By Gina Caswell Kelly
When you think of Jonah, where does your mind automatically go? The whale, of course! But there is so much more to the story than just a story of “Jonah and the Whale.”
Do you realize how many bit players there were in this story? For those who may not know the whole story, God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach for Him there. Now Nineveh was just a horrible, evil place. They did not know God and they lived lives that proved that! They were notorious for the evil acts of torture they would inflict on those they captured. The Jewish people did not like them. Jonah was one of those people. So, you can almost, kinda, maybe see why Jonah was not too keen on the idea of heading there. Even though he knew God would take care of him, he was still afraid to go, and not just afraid, he did not care if those people ever came to know of the One True God.
Well, he doesn’t just not go. He goes in exactly the opposite direction. He gets on the boat. The storm begins to rage. The sailors are trying hard to save everyone and keep the boat together. Finally, Jonah admits that he is the reason the storm is upon them and tells them to throw him overboard. They do. The storm stops. Jonah is then swallowed up by a big fish. (Maybe a whale. Maybe not.) He stays in the belly of the whale for three days, praying the entire time. The whale throws him up with all the other contents of his belly, and Jonah decides it is time for him to head to Nineveh. He warns the people of Nineveh that God is going to destroy the city in three days. They repent. God decides to not destroy the city. Good news, right? It should have been, but instead Jonah gets angry and goes away to pout.
While he is pouting, God has an ivy to grow up tall and make a shade for the portly, pouting preacher. Jonah is happy once more. The sun is beating down on him, but he is content in the shade of the ivy. During the night, God sends a worm to eat the vine. When morning comes, Jonah’s shade is gone. Jonah is mad once again. God confronts Jonah with the truth. “You are more concerned about an ivy that is eaten by a worm and dies than you are for the hundreds of thousands of people in Nineveh who have put their trust in Me!” God was not wrong.
For all of this to happen as it did, the sailors, the wind, the rain, the whale, the ivy, the worm, and the sun all had to do their part. Now I am getting to my point. Why is it so hard for us to obey God? When all His other creations jump to do His will? Why are we such hard heads?
Sometimes we are just like Jonah. We want mercy for ourselves, but justice for everyone else. Are you listening to the voice of God all the time? Even when it doesn’t fit what you think should be happening?
Learn to obey God just as all His other creations. It will make a difference!
