Man’s Reluctance; God’s Responsiveness

"But Jonah ran away from the Lord..."
Jonah 1:3a

The account of Jonah is a fascinating narrative. Within this biblical account we are humbly made aware of man’s flaws. But through this account we are equally, and powerfully, made aware of God’s forbearance. Jonah, the central human figure of the story, highlights the worst of man. He is defiant, rebellious, inpatient, prejudiced, and uncompassionate. But the book of Jonah presents another dominant figure, a divine figure: God. And God’s character qualities, as recorded in Jonah, evoke confirmations of God’s holiness. The Lord is revealed to be dedicated, trustworthy, patient, equitable, and merciful. Hence, the book of Jonah succinctly accentuates how vastly wide the chasm is which separates the innate dispositions of humanity and God. Man and God are nothing alike disposition-wise, and Jonah’s tale validates this in dramatic fashion. Therefore, this Scriptural event should not be reduced merely to some children’s bedtime anecdote because this biblical passage has rich meaning and application for believers of all generations. To that end, let us briefly explore three contrasting, and illuminating, elements in Jonah that merit our attention.

Contrasting element number one, mankind exercises hate, but God exercises love. When supernaturally told to go and preach to the people of Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian kingdom, Jonah, a prophet of God, willfully disobeyed the Lord. He attempted to flee God’s command by securing passage on a ship bound for Tarshish (Jonah 1:3). And why was God’s messenger so opposed to sharing the Lord’s word? Because Jonah had a genuine disdain for Assyrians. The Assyrians were enemies of Israel and were renowned for their ruthlessness and violence. It was the fact that God sought to reach out to the Assyrians that unnerved Jonah. He refused to accept the notion that the Lord could extend mercy to a people so cruel and wicked. After all, why should God-deniers or mockers be granted clemency? The concept seemed ludicrous to Jonah. In his angst he assumed that the Assyrians were destined for annihilation. But God’s loving temperament opted to offer the people one more opportunity to repent before inflicting immediate punishment upon them. In this we find that Jonah was zealous to hate the Assyrians while God was eager to love them.      

Contrasting element number two, mankind seeks to exclude, but God seeks to include. Through a circuitous route Jonah did eventually speak to the people of Nineveh. Afterwards, the Assyrian community genuinely recognized their iniquity and began to turn away from their evil ways. As Jonah witnessed this he became indignant. So-much-so that he prayed in frustration to God, claiming that his averseness to witnessing to the Assyrians was justified because God is gracious and relents from sending calamity to repentant people (Jonah 4:2-3). In Jonah’s startling confession we discover that mankind has a tendency to enforce extraneous parameters on peoples’ worthiness to be a part of God’s fellowship. In this mindset God’s followers often attempt to restrict those who can find a seat at the Lord’s table of salvation. How sad that we would inject our own measures of merit and stifle an opportunity for others to find spiritual liberation through God. In this we find that Jonah was zealous to exclude the Assyrians while God was eager to include them.          

Contrasting element number three, mankind judges unfairly, but God judges correctly. The book of Jonah ends in a bittersweet manner. As the Assyrians committed themselves to abandoning their former self-centered life in order to embrace the God-focused life Jonah located a spot outside Nineveh, and waited. He presumably longed to see God obliterate Nineveh and all its residents. While Jonah waited the Lord caused a vine to grow over the prophet and offer him shade from the scorching sun. This evidently provided Jonah some contentment and comfort. But the next day God commissioned a worm to chew the vine and make it wither, which removed Jonah’s protection from the blazing heat. The prophet became upset and soon asked God to let him die. But God responded in a remarkable way. The Lord informed Jonah that he had no right to be angry for he did not tend the vine or make it grow. And in that same vein of thought, Jonah had no right to be angry at God for sparing Nineveh because Jonah was not the judge or jury for the Assyrians. In the closing verse of this biblical book God tenderly asked a rhetorical question, “Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (Jonah 4:11b). Jonah had already wrongly evaluated the Assyrians and determined them to be unredeemable. In this we find that Jonah was zealous to judge the Assyrians unfairly while God was eager to judge them correctly.       

In the final analysis, although this chronicle says so much negatively about the heart of Jonah, and therefore the heart of man, this story also says so much positively about the character of God. The Lord overflows with love, inclusiveness, and correct judgment. In other words, man’s reluctance was overshadowed by God’s responsiveness. If Jonah’s desires would have been carried out the people of Nineveh would have been quickly, and utterly, destroyed. But God intervened and aided a people who were desperately in need of atonement and grace, which the Lord was more than ready to supply. May the tale of Jonah both inspire and instruct us. And may it compel us to embrace the nature of God and abandon the nature of man. In short, let God’s role increase in our lives and make us responsive to a world that is desperately in need of a relationship with the mighty, and merciful, God.       

Consecrated Courage

"In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength."
2 Chronicles 23:1a

There are moments when truth and rightness are ruthlessly attacked. Moments when God-ordained wisdom is purposefully maligned or obscured. In such moments a consecrated courage is required to stand up for what is pure and noble. After all, it takes spiritual valor to speak out against mankind’s wickedness and remind others that holy instruction and doctrine should not be ignored. As much as this world would seek to silence the voice of God’s followers we should never be beholden to fear or intimidation for if we are on the side of God then our cause is the correct one. As disciples for Christ we are sure to encounter pessimism and persecution, but we must stay the course and address injustice and ungodliness in a compassionate, yet courageous, way.

The events of 2 Chronicles 23 illustrate how powerfully the consecrated, courageous actions of but a few can change the course of a nation. According to 2 Chronicles 22 Ahaziah’s reign as king of Judah suddenly ended when he went to visit the king of Israel (Joram), who had been badly wounded in a battle against the Arameans. During the course of Ahaziah’s visit with the king of Israel a man named Jehu, a man anointed by God to eradicate Ahab’s family line from Israel’s royal dynasty, was in the process of executing judgment on the house of Ahab. Ahaziah and the relatives who accompanied him to see King Joram soon found themselves in the middle of the episode, which culminated in both Joram's and Ahaziah’s deaths. Shortly thereafter, Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, proceeded to murder all of Ahaziah’s children in order to stabilize her place as Judah’s sole successor to the throne. But thankfully a woman named Jehosheba interceded and rescued Joash, a baby son of Ahaziah, and hid him from Athaliah's reach for six years. 

As it turns out, Jehosheba was married to a priest: Jehoiada. Jehoiada not only supported Jehosheba’s desire to protect Joash from Athaliah’s wrath he set out to devise a plan in which Joash could be crowned as Judah’s king. To that end, Jehoiada advocated his heart's desire to various military commanders, family elders, and Levites throughout Judah. Jehoiada was so disgusted with the religious idolatry Athaliah was allowing to spiritually pollute Jerusalem that he put himself in harm's way. He was willing to risk his life in an effort to establish Joash in his rightful place as ruler because he recognized Athaliah was out of God's will and cared nothing for God's Word. In fact, Athaliah was so out of touch with the Lord that Jehoiada and Jehosheba were able to conceal Joash inside the temple, which should have been a frequented place for a royal leader of Judah.   

God blessed Jehoiada's efforts. At the tender age of seven Joash was crowned king of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem quickly rallied to support the boy ruler. In an instant, Athaliah's grip on Judah was lost. The queen attempted to label Jehoiada's actions as treasonous, but her attempt to thwart what had transpired was futile. She was summarily and swiftly executed. The law of the harvest, in that you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7), proved itself true through this account. Athaliah lived by the sword and she died by the sword. She tried to build a kingdom through force and manipulation, and that is effectively how it was ripped away from her.  

But returning to the courageous work of Jehoiada and Jehosheba, there comes a point when a God-honoring move is required. Jehoiada and Jehosheba were obviously discouraged by the spiritual apathy and ignorance Athaliah helped cultivate in the people of Judah. But rather than determine it to be a lost cause, Jehoiada and Jehosheba committed themselves to surrendering much in hopes of changing the religious culture of their nation. Taking on a royal leader is no easy or slight endeavor, especially when it is a royal leader as ruthless and vicious as Athaliah. But Jehoiada and Jehosheba chose not to dwell on the power or position of their enemy. Instead, they chose to dwell on the power and position of God, Who is able to raise and tear down earthly kingdoms at will.   

The exploits captured in 2 Chronicles 23 on the part of Jehoiada and Jehosheba called for wisdom, conviction, and consecrated courage. Jehoiada and Jehosheba refused to let Judah spiritually crumble apart on their watch. They understood that Queen Athaliah had no good intentions, or motives, for her reign as civil leader of Judah. So Jehoiada and Jehosheba took it upon themselves to steer Judah away from idolatry and carnality. And such is the heart of the God-movers, the ones who make bold stances because of their fierce love and reverence for God and His Word. The ones who recognize even the seemingly impossible feats are possible through God. The ones who choose to exercise consecrated courage, even when the world around them is mired in cowardice and complacency.  

The Beauty of Being Still

"And Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.' Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
2 Kings 6:17

This world has conditioned mankind to believe that there are only two suitable choices available when we are engulfed in a state of conflict. We can either confront head-on the person, or persons, assailing us. Or we can defer the hardship by retreating from it. This is popularly referred to as "fight or flight". And while these are understandable generalities to apply in such matters, God's Word affirms that there is another option entirely, and that is to wait on the Lord and let Him settle the issue. Even though it runs contrary to our human instinct God asks that we entrust conflict-laden burdens to Him and find spiritual tranquility. In other words, our actions need not always revert to war or withdrawing for sometimes the Lord desires that we be resilient and infused with a faith that stand strong, and a faith that is able to be still even in the midst of chaos and calamity.

2 Kings 6:8-23 underscores the beauty of being still and waiting on God’s light to shine through the darkness. In this account we read that Elisha, the prophet of God, had been advising Ahab, king of Israel, about the movement of one of Israel’s enemies: the Arameans. The king of Aram became so frustrated by his army’s inability to launch an assault against Israel that he assumed someone in his counsel was secretly revealing his battle plans to King Ahab. But it was determined that Elisha was receiving insight from the Lord and relaying it to the king of Israel. When the king of Aram discovered this he immediately set out to capture, and potentially kill, Elisha. To this end, the king of Aram sent a detachment of soldiers to Dothan when he found out the prophet was staying there.   

The Arameans devised a crafty plan by drawing close to Dothan and surrounding it at nighttime, thus avoiding any attention or suspicion. When the sun arose the next day Elisha’s assistant stepped outside and beheld the Aramean militia positioned all around Dothan, confirming there was no safe, suitable exit. Elisha and the people of Dothan were trapped. Elisha’s assistant, in a state of alarm, rushed to tell Elisha what was happening. And what was Elisha’s immediate response to his servant? The prophet said, “Don’t be afraid” (2 Kings 6:16a). Notice that the voluntary reaction of Elisha's assistant was to panic whereas Elisha's initial reaction was to pray. According to 2 Kings 6:17 Elisha beseeched God to open the eyes of his servant so that his servant could supernaturally see that the angelic army of God was near and greater than the Aramean force.

When the Aramean army descended toward Eisha again he called out to the Lord. This time Elisha asked the Lord to strike the Aramean soldiers with temporary blindness, which God did. Elisha then proceeded to lead the Arameans to Samaria, the heart of Israel's kingdom. When given the opportunity to slaughter the Aramean miltary contingent Elisha chose to have a meal prepared for the enemy warriors, reminiscent of the sentiment expressed in Psalm 23:5. And so not one soul was killed in this particular event because Elisha was fiercely trustful of God.

The character and spiritual fortitude of Elisha were something to behold. Pursued by enemies he didn't run. Exposed to severe famine he didn't surrender to fear. Given death threats he didn't display any sense of dread. Elisha's spirit was so at peace with God's governance that every matter, especially a contentious one such as this, was evaluated through the knowledge that nothing can escape God's watch or will. Therefore, why fret because the Creator of the universe was and will always mightily reign? The point being, Elisha knew God was, and is, the eternal King. And he knew that the Lord is the earth's true Ruler. Because this type of perspective was always at the forefront of his mind it allowed him to enjoy a spiritual posture that was reposed and at rest, despite the numerous hardships he faced. All this to say, the prophet of God had a rock-solid faith that carried him through many trials. 

One of the great tests of humanity is waiting. It requires tremendous dedication, trust, patience, and commitment to wait in difficult ordeals. Too often we fall short of yielding faith to God in such matters. Instead, we try to find a manner of resolution (fight or flight) on our own. But we were never intended to handle this life on our own. God intended for us to find the courage to seek Him, and intended for us to exhibit the courage to wholeheartedly believe in Him. Elisha was surrounded by a powerful Aramean army but he did not focus on the soldiers commissioned to capturing him. No, Elisha focused on the Almighty God Who captivated him. And that subtle, yet significant, difference powerfully affected Elisha's state of mind. So the question for modern-day believers is will we choose to exercise faith in God and be still, or will we exercise doubt and succumb to the worry that accompanies despair and carnal fear? I hope that God's followers will continue to turn to the Lord in all endeavors and discover the beauty of being still in God.