The Story of Jonah

So, I assume most people have heard the story of Jonah..in the bible. You know, the guy that got eaten by a giant fish. As with most stories in the bible, it's about so much more then the miracle itself. While people try to determine just what kind of "fish" could actually swallow a human being, they're missing the whole point of the story. So, let me first tell the story. (i'm going to go through it kinda quick, I mean you can seriously read it for yourself it's 4 short chapters)

Now Jonah was a prophet of God. One day God told him, "Hey I want you to go to Nineveh(a major enemy city of Israel) and I want you to tell them about me".
Now put yourself in Jonah's shoes for a moment, that would be like God saying to you today. "Hey so an so, I want you to go to China( where you can be killed for even owning a bible) and I want you to tell them about me" Just keep that in mind.

Anyways Jonah was like "um...I so totally don't want to do that" and he tried to run from God. He took off, and he got on a boat with some pagan sailors to go in the completely opposite way God wanted him to go. So God causes some high winds to come, and giant waves are bashing the boat. Meanwhile the pagans are flipping out, and they are calling to their different Gods for help/forgivness. During this time Jonah is just chilling in the Cabin sleeping in a deep sleep, so the Captain of the ship runs in and wakes Jonah up. "How can you be sleeping during this?! pray to your God, and maybe he will save us!" he said to Jonah. Then they started to cast lots, to figure out who's "God" was doing this. It of course falls on Jonah, and they all ask him "what did you do to cause this to happen! and how can we please your God to make this stop?" Jonah says "Listen, I know it's all my fault, so just throw me off this ship, and everything will calm down."

Now these pagans are afraid to throw Jonah over board, so they don't. However, the winds just get faster, and harder. So the pagans pray to God and say "Lord, please forgive us for doing this. Don't hold us accountable for this" and they throw Jonah over board, and once they do the winds die down and the waves calm down. So of course the Pagans praise the Lord and truly see just who is God. Now Jonah at this point gets swallowed by a huge fish and is inside it's belly for three days and three nights.

This of course is where people are like.."Hey, wait a minute! a huge fish? and he survived in it's belly? wow what kind of fish could do that I wonder" that's not the point! one moral of the story is this:

1. If God tells you to do something you do it!

2. We as "Christians" can not be afraid of telling people of Gods glory and forgiveness

I know there are a lot of times where as Christians we would rather be silent, rather then "offend" someone. Specially in this country where we are so "politicly correct" WAKE UP! we can't be afraid we might "offend" someone with what we believe. We are to spread the word of Christ! Even if we think the person we want to tell, is just going to blow us off or just bash us... for what we believe. I'm not at all saying, we should walk around and thump people with our bibles or be all "preachy". HOWEVER, if someone is standing there spreading hate, or taking the word of God out of context, we better stand up and correct them. Or if God is weighing on your heart to tell someone you know about Christ, we can't be afraid to speak up.

Now back to the story. So Jonah is in the fish, for three days and three nights, and he is praying to God. Why ? because he realizes he was wrong for not listening to God. So God says: "It's all good man" and he has the fish spit Jonah out onto dry land. Now God once again says "Jonah, I seriously want you to go to Nineveh, and tell them....that my wrath is coming against them." This time Jonah listens! probably doesn't want to be inside another fish or something, but he listens, and he goes.

So Jonah tells the people of Nineveh "Hey you guys got 40 days and then this place is going to be wiped off the map" and they all start freaking out, they get on there knees and pray to God for forgiveness. Even the king tears his robes off and sits in ashes, and he commands the people not to eat or drink, and just maybe God would spare them. Well God looked down, and he said "I'm not going to destroy you, and I forgive you" another moral maybe?

indeed, it's stating that even if you are a sinner, and you may technically deserve punishment. God is just waiting for your heart to change, He doesn't want to destroy you, he just wants you to love him, and turn from your ways.

Jonah however gets pissed off that God decides to spare them all. "Hey what the hell? these people are enemies of israel, they worshiped false Gods, and are horrible sinners, and just like that they are forgiven?! thats bull..just kill me now God" God then says "Do you really have the right to be angry??" and Jonah was like "umm..yes!"

Now again we must put ourselves in Jonah's shoes. We can see just why he didn't want to go to Nineveh in the first place. Because in his mind he was "screwed" either way. On the one hand, if he does go, and he preaches to them, they will turn from there evil ways, and be forgiven by God. When in his mind they should suffer, because they were an enemy of Israel(A bit hypocritical of him considering God forgave him). On the other hand he could go, and preach to them, and they all think he's nuts, and they just kill him because he's hebrew.

We obviously can see, that is not the way we should be. We should rejoice if God decided to have mercy on somebody who maybe, in our judgmental eyes, doesn't deserve mercy. We shouldn't judge, is another moral of the story, God will have mercy on whom he wants to have mercy. We should be praying that God has mercy on us for all the wrong we have ever, and will ever do....rather then looking at what others do.

AGAIN back to the story. So Jonah who is not a very happy camper, goes and sits out side of the city, just hoping something happens. While Jonah is sitting outside the city,it's hot, it's humid, and God decides to have a tree grow up behind Jonah and provide him shade. Jonah was like "sweet God thanks!" however during the morning hours God kills the tree providing him shade, and now it starts getting really hot, even worse then before, and Jonah was like "Hey God what gives? why did you kill my tree! that was giving me shade! now I just want to die!" and God said "Do you really have the right to be angry? did you plant the tree? did you create it? put any work into at all?"

God was using the tree as an example of the city, to Jonah. The moral is...
God created the people, God can do whatever he wants with them, we can't look up to the creator, and demand that this happens or that.

See, much more to the story of Jonah, then a fish...right?