Bible commentator G. Campbell Morgan pointed out about the Book of Jonah, “Men have been looking so long at the great fish, they have failed to see the great God.” Here’s the big message of the Book of Jonah: It’s not about the fish. It’s about the largest revival in biblical history, and it was brought about by a man who didn’t even want to go to this place called Nineveh to start with.
Practical Principles
- The Lord called Jonah to go. He was called to preach to Nineveh. Historians believe the population of Nineveh was approximately one million people—the most ungodly people imaginable. They were known for their cruelty, savagery, and hardheartedness.
- Jonah did not want to preach to Nineveh. He was a patriotic Jewish man and he did not want to go to his enemies and bring a message of hope to them. He was essentially a racist. Sometimes we don’t want to go to the people we are called to reach either.
- Jonah found a ship. There will always be a means or a mechanism waiting to take you in the wrong direction.
- Jonah went “down.” First, Jonah went down to Joppa. Then he went down to the ship. Then he went down into the sea. Then he went down into the fish’s belly. Then he went down into the deep. Sin is a downer and it’s always going to take you down, but God will always have the last word.
- Jonah returned to God’s will. We should not be running from God; we should be running to God. If Jonah teaches us anything, it is that God gives second chances.
Relevant Reminders
- Jesus did not say, “Hate your enemies and hope judgment comes to them.” He told us to love our neighbors and also love our enemies, and to pray for those who persecute us.
- There’s no room in the life of the follower of Jesus for bigotry or racism of any kind. We should love people that are different than us and we should be willing to leave our comfort zone and establish rapport and relationships with them so we can reach them with the message of Jesus Christ.
- No matter where you go, God is there.
Applicable Actions
Perhaps you’ve been running away from the Lord, and it’s time you made a U-turn and came back to Him, to follow His will and His calling. Or maybe you need to step out of your comfort zone and start reaching the unreachable. Learn from Jonah’s example and know that God will take you to the furthest lengths in order to get you right with Him. Don’t fight Him and don’t run away from Him. Run to the Lord instead.
