and since God had chosen Jonah to serve God’s message to the Ninevites, God in His sovereignty, used His power over nature to impose His will over Jonah’s.

What does this story say to us as Christians? The answer is obvious; we need to be obedient to God’s call on our lives. Like Jonah, we cannot hide from God. Like Jonah, we cannot force our will to override God’s. We can try. But we see clearly that things will not go well for us when we live in rebellion to God.

This doesn’t mean that because it rained on your picnic with your family and messed up the day that you are necessarily being disciplined for something you did or didn’t do. But it does mean that when we are amid the storms of life, we should go to God in prayer and seek His Word to see if we are choosing to live in our will or in His. It means that when we are struggling through the floods of life, we can rest in faith that God is behind it and He is in complete control. We just need to turn to Him.

There is a great scripture that provides me comfort and I have committed to memory. I close this message with it for it expresses the truth of God’s sovereignty.

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Trust Him. Even in the storm.

Lessons From Jonah - Not Just A Fish Story

Our Will Vs God's Will

I love the Book of Jonah, for in it are many theological truths upon which the Christian faith rests. But what image pops into our heads, whenever we hear the name Jonah? The answer is obvious; we immediately think of a big fish. Long before I had ever picked up the Bible to study it, I knew the story of Jonah and the Great Whale, though the Bible never tells us it was a whale. Technically speaking a whale isn’t even a fish, but the story just looks good when we see the cartoon depictions of this great book of the Bible as represented by a whale. But if that is all we ever know of this story, then we are missing out in the lessons that are imbedded into the tale.

As a new Christian, the first reference to Jonah I recall as being important, was that Jesus used the story in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke to respond to the demand for miraculous signs to be given as to who He really is. While it is important to grasp the significance of the Old Testament types as used in the Bible, there is so much more to be gleaned from the story of Jonah as we read our Bibles today. Don’t stop at the old Sunday School lessons of Jonah you had as a child but dig deep into God’s Word, for in it is the knowledge of who God is and how we must respond to Him.

The first lesson we find in the great story of Jonah speaks about something that many of us debate in the church. The topic of free will vs the sovereignty of God is certainly one many of us simply do not agree on. It’s not considered an essential of the faith meaning that its not a theological point upon which we ought to break fellowship over. While I agree with that statement, I would offer that it dwells on the border of the essentials of salvation and thus we ought to grow in our faith to a point that we can dig deep into God’s Word to know the truth of the scriptures.

That said, let us look at the story and see what the Word of God has to say about Jonah and his exercise of his own will.

Jonah was a prophet of God and despite those who might suggest his story is merely some fairytale, the Bible presents him as a real man as seen in 2 Kings 14:25 and as one called to be a prophet. Jesus spoke of Him as well, lending further truth of his existence. As a prophet of God, Jonah was called by God. Romans 11:29 tells us that Romans 11:29 “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Whatever you believe about your own free will, it is God who calls us and in the story of Jonah, we find out what happens when we choose to follow our will, in rebellion to His. 

The first lesson Jonah’s story teaches us is that, yes, we do have free will. But the second lesson we will soon learn is that our free will, will not win out over the determinative will of God. It is important here to understand something about the will of God. There are two wills that the Bible speaks of when referring to God’s will. Though theologians and commentators may use different terms for them, they agree that there are two types.

The first will of God is often called His decretive will. Some may call it His sovereign will. These are things that God has decreed will happen and the free will of man will not nor cannot, stop them from occurring. The Bible is filled with stories of this truth. The death of Jesus on the cross is the greatest of these stories and as you read the Gospel accounts you see that His death was not only destined to be; it also could only happen in His precise time and place.

The other type of will God possesses is called His Preceptive will, sometimes called His eternal will or His revealed moral will. These are things God says should happen, but in His sovereign nature He has allowed man to exercise free will in. This is a complex theological discussion. It is not easily understood, but Peter gives us a good example in 2 Peter 3:9 where he tells us that “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” It is God’s preceptive will that all men come to repentance, but clearly, we can see that not all do. God has the power to save all men, yet He doesn’t. If we say He cannot do this then He wouldn’t be sovereign, nor would He be omnipotent. Thus, that all men would come to repentance is not God’s decretive will or it would come to pass. Instead, in His sovereignty and His grace, He has chosen some to salvation. This doctrine, which is offensive to a good many people, is reflected in the understanding of the will of God. I won’t go any further here with this because my goal of this writing is not to argue the doctrine of Election, but to shed some light on the topic of free will vs God’s will.  

Now let us take a glance at the story of Jonah.

Jonah 1:1-2
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,  “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

The calling to Jonah came from the Word of God, it was to go tell the people of Nineveh that they were sinners, sinning against the Holy God. Here we have God’s will for Jonah and notice that it is found in the Word of the Lord. Truthfully this calling of Jonah, is in essence, the same we have been called to in The Great Commission.

Watch the reaction of Jonah to God’s calling.

Jonah 1:3
But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So, he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

Jonah decides to exercise his free will and he attempts to flee from the presence of God. “What! Is he crazy”, we cry out. We all know you cannot escape the presence of God for He is God and thus is omnipresent. Yet can each of us honestly say we don’t do the exact same thing. One reason we do not read our Bibles is that we do not want to do God’s will. So, we think that we can simply ignore it as if God won’t notice.

Jonah found out that this idea of us exercising our free will and choosing to run from God is a bad idea. A real bad idea. Watch what happens next.

Jonah 1:4
But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

Jonah’s response? He thought he’d just sleep through it. He’d just ignore God.

Jonah 1:5
Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.

Read through the first chapter of Jonah. Even the pagans aboard the ship knew who was in control of the storm and feared God. So, they acted to find the problem. Even in the throwing of lots the sovereignty of God is at play. Proverbs 16:33 is clear on this saying “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” Even more amazing is that as the pagan crew witnesses Jonah directly declare his opposition to God’s will, so they seek Him in prayer.

Then is response to Jonah’s confession they throw him into the sea. Then they worshiped God for even they saw the folly of chasing their own free will against the will of God.

Jonah 1:17
And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

There were no accidents or chance events happening here. God appointed Jonah to be swallowed by a fish. By now the lesson is right in front of us. Yes, we have free will, but when the exercise of our will comes up against God’s determined will, His sovereignty wins out.

I will close this discussion with a suggestion that we take a good hard look at our own lives in comparison to Jonah. We need to look inward at our hearts. Are we responding to the call of God for our Christian lives or are we instead determined to put forth our will instead of God’s? Is the storm we are in a storm that we may have brought upon ourselves because we are fleeing from God? We need not fear the answer for there are more lessons to come in the Book of Jonah. If you know the story, then you know God saved him from the belly of the fish. Next time we will continue to see the good news of the story. It is a story of hope. But as we are seeing, that hope is not found in our will, but in God’s.

Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 93

This morning as I read in the commentary I am using during this study of the Psalms, I found two very important statements that Warren Wiersbe makes as he looks at Psalm 93. First he said this, “The truth about what is going on in this world is not found in the newspapers but in the Scriptures.” Though today social media has mostly replaced newspapers, that statement is just as true.

The second statement Wiersbe makes is this, “False prophets, false teachers, and scoffers abound, but God's promises will all be fulfilled in their time, and God's children live by promises, not explanations.” We must stop looking for answers to things we cannot understand in this life, and simply trust in God for who He is. Psalm 93 helps us remember who God is.

God is sovereign over all the earth. He reigns and He reigns in majesty. What He has established cannot be moved. God’s throne and His rule is forever.

Psalm 93:1-2
The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.  Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.

The power of God is seen in the natural world. The power of God is above all other powers. God’s power is over the waves and the floods we see on this earth. His power includes world leaders and their puny little armies. God is in control. He established the governments of the world and He is sovereign over them. That means they are under His control.

Psalm 93:3-4
The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.  Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty!

The Word of God is true and it stands. God’s Holiness fills God’s House.

Psalm 93:5
Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.

We can live in faith and we can live by faith and when we do, then we can have peace in the midst of this mess we’ve made of things. Who is in control? Not Donald Trump or Kim Jong Un.

Psalm 33:10-11
 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.  The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

Psalm 33:16-17
The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

Trust in the Lord Christian. The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 46

How to Have Peace Living Under the Threat of Destruction

As one who grew up in the sixties, I saw the results of living in a world under threat of nuclear war. I can remember the countless drills at school, when we practiced putting our heads in our laps in hopes that we might survive the blast if it occurred. For me the recent North Korean threats have disturbed me. I rejoiced when the Cold War ended and it seems as if we have moved back into a place of danger. This morning’s psalm is a calming salve to those fears.

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.

The world we live in is changing. It has already changed by leaps and bounds since my childhood. But we need not fear. Our God is a refuge and a strong one. Nothing can come up against Him.

Psalm 46:4-7
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High.  God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.  The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.  The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

The Bible tells us that those who are in authority over the nations were put there by God, Himself. And God, who dwells in the heavenly realm, is above the nations. God created this world by merely speaking it into existence. He can melt this earth in the exact same way. Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump can spew out threats all day long, but God is still sovereign over them. The God of Jacob is our stronghold.

What do we do in the midst of this changing world? How do we not live in anxious fear of nuclear war?

Psalm 46:8-9
Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.

God is still in control.

What do we do?

Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Be still. Know that He is God. Kim Jong-un will one day bend his knee to Jesus. Until then, we are commanded to pray for him. (Matthew 5:44) Donald Trump is in serious need of Godly counsel. We are commanded to pray for him. (1 Timothy 2:1-3) We are commanded to exalt God and God alone is worthy of both praise and of fear.

Pray for the world’s leaders. Then be still and know that He is God. Rest in Him. He is a safe refuge. He is a mighty fortress.

Psalm 46:11
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Amen.