Those turn away from God’s love

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.” (Jonah 2:8)

 

Jonah the prophet is sometimes accused, as being a man who had not followed God’s word. But if think from the place of Jonah, it can’t help but feel myself isn’t never better than Jonah. Jonah was a man of faith who had prayed when in facing hardships. Even if you are in a painful situation of danger, but it is rather hopeful if you can look at the Lord there. Jehovah may make undergo men trouble, but gives them opportunity, power, and love to escape from trouble, too. There are those who do not be grateful even if they are indebted, on the other hand, there are those who gain enlightenment from it even if they are in trouble. One who truly believes in Jesus confesses grace and meets a new life even in hardships.

 

In the Book of Jonah, it teaches God’s universal love for everyone. Jonah had received a mission conveying God’s order, in order for the people of Nineveh to get to repent, but he disliked to follow it. Jonah, who expected it would be good if God only loved Israel, his own people, was not favorably concerned in repentance and change of other peoples. So he didn’t go to Nineveh, but instead he went on board and sailed for Tarshish, a different direction, flee from the Lord. There are probably not a few Christians who have the same mind as Jonah also in these times. For instance, those are the people express thoughts negatively about the foreign mission and the support, not from helping mission work for foreigners.

 

There are many poor people in Korea too, and gospel need to be given for them, so they argue that there is no need to pay attention to foreigners. God is not the Lord just for Koreans and Christians. It is also right to mean that God is the Lord for the people of salvation. But just by man’s thoughts, it is not right to distinguish between Christians the rescued and Gentiles the non-Christians. Only we must keep fact in mind that God loves and tries to save everyone. As the truth, we would never be able to know everything about God’s providence. Therefore, according to own gift and talent in grace given from God, one will have to try to deliver the gospel of Christ, not only for Koreans but also for foreigners.

 

Jonah, who fled the command of God, boarded a ship to Tarshish, but was pointed out as the cause of shipwreck, when they met the wind and waves, and he was thrown into the sea. Jonah, who was eaten by a big fish, had a special time to pray within the fish. Everything was progressed to be a really strange and miraculous situation. There had happened a series of things such as ship bound for Tarshish, wind and waves, lotting to find the cause of shipwreck, the picked Jonah, Jonah thrown into the sea, Jonah swallowed by a big fish, Jonah’s survival, and a prayer of earnest confession. It doesn’t mean much simply to talk about the past years of life anyone. But the life to experience hardships and miracles while following the truth of Christ has a great meaning in.

 

Jonah knew that a particular crisis at the ship had been caused by himself. And he realized also the fact the Lord had done that. It would have been meaningless to Jonah if he had only known. But fortunately he made one’s faith confession “I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.” Namely, that is the lifeline for hope. It is, even though he had been in despair due to the binding of deep seawater and grass, he had grabbed the lifeline. The disobedience of the past had brought harm to Jonah himself, but he also enlightened God’s grace there, therefore he became rather a happy man who gained hope. A wise man finds hope among hardships too.

 

God gives a grace of salvation to everyone. He who likes the false and the futile has of blind spiritual eyes, so does not realize the love God gives himself. But there is the One who makes be light the spiritual eyes in the darkness. He is God the Holy Spirit, as the Advocate. Before the crucifixion, Jesus said to His disciples, as the written in John 16:7~8, “I will send him the Advocate to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.” Jonah recognized what the wrong deeds his own had done and knew that the Lord’s judgment had been given to himself. Likewise, those who believe in Jesus Christ must realize their sins, repent, and take a new path, following the teachings of the Holy Spirit the Advocate.

 

Jonah came out after being in the fish for three days is a thing foreshadowing of Christ’s death and resurrection. Jesus said, “None will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” in Matthew 12:39. Christ had been in the tomb to pay the sin price of man who refused God’s grace of love, but in three days he was resurrected and gave a new life to men. Therefore, if anybodies worship the Lord with gratitude believing in Jesus and fulfill the promise to God, those will live in enjoying the eternal happiness of resurrection.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on March 19th 2023)