Our meditation is based on Jonah 4:8, “After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead. "I am better off dead than alive," he said.” (GNB)
Jonah was a prophet of God who preached the word of God. Nonetheless, Jonah has come to a point where he wished death over life. The reason for this thought was that God had sent a hot east wind which along with the heat of the blazing sun wearied Jonah, and made him feel faint. We may wonder why God allowed Jonah to face such an arduous situation. When Jonah disobeyed God and journeyed in the opposite direction, the Lord graciously provided a huge fish that saved Jonah from destruction. God also used Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh who repented on hearing him. Though God had been so gracious to Jonah, He was annoyed that God relented, and did not punish the people of Nineveh as Jonah had proclaimed to them. The reason the Lord sent the hot east wind was to convict Jonah about the wrong attitude he displayed to the people of Nineveh, who had sincerely repented and turned back to God.
Oftentimes when God extends the grace that we have bountifully enjoyed to others, we too complain and murmur like Jonah did.
We will study some of the people in the bible on whom these kind of hot east wind like situations had to blow, in order to get them back on track.
King Nebuchadnezzar honors God
We read in Daniel 4:1-3, King Nebuchadnezzar sent the following message to the people of all nations, races, and languages in the world: "Greetings! Listen to my account of the wonders and miracles which the Supreme God has shown me. "How great are the wonders God shows us! How powerful are the miracles he performs! God is king forever; he will rule for all time. (GNB)
The above are the words of King Nebuchadnezzar, who was king over the kingdom of Babylon. In Daniel Chapter 3 we read that Nebuchadnezzar set up a huge statue, and commanded all the people of Babylon to bow down to it. However, there were three young men, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego, who worshipped the true and living God, who refused to bow down to the statue. When Nebuchadnezzar heard that these young men defied his orders, he ordered that they be thrown into a blazing furnace of fire. All three were thrown into the furnace, but the Lord miraculously protected them which astounded King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar perceived that the God who could protect His own this way was certainly the true God, and hence he declared these words recorded in the verses above.
King Nebuchadnezzar realized that God was ‘supreme’ and that there was no one above Him. He therefore declared that the wonders of God were so great, that He could perform powerful miracles, and that His kingdom stands forever.
Nebuchadnezzar’s pride
Observe what happened to Nebuchadnezzar as recorded in Daniel 4:29-30, Only twelve months later, while he was walking around on the roof of his royal palace in Babylon, he said, "Look how great Babylon is! I built it as my capital city to display my power and might, my glory and majesty." (GNB)
Twelve months later one day King Nebuchadnezzar was walking around on the roof of his palace. The man who had praised God and honored Him just twelve months prior to this, was now boasting about the great Babylon he had built, and prided himself about the power, might, glory and majesty that were his. King Nebuchadnezzar who spoke highly of God, and gave Him the due prominence, was now taking all that eminence for himself.
Sometimes, just loitering without a purpose can become a snare. There are lots of people these days who because of lockdowns have loads of time at their disposal. If we are not watchful, we will find that these entertainments we pursue to pass time can become harmful to us. You remember King David who was idling away his time on the terrace of his palace and landed up in deep trouble.
This pride of Nebuchadnezzar is something that all of us should be cautious about, the pride that prompts us to inflate and elevate ourselves. There are many believers whom when God gives them a raise they become so proud and ego-centered. Whenever, we are tempted with such proud thoughts, be sure that we too will be struck with the hot east wind, only because God resists the proud.
Nebuchadnezzar’s downfall
This was exactly when Nebuchadnezzar had to face the heat of the east wind in his life too.
We read in Daniel 4:33, The words came true immediately. Nebuchadnezzar was driven out of human society and ate grass like an ox. The dew fell on his body, and his hair grew as long as eagle feathers and his nails as long as bird claws. (GNB)
God rebuked Nebuchadnezzar, and just as God pronounced it would happen there were three calamities that came upon him. Firstly, he lost his kingdom, secondly, he was driven out from men and thirdly, he was reduced to become like a beast. Though God had revealed His glory to Nebuchadnezzar, when he failed to acknowledge God’s supremacy, the consequence was that he was dishonored and debased.
Whenever we face some problems, we must examine ourselves to see if it is a result of our pride. If there is any sort of pride, and if we have not acknowledged God for who He is and what He has done, we must repent, humble ourselves and God will lift us up.
Nebuchadnezzar was restored
When Nebuchadnezzar had been exiled this way for seven long years, this is what happened.
We read in Daniel 4:34-36, "When the seven years had passed," said the king, "I looked up at the sky, and my sanity returned. I praised the Supreme God and gave honor and glory to the one who lives forever. "He will rule forever, and his kingdom will last for all time. He looks on the people of the earth as nothing; angels in heaven and people on earth are under his control. No one can oppose his will or question what he does. "When my sanity returned, my honor, my majesty, and the glory of my kingdom were given back to me. My officials and my noblemen welcomed me, and I was given back my royal power with even greater honor than before. (GNB)
When we read this account it really astounds us that after seven years Nebuchadnezzar realized that all this predicament had come upon him because of his pride. It was at this point he looked up into heaven, praised God, and gave Him back the honor and reverence that was due to Him alone. That very moment Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God, and looked unto Him, his sanity was restored. Nebuchadnezzar understood that everything was under God’s control, and that none of His plans could be thwarted.
Everything that Nebuchadnezzar had lost were now restored back to him. God gave back to Nebuchadnezzar his royal power with far greater honor. His noblemen and ministers who shunned and despised him at one point, welcomed him and honored him again. Nebuchadnezzar realized that only when he humbled himself God could elevate him back again, and restore back to him all that he had forfeited.
As long as our eyes are fixed on the Lord, we will have a right perspective about ourselves. The moment we fail to acknowledge Him, and begin to think highly of ourselves, we are bound to go on the decline. Though we may have erred like Nebuchadnezzar, when we turn to the Lord He will certainly relent, and restore us back. The New Testament refers to believers as kings and priests. To refer to us as kings would mean that we have been endowed with authority of God to live here on the earth, and be those who do His will. As long as we submit to God’s will we too can enjoy the benefits of the Kingdom. There are many who elevate themselves, have gone away from the Lord, and thereby brought untold hardships on themselves.
We read in Daniel 4:37,"And now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, honor, and glorify the King of Heaven. Everything he does is right and just, and he can humble anyone who acts proudly." (GNB)
Nebuchadnezzar did not question God for his predicament, but rather he praised, honored and glorified God. He also understood that God’s ways are always right and just. The greatest lesson Nebuchadnezzar learned was that God can humble those who act proudly.
Though there are many circumstances that we cannot comprehend, we must realize God always does what is just and fair. Let us check our lives to see if there is any form of pride in our lives. The Lord had added material blessings which has made many boastful, forget about God, and live lives their own way. Only if we humble ourselves under the authority of God, the Kingdom will be ours, and we too will be those who can exercise the authority God has entrusted to us.
Saul’s good qualities
Here’s another incident recorded in 1 Samuel 13 about a young man named Saul.
We read here about a young man named Saul who was obedient to his father, for when his father requested him to go searching for their donkeys that were lost, Saul promptly left to do so. He was also responsible for he went searching from town to town, and at one place he realized that his father might stop looking for the donkeys, and begin to worry about Saul’s whereabouts. Saul therefore immediately decided to get back home having dropped the idea to search for the donkeys. We can understand that as a young man Saul was very responsible and also very thoughtful, as he was able to see that his father would be worried about him.
He also sought for a man of God who could help him find their donkeys and was mindful about honoring the man of God. So we see that Saul was a young man who acknowledged the servants of God, and was hesitant to go to the Seer empty handed. There were therefore good qualities in Saul which was also the reason as to why God chose to make Saul king over Israel, when the people clamored for one. Over a period of time pride set in, and Saul lost his humility and the discipline that he had in his younger days.
There are many who as they grow older tend to set aside these essential qualities like discipline and humility as they get promoted in their lives.
Saul acts hastily
We read in 1 Samuel 13:12-13, “So I thought, 'The Philistines are going to attack me here in Gilgal, and I have not tried to win the LORD's favor.' So I felt I had to offer a sacrifice. "That was a foolish thing to do," Samuel answered. "You have not obeyed the command the LORD your God gave you. If you had obeyed, he would have let you and your descendants rule over Israel forever.” (GNB)
In this particular situation that Saul found himself in there was a need to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Instead of waiting for the Priest Samuel to come, Saul decided to offer that burnt offering to the Lord. Saul forgot that he was just a king and that the responsibility to offer a sacrifice was that of a priest. When Samuel came to know that Saul had offered the sacrifice before he arrived, he rebuked him for his foolish act. Samuel also declared to Saul that since he disobeyed the Lord, that the kingdom and the position that God had entrusted to him had slipped from his hands and his descendants forever.
As King of Israel Saul thought that his position gave him the authority to do whatever he wanted. The consequence was that his disobedience cost him his kingdom.
Saul disobeyed God
In another incident we read 1 Samuel 15:10-11, The LORD said to Samuel, "I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from me and disobeyed my commands." Samuel was angry, and all night long he pleaded with the LORD. (GNB)
When Saul went to fight against the Amalekites, the Lord had commanded him to destroy everything and everyone in that land. However, Saul chose to permit the people to keep back some of the choice things.
God told Samuel that he regretted for having chosen Saul to be King over Israel. God was displeased that the he had chosen an insignificant man who was searching for donkeys to be king over Israel, and that Saul did not value the trust that God has placed on him. Samuel was so grieved that he pleaded with God the whole night on behalf of Saul.
Each one of us can recall our past, our struggles, difficulties and hardships that God brought us out of and the way He raised us up. We should ask ourselves if our lives make God rejoice or if the way we live saddens His heart. Have you noticed how there are those who will never take blame for anything wrong they have done? They will justify and even tell lies to cover up their wrong-doing.
These days during the pandemic in order to help all the members of the church there are various programs. There are special programs for children and young people online, and also the church meets for prayer online to help members to be in fellowship with one another. Interestingly, when we ask some people why they are not able to join they will give some excuses that they have network issues. However, when their children have to join online classes with school they make sure that there are no network issues whatsoever. There are some who also give other excuses like that they have family prayers during those times, and still others give excuse that they forgot about the meetings. It is important that we make use of the opportunities God gives us to come together and also give priority to these gatherings instead of giving excuses.
God rebuked Saul
When Saul tried to pass the buck on to the people, and refused to accept blame for his disobedience these were the words of Saul to him in 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel said, "Which does the LORD prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey him than to sacrifice the best sheep to him. (GNB)
Samuel had to emphasize to Saul that in God’s perspective all of his sacrifices and offerings meant nothing if they were not coupled with obedience to God. God does not attest those things.
We further read in 1 Samuel 15:23, Rebellion against him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you rejected the LORD's command, he has rejected you as king." (GNB)
The Lord spoke further through the Prophet Samuel. Witchcraft and idolatry were considered as great sins, but the Lord considers rebellion and arrogance as equal to it. Saul lost his already shaky kingdom, and he was set aside from his position as King of Israel.
Saul is rejected as king
These were the words of God to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:1, “The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you go on grieving over Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. But now get some olive oil and go to Bethlehem, to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be king." (GNB)
When Saul decided to live according to his own whims and fancies, the Lord decided to set him aside. The Lord set aside Saul, and chose David to become King in his stead. God’s work continued through David, and no one could hinder what God had planned.
There are many like Saul who have lost their position only because of disobedience. If we choose to disobey God, the work of God will be continued by others who are obedient to the Lord.
God’s Spirit departed from Saul
The hot east wind that blew on Saul is mentioned in 1 Samuel 16:14, The LORD's spirit left Saul, and an evil spirit sent by the LORD tormented him. (GNB)
This is a word of caution to all of us because Saul lost the Spirit of God that was on him, and he was tormented by an evil spirit instead. Until the very end of his life Saul did not have any peace, and lived the rest of his life trying to hunt down David.
We looked at three people in this message. One was Jonah, who disobeyed God, and we see that Jonah is not heard of after this incident. We read about King Nebuchadnezzar who was set aside because of his pride, but the Lord restored him back to his position once he repented. When King Saul disobeyed God, the Lord replaced him with David to be king in his place.
These are crucial days when we must depend fully on the Lord, hold on to Him, and live in total obedience to Him. If we do not do so, we will miss out on the kingship that God has endowed upon us. The authority to rule over everything in our families, work, ministries and over our possessions have been entrusted to us, and if we are disobedient to God, we will lose out on all of this. Like Jonah there are those who have gone into oblivion because they walked away from God. There are others like Nebuchadnezzar who were restored back, and then there are others like Saul who have been replaced by others because of their disobedience. May we ask God to help us walk in obedience to Him so that we are not struck by the hot east wind. As we continue in obedience to the Lord, He will keep us safe even in times of famine or pandemic and will establish us so that we can in turn become a blessing to many.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
