Jonah 1:9 - So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
“So he said to them…”
Since Jonah had been both awoken from sleep and had been identified as the man who was behind the tempest they were facing, and since he was asked questions pertaining to his identity, it was time to respond to these very important questions.
Just as Jonah had sought to flee from God’s presence (and the call of God to be his messenger), we The Church have, to a large extent deliberately and consistently done the same. But there’s only so long we can run away from God; only so long one can blend in with the crowd, to hide our true identity as the people of God on a global mission. The Lord knows what it takes to get us talking, and the first message we will be called to give the world, is not so much about what we are about but rather, who we are and that’s what Jonah was made to do too. He was put in a corner as it were, and made to reveal his true identity.
He was not an everyday passenger that the mariners encountered – there was something unique about him, and as hard as he tried to hide himself and his identity, it was the moment of truth for him. I wonder whether this global pandemic will be that moment of truth for The Church as well. Will the Lord use this to reveal the true identity of the church to the world around?
“…I am a Hebrew…”
The first thing that Jonah reveals about himself is not his name, his father’s name, his place of birth or any other detail that we would find ourselves sharing about when introducing ourselves to a stranger. The first thing he reveals about himself concerns his faith and nationality, which were closely tied to one another. He refers to himself as a Hebrew, which was a term that Israelites used to describe themselves to foreigners. To an outsider, the word, ‘Hebrew,’ would immediately get a picture of a person who was of a nation that believed in one God.
When we, The Church are questioned concerning our identity, I’m sure most of us wouldn’t go around revealing ourselves as citizens of heaven (though in actual fact that’s what we really are). We don’t really belong to earth, we are merely sojourners here – we belong to heaven – forever. We’ve really forgotten who we are and we’ve begun to perceive ourselves just as the people of the world perceive themselves, as citizens of earthly countries, and nothing more. Little wonder we find ourselves holding to, and living by values that the world holds and lives by.
“…And I fear the Lord…”
Not only does Jonah reveal himself as a Hebrew, thereby revealing his nationality and faith, but he goes on to say something about his attitude towards God. The word, ‘and,’ gives the picture that not only does he belong to, but he also believes in. Not only does he belong to the Hebrew people who worship the Lord, but he also fears the Lord.
The word, ‘fear,’ refers to awe, reverence, adoration, honour, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and, yes, fear as well. So when Jonah said that he feared the Lord, he was saying in effect that God was everything to him. He was saying that his life revolves around God. Going by the story so far, it’s far from evident though that Jonah is being consistent with his profession of faith in God. It doesn’t look like his life is really revolving around God at the moment. It certainly looks like his world revolves around himself.
How so like The Church of today, where we so openly and readily proclaim our faith in the Lord Jesus in words, but more often than not, our life speaks a rather contradictory message. We all know that when our words and our actions don’t match, it’s only our actions that play a role in really communicating to people around who we really are. That’s why Jesus said, “By their fruit you will know them.” Someone said, “What you do speaks so loud, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” I think, like Jonah, very often we truly want to be known as people who love and serve God with all our hearts, but very often, the way we live our lives send mixed signals to the world around about who we are and what we’re about.
“The God of heaven”
Jonah then goes on to explain who ‘The Lord’ is. Perhaps the mariners would have understood the words, ‘the Lord,’ to mean just about any so-called god of the day, so he goes on to begin introducing God next. Jonah seemed to know what all of us need to never forget – that our true identity is found in God. It’s only in knowing God that we begin to know both ourselves and our purpose in life. So even without mentioning his own name to the mariners, Jonah goes on to tell them about God – the one behind his life. He refers to ‘The Lord,’ as ‘The God of heaven.’ On first hearing of these words, ‘the God of heaven,’ it gives the listener or reader a picture of a God who is distant, unreachable and unknowable – a picture that many people in the world possess of God. It’s only those of us who’ve come to know Him personally through His Son Jesus, that know that he is close, reachable and personally and intimately knowable. These words ‘the God of heaven,’ also paint a picture of a powerful God, who not only inhabits heaven but also possesses heaven.
What’s our understanding of God as The Church? Is He distant and unknowable or is He close, reachable and personally and intimately knowable? Do we know God as the one true God who both lives in and owns? Is He the King and Ruler of our lives, or is He just a name we use in a vain and in an all-too-casual way, where we don’t honour, respect, surrender to, love and obey him, and therefore give a rather cheap impression of God to the world around? Our understanding of, and our belief in God determines our behaviour, and our behaviour reveals God to the world around. What picture of God are we painting to the world around?
“…Who made the sea and the dry land”
Jonah goes on to introduce God a little more than just the God of heaven. He now introduces Him as the Creator of the earth – the sea and the dry land. Not only does God inhabit and own heaven, but since God created the sea and the dry land as well, He owns these as well. Interestingly, they’re on the sea when he mentions that God created the sea, adding a little detail in the picture of God to the mariners that God is behind the tempest they are experiencing. I’m sure at that point, there’s one thing they’re all cherishing like they never cherished before – it’s dry land and going by the looks of things, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be there ever again. But one thing is clearly revealed by Jonah to the mariners, - that God is powerful, He’s the owner, and He’s the ruler of heaven, the sea and the dry land. That’s a beautiful picture of God to paint – even though it seemed like it would be the last picture he’d ever paint. Even though Jonah was not talking about God to the people he was supposed to, he was making the effort to paint a picture of God to the sailors, on a journey that seemed would be his last journey ever.
What’s the picture of God we’re painting to the world? Are we painting a picture of a loving, holy, just, awesome, powerful, wise, all-knowing, gracious, merciful (and more) God, who is close, reachable and personally and intimately knowable, and who can transform lives both here and forever? Or are we painting a picture of a God who’s small, distant, unreachable, unknowable, unholy, unloving, unjust ungracious, unmerciful (and more) powerless and irrelevant to people’s lives? Let’s know God for who He really is and let’s paint that same picture of Him to the world around. That’s why we were saved and that’s why we were left back on earth after we were saved.
Have a wonderful day.
