For today’s meditation we will look at Jonah 4:2, “And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” (ESV)
Jonah was the prophet of God who received the word of God. God instructed Jonah to preach against the city of Nineveh. Not wanting to obey God, Jonah boarded a ship to Tarshish that was battered with a severe storm. After being stopped on this journey, and having ended up in the fish’s belly, Jonah finally obeyed God, and went to Nineveh to preach against that city. The people of that city along with the king repented, and turned towards God. God chose to forgive the people of that city, and refrained from the judgement He had pronounced on them.
This act of God saddened the prophet Jonah, and it was at this point that Jonah declared what He had known about God. Jonah knew that God was gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and that He would also relent from disaster.
Every time we repent and turn to God, we can be certain that we will receive the grace and favor of God. The question that we need to ask is, ‘Is God only a God of mercy and grace as Jonah declared, or is there another side of God that Jonah did not comprehend?’ Let us try to understand who this God is, whom we worship. A faulty understanding of who God is can result in much confusion in our lives.
The way God revealed Himself to Moses
We read in Exodus 34:6-7, “The LORD then passed in front of him and called out, "I, the LORD, am a God who is full of compassion and pity, who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness. I keep my promise for thousands of generations and forgive evil and sin; but I will not fail to punish children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their parents." (GNB)
On the one hand God is full of compassion, pity, not easily angered, and one who shows great love and faithfulness. He is also a God who keeps His promises to thousands of generations. God further reveals Himself as one who forgives evil and sin. However, the next part of the verse mentions that God will not fail to punish sin where God declared that He will punish even to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their parents.
Since many people are unaware that God will punish sin, they deliberately continue in their sinful ways. They know God, and are taught from the word, but fail to remember this part of God’s character. When a man sins against God, we must be reminded that God does not ignore it, but would instead punish sin. It is true that God will forgive us when we repent and confess our sins to Him, but on the other hand our willful sin, and disobedience God will surely punish.
God the Father sent His son Jesus into the world to take the sins of all mankind on Himself. Jesus took our sins on the cross, and brought us redemption, so that we have a way for our sins to be forgiven.
It is important we have a proper balance of the two natures of God, namely that He is gracious and forgiving, but that also He is righteous, and will punish those who do wrong. An improper understanding of who God is will surely make us falter in our faith. Some think that God is only loving without any justice, and hence will never punish us for any wrong doing. There are others who strongly believe that God will punish, and hence have an understanding that God is harsh in His dealings. Both are faulty understandings about God. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of righteousness, and therefore He will have to punish sin and wrong-doing. All of His chastening therefore is entirely for our good, and is based on His great love.
Jonah had this erroneous insight about God that made him disobey God, and also justify his actions later on.
Let me explain this to you through an incident in the Old Testament.
God graciously delivered the Israelites
We read in Exodus 6:6-7, “So tell the Israelites that I say to them, 'I am the LORD; I will rescue you and set you free from your slavery to the Egyptians. I will raise my mighty arm to bring terrible punishment upon them, and I will save you. I will make you my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the LORD your God when I set you free from slavery in Egypt.” (GNB)
These are the wonderful words of assurance that God gave to Moses. The people of Israel had been in bondage to the Egyptians for many hundreds of years. God heard their cries, and saw their anguish. It was at a time like this that God confirmed to Moses that He would deliver His people with a mighty arm by bringing untold punishment on their oppressors. The Lord also promised them that He would redeem them, make them His own people, and He would be their God. Since God is true to all His promises, He did exactly as He declared.
With His powerful hand, the Lord did intervene, and delivered the Israelites from the cruel bondage to the Egyptians, and led them all the way. As the Israelites came to the shores of the Red Sea, and were confronted with the sea ahead of them, and the Egyptian army behind them in pursuit of them, the Lord miraculously parted the Red Sea, so they could walk through to the other side. This was an evidence that God is gracious, but on the other hand it is a fact that He will punish evil.
The justice of God punished the Egyptians
While the grace of God made a way for the Israelites to walk through to safely, since God is just, He used the same waters to punish the Egyptian army who drowned in the same water.
The song of jubilation
This was the song of deliverance and jubilation that the Israelites sang when they reached the other side of the Red Sea.
We read in Exodus 15:11, “LORD, who among the gods is like you? Who is like you, wonderful in holiness? Who can work miracles and mighty acts like yours?” (GNB)
This was the song of celebration the Israelites sang in praise of the wonderful deeds of God. We had a discussion on what we would have done, if we had been in the position that the Israelites found themselves in, hemmed in behind and before. Numerous ideas may pop up, but no one would have thought that it would be possible to part the Red Sea. No wonder then the Israelites could sing praises to God that there is no one like the Lord, fearful in holiness, and doing mighty miracles and wonders.
The Israelites got impatient
When the Israelites reached Mount Sinai, Moses went up the mountain to receive the laws and commandments from the Lord. For the effective functioning of a nation we know that there needs to be rules and regulations. As Moses tarried for many days in the presence of God receiving these laws from God, this is what the people of Israel who were at the foot of that mountain did.
We read in Exodus 32:1,“When the people saw that Moses had not come down from the mountain but was staying there a long time, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, "We do not know what has happened to this man Moses, who led us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us." (GNB)
The people of Israel had experienced the grace of God who had been faithful to save them from their cruel bondage, and brought them to place of freedom and safety. However, when Moses was delayed in returning back from the Mountain, the Israelites got impatient, and were unwilling to wait. They assumed that something had gone amiss for Moses, and therefore wanted Aaron to make gods for them who will lead them.
We must understand that in this journey from the land to slavery (likened to Egypt), to the Promised Land (likened to Canaan), we will have delays, and if we are not patient, we will not be able to hold firm to our faith. When the resurrected Jesus was taken up into the heavens, the angels declared that He would return the same way as they saw Him being taken up, to gather His church unto Himself. As people keep talking about the second coming of the Lord Jesus, many have grown weary, and have stopped expecting this great day of the Lord’s return.
The patience of God
Peter says it this way in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised, as some think. Instead, he is patient with you, because he does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.” (GNB)
The church is in this period between the time when Jesus lived, died, rose again and ascended into the heavens, to the time when we are expecting His second coming. One day the Lord is coming back for His church, which is the bride of Christ. Sadly, we too have made many gods like the people of Israel, to lead us on this journey. Let me mention a few so we can examine ourselves, and set things right before God.
• We have given too much prominence to some men who have special grace and gifts, instead of giving this glory to God.
• There are also those who boldly declare that God said some things, when in reality God never did, and there are many who believe them, and follow them though they are not authentic.
• One more thing that is prevalent in the church today is the importance given to music and dancing, a lot of which is adapted from the movies. It is true that we can rejoice in the presence of the Lord, but sadly, we have brought the world into the church by adopting secular ways. We must be reminded that the Lord desires that we worship Him in the beauty of His holiness, and this is wistfully missing.
• The preaching of the word has been replaced by the discourses of men who are content to share their own stories and accomplishments, sharing things that suit the ears of those who hear them.
• There are great plans with huge budgets that are proposed, and the members are eager to give their all, not discerning if this is from the Lord.
• The help that is being rendered to the poor is publicized, and politicized by many organizations and those in positions, missing out on the true purpose of giving.
Let us be reminded that all of the above are also the golden calves, and the little idols that we make that God does not approve of.
God’s response to the Israelites who made the golden calf
Listen to the response of God to Moses in Exodus 32:7, “And the LORD said to Moses, "Go! Get you down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.” (AFV)
God is gracious indeed, but when the Israelites sinned by worshipping the golden calf, God was angry, and wanted to have nothing to do with them because He is also a righteous and just God.
We read in Exodus 32:9-10, “I know how stubborn these people are. Now, don't try to stop me. I am angry with them, and I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants into a great nation.” (GNB)
The Lord was gracious to bring the Israelites out of slavery and bondage. However, when they decided to rebel against God, and make idols for themselves, God was indignant and wanted to destroy them. As God pronounced this judgement Moses interceded to God on behalf of the people.
Even today the Lord has withheld His wrath because there are those who are pleading with God in prayer on behalf of others. There are those who believe that God is not aware or mindful of their sinful ways. The truth is that God is patient and gracious to us. Let us stop justifying ourselves saying that we are living in a period of grace, but rather let us examine ourselves and set right all those things that God is not pleased with. There are many who consider Moses, the Israelites, and the golden calf incident as outdated as they are from the Old Testament and thereby miss out on the lessons that can be learnt today.
I would like us to therefore study what the Lord Jesus said as recorded in the verse below.
The warning Jesus gave
Jesus said these words in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (ESV)
The ones who call Jesus ‘Lord’ are those who know the Lord Jesus in a personal way. Nonetheless, Jesus was forthright to say that it was only those who do the will of God will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. If we can analyze ourselves and set things right, we will be able to escape the judgement of God. Are we as a church fulfilling the will of God, or are we so engrossed in the plans and projects of men which have become the golden calves in our churches? Let us destroy those things that God does not approve of, so we can prepare and build those things that God approves of.
Further, Jesus went on to say in Matthew 7:22, “Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name? And did we not cast out demons through Your name? And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?'” (AFV)
There are those who by their proficient speeches have captivated many, and think that they can do the same with the Lord too. It is true that even today there are prophecies, and that demons will flee in the powerful name of Jesus, and many wonders and signs will be performed to confirm the preaching of God’s word. However, these men who proclaimed to have done all of the above mentioned, were obviously doing all of these outside the will of God. Only those who do the will of God and remain in it, will receive the endorsement of God.
It is good to ask ourselves if we as a church are just content to only accept the grace of God as Jonah did, and shun the fact that God is righteous and just in all His ways. If we deliberately go on sinning God will punish us, and we must be ready to introspect to set aside all those things that consume our time and energy that are not in keeping with the will of God.
Jonah failed to understand the will of God, and therefore chose to go his own way. He had to encounter so much of trouble, and eventually there is no mention of Jonah whatsoever. There was so much of bitterness in Jonah till the very end.
These are the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:23, “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (ESV)
For those who continue to do their own thing, and follow their own golden calves as the people of Israel did, the Lord will on the last day pronounce these strong words, ‘I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
May God help us to comprehend who He really is, a God of grace, but also a God of righteousness and justice. With this in mind let us live holy lives, in accordance to His will, as the day of His return is close at hand. As a church that is the body of Christ, may God find us pleasing in all our thoughts, ways, and in our worship. Let us also prepare along with us a people who will be ready to meet the Lord when He comes.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
