Saving Ourselves from the Second Time
And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. Jonah 3:1-2
During last night's sermon, God called to Jeremiah a second time and this got me to thinking..... God called to someone else a second time under different circumstances.
Jonah
The book of Jonah begins with God calling Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach against their sin. Jonah went, everyone repented, he left as a hero, and life was good....right?
NOPE. Jonah tried to outsmart God.
Newsflash, it didn't work.
Jonah ran toward Tarshish- a remote place more than 2,000 miles away from the destruction he was sure Nineveh would face. While on his journey, he encountered something miraculous that detoured him and provided for him a time out so to speak.
God prepared the great fish specifically for Jonah. This fish would safely keep Jonah during the time he needed to realize that running from God is not possible. It also gave him time to reflect on how his actions of rebelling against God by running was not much different than the idol worship of the Ninevites. Jonah placed his desire to see the Ninevites destroyed before God's desire to see them come to repentance. Jonah despised them because Nineveh was home to the Assyrians and a sworn enemy of Israel. He wanted them to experience devastation for the suffering they had inflicted on God's people. God wanted a repentant heart from them.
When Jonah saw the error of his ways, God allowed the fish to deliver him to dry land. It was here that Jonah experienced the mercy and grace of God by receiving the second call. Aren't you glad for those second chances from God?
Just as Jacob wrestling with the angel left scars, Jonah's rebellion changed him. His time spent in the belly of the fish brought about physical changes for Jonah that would serve as a reminder of his rebellion. When we fight against God's will, we will also suffer consequences. Some may be physical, some emotional, some even spiritual.
Don't wait for the second chance, follow God's call the first time.
C
During last night's sermon, God called to Jeremiah a second time and this got me to thinking..... God called to someone else a second time under different circumstances.
Jonah
The book of Jonah begins with God calling Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach against their sin. Jonah went, everyone repented, he left as a hero, and life was good....right?
NOPE. Jonah tried to outsmart God.
Newsflash, it didn't work.
Jonah ran toward Tarshish- a remote place more than 2,000 miles away from the destruction he was sure Nineveh would face. While on his journey, he encountered something miraculous that detoured him and provided for him a time out so to speak.
God prepared the great fish specifically for Jonah. This fish would safely keep Jonah during the time he needed to realize that running from God is not possible. It also gave him time to reflect on how his actions of rebelling against God by running was not much different than the idol worship of the Ninevites. Jonah placed his desire to see the Ninevites destroyed before God's desire to see them come to repentance. Jonah despised them because Nineveh was home to the Assyrians and a sworn enemy of Israel. He wanted them to experience devastation for the suffering they had inflicted on God's people. God wanted a repentant heart from them.
When Jonah saw the error of his ways, God allowed the fish to deliver him to dry land. It was here that Jonah experienced the mercy and grace of God by receiving the second call. Aren't you glad for those second chances from God?
Just as Jacob wrestling with the angel left scars, Jonah's rebellion changed him. His time spent in the belly of the fish brought about physical changes for Jonah that would serve as a reminder of his rebellion. When we fight against God's will, we will also suffer consequences. Some may be physical, some emotional, some even spiritual.
Don't wait for the second chance, follow God's call the first time.
C
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1 Comment
I am so glad God saves old sinners and for him giving me especially another chance!! Thank you Cindy!