Since I have been revisiting the story of Jonah, I find that there is a lot of Jonah in me. I’ll explain as I move on. But first, we need to get this out of the way. The story of Jonah is a true story. That is, there really was a man named Jonah who really did flee to Tarshish, who really was swallowed whole by a great fish, who really did survive for three days in the fish’s belly, and who actually was vomited up on dry ground. It’s all true, just the way it was written. It’s not a myth or a legend or a saga or a fable or a parable. Jonah is a true story. We can date the book at about 765 B.C. during the days of Jeroboam II, king of Israel.
Not only is Jonah a true story, but it is also a short one. Only four chapters, 48 verses, just over 1300 words. You can read it in 15 minutes. Yet it tells us all we need to know. Beautifully balanced, deep and profound, this book opens a window into the grace of God and the selfishness of man.
Jonah is also a sobering story. Most of us, if we are honest, have taken a ship to Tarshish at one time or another. In other words, we all know what it means to run from God in the other opposite direction. And we know how creative the Lord can be when he wants to bring us back to where we ought to be.
Looking for a simple outline? Try this:
Chapter 1: Jonah flees.
Chapter 2: Jonah prays.
Chapter 3: Jonah preaches.
Chapter 4: Jonah pouts.
In chapter 1 Jonah is running from God; in chapter 2 he is praying to God; in chapter 3 he is speaking for God; in chapter 4 he is learning about God.
When you think about the content of each of these chapters, you will discover that each one flows into a next step. For example, when I find myself “fleeing from God,” I also find myself most certainly praying, “God help me out of this mess! I repent! I surrender!” Then the next step is I go do what God had commanded me to do in the first place. I am not very thrilled doing so, but anything is better than being in the belly of a fish, know what I mean? Then when God blesses by working His will through me, I become despondent because someone I did not care for just got blessed by God. Yes, you can call me, Jonah. Therefore, one of the key principles in the story of Jonah is our need to turn back to God during such times and make repentance count.
A remorseful man, wanting to reassure his skeptical wife, said: "I'm going to make a 360-degree turn."
David Jeremiah writes: "That's the kind of change a lot of people make. A 360-degree turn is no change at all. What we need is a 180-degree change, a reverse direction, a U-Turn.
"In driving, U-turns are handy when we realize we're going in the wrong way. The same is true in life. The Lord tells us to turn from our wicked ways and to turn toward Him in confession and true repentance. This involves a change of heart, a change of mind and a change of direction.”
You all probably remember the classic PEANUTS situation between Charlie Brown and Lucy.
Over and over again, Lucy would offer to hold the football while Charlie Brown kicked it. But time and time again, as he ran up to kick the ball, Lucy would pull it away, and Charlie Brown would fly into the air and land flat on his back.
One day, Lucy offered to hold the football again, Charlie Brown declined saying he knows how it always goes, and he does not want it to happen again. As soon as he accused Lucy of her past wrongs, she began weeping, “Oh, you’re so right. I admit that in the past I’ve played cruel tricks on you. But I’ve seen the error of my ways. I’ve seen the hurt in your eyes. Won’t you give this poor repentant girl another chance?”
Charlie Brown said, “Okay.” So he backed up, ran up to the ball, and just as he was about to kick it, Lucy pulled the ball away. Once again Charlie Brown ended up on his back.
As Lucy walked away, she commented to a friend, “Unfortunately, recognizing your faults and actually changing your ways are two different things.”
God is not for half-hearted repentance. But how many times have you said, “I’ll quit smoking,” but still continued, only after a short time of quitting? How many times have you said to your spouse, “I am so sorry for hitting you? I don’t know what came over me. I promise never to do it again.” And then within a few weeks after you have had too much to drink, your wife is wearing a shiner!
This is why God did not simply release Jonah from the belly of the fish sooner. God wanted him to stay put in order to really think about his next move. God wanted to be sure that when Jonah got released, his repentance would be genuine.
Now is the time to ask, “Why am I still suffering from this bondage?” Could it be that God knows your heart and that you have not come to the place in your life where you are truly repentant? Not only is there a little Jonah in all of us, but there is also a little bit of Lucy in us as well.
End of Part 2 – More to follow
