Enemies...horrible, heart wrenching, hellish and heavy on the heart!! Well, if those realities are not enough to contend with, imagine suddenly going out for a walk to talk with the Lord, who has proclaimed, Hebrews 13,
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
6 So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”[b]
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
and...in the middle of your serene walk, you realize that there is going to be an encounter with the enemy!! Yes....God has said He is our Helper and that He will never forsake us...but now here comes the enemy...!! Oh no...your heart is pounding and your hands are shaking...and you even forget to breathe!! Oh..yes...you are going to run..right into the direction of your Father's arms and your feet dramatically change 180 degrees! In fact..your speed also doubles...your walk is now a run...!!!
Too bad at this point we do not consider Habakkuk 3:19 and the strength we have when we run with the Lord,
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
Habakkuk 3:19 NIV
Too bad at this point we do not consider Habakkuk 3:19 and the strength we have when we run with the Lord,
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
Habakkuk 3:19 NIV
Well, according to Israel, the Home of God the Father, and the presence of the Lord is within Israel's borders!! Truly, Israel would have been the only safe spot to be....Jonah would have never wanted to leave the safety of God's presence, and had perhaps walked too closely to the edge of the borders of his land...his home..his comfort, seeing the ways of evil!! Sadly, and in distress, Jonah receives God's call to go to a real enemy and to a place known to be away from the safety and presence of the Lord. Ha!
Jonah Flees From the Lord
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa,where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
Yeah...no duh, "its wickedness has come up before you, Lord...!! To all Israel too, Lord...has the wickedness of this great enemy that has attacked you and us.... and killed so many....!!! Wow!! Interestingly, Jonah..so afraid to follow God out of the safety of Israel to Nineveh doesn't run home...he runs away from Israel...!!! Caught between a really hard Rock and a super hard place, Jonah cannot run home because God is there...and He cannot go to Nineveh because the enemy is there.
Principle, when things seem to not make sense and life does not seem fair...that's when we have a choice to life by faith, trusting God about what we cannot bear.
So, Jonah goes to Tarshish and beyond..and away from the Lord... because he cannot bear the thought of what Nineveh means....Notice the real issue about Nineveh is not that God would not have protected Jonah from danger, it's not even the fear of facing a great enemy that might be bigger than you! The truth in the running is in the not wanting to forgive people that have done evil acts. We don't want to forgive them...Our little song might sound like this, "Forgiveness they should never gain until they have had to pay with Pain...!!!!"
Right? However...there is an even bigger danger for us if we do not forgive....it's not just that we are out of God's protection or presence...
Principle: Going Away from the Lord is always in the center of danger...!!! Never go to Tarshish, creating an even bigger blunder.
The Bigger Blunder is found in God's Word...If we do not forgive...God will not forgive us...!!
Hear the Word of the Lord,
Yeah...no duh, "its wickedness has come up before you, Lord...!! To all Israel too, Lord...has the wickedness of this great enemy that has attacked you and us.... and killed so many....!!! Wow!! Interestingly, Jonah..so afraid to follow God out of the safety of Israel to Nineveh doesn't run home...he runs away from Israel...!!! Caught between a really hard Rock and a super hard place, Jonah cannot run home because God is there...and He cannot go to Nineveh because the enemy is there.
Principle, when things seem to not make sense and life does not seem fair...that's when we have a choice to life by faith, trusting God about what we cannot bear.
So, Jonah goes to Tarshish and beyond..and away from the Lord... because he cannot bear the thought of what Nineveh means....Notice the real issue about Nineveh is not that God would not have protected Jonah from danger, it's not even the fear of facing a great enemy that might be bigger than you! The truth in the running is in the not wanting to forgive people that have done evil acts. We don't want to forgive them...Our little song might sound like this, "Forgiveness they should never gain until they have had to pay with Pain...!!!!"
Right? However...there is an even bigger danger for us if we do not forgive....it's not just that we are out of God's protection or presence...
Principle: Going Away from the Lord is always in the center of danger...!!! Never go to Tarshish, creating an even bigger blunder.
The Bigger Blunder is found in God's Word...If we do not forgive...God will not forgive us...!!
Hear the Word of the Lord,
Matthew 6:15New International Version (NIV)
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Remember...don't pick on Jonah...He didn't have a copy of this new testament passage!! However, you and I do!!! Oopse!!
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