“Go to Nineveh” (Jonah 1:1-4)

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.”

We must do what God says, if we will have peace. His commands are BINDING, and they are for our good, because He blesses us in this way and none other.

Jonah thought that he’d have peace by casting himself into the sea, he thought God would meet him in death, and all problems would be over. He didn’t know that God had prepared a great fish, and he’d spend three days and nights - a picture of Christ suffering God’s wrath - in the heart of the whale, suffering for his sin - “And said, I cried by reason of my affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and you heard my voice” (Jonah 2:2). Before he got out the fish, he said, “I will pay that that I have vowed”, or, I will do what God says. Then, upon confessing that “salvation is of the Lord”, Jonah was spat out on the dry ground of no condemnation to preach unto Nineveh the preaching that God commanded (Jonah 2:9-3:3). So, Jonah couldn’t escape the command, and we can’t either. We can’t be happy or saved, unless we strictly obey what Jesus says.

Somehow, it comes into our carnal mind that salvation by grace means that I can do my own thing, and my heart breaks for Christians and false-professors who hold this lie in unrighteousness. We CAN’T be happy, because God CHASTENS whom He loves, and He cannot bless us in a way that is contrary to Himself. If He says, “Go and do”… “go to Nineveh, that great city and cry against it”, then we must go and speak His word.

Leave the consequences with God, but know that you have a better life and better reward by obedience, than by sin. Matthew 5:12 says, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad“, in the here and now, “for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you“, so that God gives us joy as we are hated by men and ridiculed, which we cannot get cowering and choosing sin (Matt 5:12).

God sets before us BLESSINGS and curses, so that we may CHOOSE the good and hate the evil (Deut 30:15-18). Be wise, plan wisely, and prepare yourself for FUTURE good by doing God’s will now.

How often have you and I awoken from sin only to say, “It profited me not”, and “why did I do that? How foolish was I”? Let this word of Christ STOP you and me from sin before we commit it. Let us RETURN to the Lord by the Lamb’s blood to do His will now, obtaining fresh mercy from God to obey. We can obey by the grace that He gives, and we will certainly get the reward, as promised. It is not wrong to seek reward, so long as we seek it from God His way. He commands OBEDIENCE to be the apex of Christianity, that from a willing heart we do His will by the forgiveness that we’ve received. We are not only justified by faith, but we’re born from above, so that we love God and obey by the power He gives.

We labor now for rewards soon to come.

Cry Against It (Jonah 1:2)

“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” (vs2-3)

Wisdom is doing what God says, and we are wise to obey because it brings good our way. Obedience is the only way that God refreshes us, by “the obedience of faith” (Rom 16:20). And, in due time, faith is rewarded: we don’t believe in vain. In I Kings 17:13, Elijah told the woman – “make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for you and for your son”, and the Lord fed them all. Jesus told Martha, “Said I not unto you, that, if you would believe, you should see the glory of God” (John 11:40-41).

I read something on the Christian Hedonist, and it is good for believer’s to love pleasure, because God motivates us by reward – “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul (Matt 16:26). He sets forth good and evil, blessings and cursings, so that we can choose the right way – “See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil… I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live” (Deut 30:15, 19). The flesh produces sorrow that we repent of, but obedience is NEVER repented of, because we receive SATISFYING grace – “Yes, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and you shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen” (Joel 2:19).

Jonah thought himself wise to disobey… he thought it would bring the happiness that he desired… but, he learned in the belly of the deep that salvation is of the Lord, and for salvation, we’ll do what God says – “But I will sacrifice unto you with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). We trust Christ unto good works of love, in order to be spared the consequences of sin.

Just as Jonah is forgiven, so are you and I. And, just as Jonah does it God’s way, so will you and I, if we will be blessed.

Salvation makes us follow Christ, and God won’t give up on us, because we rebel: He will guide us in the way, and love us by chastening us into the truth.