Readings for today: Jonah 1-4
God works all things to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. God works and to will in us according to His good pleasure. God’s works are accomplished from the foundations of the world. We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the good works God prepared beforehand that we might do them. God does great and unsearchable things and wonderful things without number. Whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it. God’s works are characterized by faithfulness and justice; all His decrees are reliable. God does amazing things that will be remembered; the Lord is merciful and compassionate.
The above are just a few of the hundreds of verses I could cite in defense of God’s sovereignty. The Bible is clear. God has a plan. It was set forth in eternity. It is just and righteous and good. It is deep and unfathomable to the human creature but it is reliable and will come to pass. Nothing will be added to it. Nothing will be taken from it. It is amazing in its mercy and compassion. This is the lesson Jonah needed to learn. He needed to learn how to love his enemies. Whether they be pagan, Gentile sailors headed for Tarshish or the dreaded enemies of his own people, the Assyrians in Nineveh. We don’t know if Jonah ever learns this lesson. All indications from the book are that he did not but the book never gets to the rest of the story. We don’t know where Jonah went from here. We don’t know if he returned to Israel or if he stayed in Nineveh. We don’t know if he ever received another commission from the Lord. All we know is he never embraces God’s commands and God still uses his disobedience to bring about His perfect will. Jonah runs from God’s commission to Tarshish and God uses his disobedience to bring the sailors on the ship to faith. “The men feared the Lord greatly, and earnestly vowed to offer lavish sacrifices to the Lord.” (Jonah 1:16 NET) After his encounter with the great fish, Jonah runs from God’s commission a second time. Yes, he goes to Nineveh and preaches but he does so out of anger and with the hope of judgment. He even parks himself east of the city to get a front row seat to its destruction. God had other plans. “The people of Nineveh believed in God, and they declared a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them…”Every person and animal must put on sackcloth and must cry earnestly to God, and everyone must turn from their evil way of living and from the violence that they do. Who knows? Perhaps God might be willing to change his mind and relent and turn from his fierce anger so that we might not die.” When God saw their actions – they turned from their evil way of living! – God relented concerning the judgment he had threatened them with and he did not destroy them.” (Jonah 3:5, 8-10 NET) It’s one of the most powerful examples of repentance and revival in all the Bible. `
What point is God making? To Jonah? To us? He is sovereign. He will bring about His will no matter what. His plan doesn’t depend on our obedience nor is it in any way constrained or derailed by our disobedience. God will work with us and He will work in spite of us but make no mistake, His will WILL be done on earth as it is in heaven. Since God has made it clear that this is the case, why not turn and embrace Him? Why not join Him rather than resist Him? Why not obey Him rather than run from Him? After all, the only “work” God requires from us is faith. “This is the deed God requires - to believe in the One whom He sent.” (John 6:29 NET)
Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays