Day: May 2, 2020

Learning Obedience to God

Consider the story of Jonah,
a prophet commissioned by God
to preach an ultimatum to Israel’s
archenemy Assyria. Jonah quickly
goes AWOL and finds a ship
headed in the opposite direction.
God sends a storm, then a hungry
fish, to turn Jonah around and
head him back toward Nineveh.
After delivering his one-sentence
sermon, Jonah watches helplessly
as the entire city of Nineveh
repents in sackcloth and ashes.
When God spares Israel’s enemies,
it takes a hot wind, a shade-
giving vine and a hungry worm
to teach Jonah a lesson about the
mercy of God for sinful mankind.

Jonah was a reluctant prophet
given a mission he found distasteful.
He chose to run away from God
rather than obey Him. Like Jonah,
we may have to do things in life
that we don’t want to do. Sometimes
we find ourselves wanting to turn
and run. But it is better to obey God
than to run away. Often, in spite
of our defiance, God in His mercy
will give us another chance to serve
Him when we return to Him. Lord,
Help us to Be Open to Your Calling,
Help us to Be Grateful to You; and
Help us to Be Compassionate.
For People Need the Lord. Amen.

Lord, we will Be Open to Calling:
The Lord gave this message to
Jonah: Get up and go to the great
city of Nineveh! Announce my
judgment against it because I have
seen how wicked its people are.
But Jonah got up and went in the
opposite direction in order to get
away from the Lord (Jonah 1:1-3).
Sovereign Lord, You know best for
assigning me any particular task
or group to further Your kingdom.
I know that I have got no place
to hide from You Almighty God.
And I know it’s useless to engage
with selfish rebellion & whining.
But Lord please understand that
I may feel afraid or inadequate.
So please made clear that You
send me and I will duly go. Amen.

Lord, we will Be Grateful to You:
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said:
I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble & He answered me. I called
to You from the world of the dead,
and Lord You heard me! You threw
me into the ocean depths, and
I sank down to the heart of the sea.
I was buried beneath Your wild
and stormy waves (Jon 2:1-3).
Lord, how I thank You that in the
deepest trouble when I cry out
to You, You will hear & answer me
just as You did Jonah. I’m glad that
there’s no situation so hopeless
that You cannot bring deliverance.
I will offer sacrifices to You with
songs of praise, for my salvation
comes from You alone. Amen.

Lord, we will Be Compassionate:
Then God said to Jonah: Is it right
for you to be angry because the
plant died? Yes, Jonah retorted:
even angry enough to die! Then the
Lord said: You feel sorry about the
plant…(which) is… short lived. But
Nineveh has more than 120,000
people living in spiritual darkness,
not to mention all the animals.
Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such
a great city? (Jonah 4:9-11). 
Lord, Help us not run away from
doing your purpose in the world
but instead deliver Your message.
Help us to Be Compassionate,
including those who are different
from us in race or background.
Help us not be inward looking but
to be Your missionaries wherever
we are and wherever You send us.
Help us to share the Good News
for People Need the Lord. Amen.

Prophets to Northern Kingdom

We meditate Bible chronologically to
 enhance understanding of context.
 We begin with the 5 books of Laws
    to appreciate the Redemptive Plan
of God for mankind and Job, which
occurs during the time of Genesis.
In Phase 2, we meditated on Joshua
to 2Sam & 1 Chron up to King David
and Psalms where we learn to pray.
Then to reign of King Solomon in
1 Kings and cover wisdom poetry of
Proverbs, Song of Songs and Eccl.
In Phase 3, thro 2Kings the next 100
years see the decline of two nations
indifferent to God’s laws. In Israel,
19 wicked kings led the people
further from God and Israel finally
went into captivity by Assyrians.

Continuing Phase 3, we focus next
on the prophets to northern kingdom
with dual themes of repentance and
judgment: “Shape Up or Ship Out.”
But each prophet spoke to unique
contemporary situation. So for
Hosea, the message is God’s love
for adulterous Israel; and for Amos,
God’s people ripe for punishment.
And for Jonah, the message is God
Loves the Gentiles; and in Nahum,
it’s doom of Nineveh for its brutality.

Jonah called by God to warn the
Assyrian city Nineveh of impending
destruction. But the brutal Assyrians
are Israel’s bitter enemies and Jonah
both fears and despises them. So
instead of heading to Nineveh, Jonah
sails in opposite direction. A storm
ensues, Jonah is tossed overboard
and is swallowed by a great fish.
After three days the fish deposits
Jonah on dry land. Jonah then goes
to Nineveh & preaches as God has
instructed. When the people repent,
Jonah’s resentment grows until God
teaches him a lesson in compassion.

By the time Nahum comes on the
scene Nineveh is even more wicked
than it had been during the time
of Jonah about 100 years earlier.
The repentant spirit of the people
and the revival that stemmed from
Jonah’s visit is gone. Now a terror
to the entire world, the fortress city
of Nineveh seems impenetrable.
But God will no longer overlook the
city’s horrible sins, and He sends
Nahum to deliver the message of
impending destruction. The entire
Assyrian empire will be destroyed
and Nineveh gutted by raging fire.