There was a prophet in the Old Testament. He deliberately rebelled against God because God commanded him to do something he did not want to. He was Jonah. His records are in the book of Jonah. 2 Kings 14 mentions briefly that Jonah was a prophet during the time of Jeroboam II in Northern Israel. He prophesied that God would save the Israel then. Sure enough, God raised up Jeroboam II as king, enabling a suffering Northern Israel to enter into a fairly prosperous period (2 Kings 14:25-27). Jonah was a servant used by God. However, when God sent him to Nineveh to preach against it, he resisted and went the opposite direction to board a ship to escape to somewhere far away. Nineveh is the capital of Israel’s enemy, Assyria. Jonah understood God well. He knew God called him to Nineveh and preach against it to give the people there a chance to repent. Yet, out of love for his country, he wanted God to annihilate Assyria, and not give the people in Nineveh to have a chance to repent.
Jonah is a person who served God but he did not obey God in this matter. Due to his defiance, he was punished by God. Jonah was thrown into the sea during a storm. This punishment could certainly have caused Jonah to drown and lead to his death. God will not ignore the rebellious behaviour that people show him. He would mete out punishments or discipline accordingly. Even so, God is still full of grace when He disciplines. When Jonah almost drowned, God provided a huge fish to swallow him into its stomach and save his life.
Jonah was in the fish’s belly for three days and three nights. After that, God commanded the huge fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land. During these three days and three nights, he called to God for help. He confessed, repented, gave thanks and praised God for salvation. His experience is comparable to someone being resurrected. After this lesson, Jonah could only obey God and go to Nineveh to preach against it. God’s will or plan will always be accomplished in the end. As a result, Jonah, a reluctant preacher, contributed to the revival of Nineveh: he turned the whole city to God which escaped His punishments. Jonah was not happy with such a successful gospel work. Instead, he was angry with God for saving those he hated. Jonah’s disrespect towards God was exchanged for God’s rebuke. God, however, allowed Jonah to understand that saving Nineveh’s people was completely due to His mercy. Every living creature on earth is precious to Him.
Are there aspects of our lives that are like Jonah’s, where we are fully aware of God’s will and yet are unwilling to obey? We should never make the mistake Jonah did because God will discipline, and His discipline will be painful. Furthermore, no matter how you disobey Him, God’s will will be done. We need not waste energy resisting God. Most importantly, we should be sensitive to God’s desire. Jonah well knew God intended to have mercy on mankind. Yet he was determined to bring about his enemies’ destruction. Sometimes, we are like Jonah. We think God does not understand, God is wrong, God does not care, God settles matters like a person, God is not fair et cetera. We treat God like a person and forget that He is the King of all things, Judge of all the lands, and the source of all love. We have no reason to be discontented or doubt God. Instead, we must ask ourselves what rights we have to enjoy God’s salvation and blessing. God loves us, sinners, unconditionally, letting us receive this precious salvation freely. Using this truth as a foundation, let us learn to be individuals who are sensitive to God’s desires. The more we experience and come to know of God’s love, the more we understand God’s desires, just like Jonah’s experience in the fish’s belly.