Jack Eppolito from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was hurrying his 11-year-old daughter to school. He turned right on red where it was prohibited. “Oh, oh,” he said, realizing his mistake. “I just made an illegal turn.”
“It's all right,” his daughter replied. “The police car behind us did the same thing” (Jack Eppolito, Tulsa, Oklahoma, “Lite Fare,” Christian Reader; www.PreachingToday.com).
It looks like Jack got himself into some real trouble. Perhaps, that’s where you find yourself these days. Through one bad choice, or maybe several bad choices, you find yourself in some real trouble.
Do you want out? Then I invite you to turn with me to the book of Jonah, Jonah 1, where Jonah, a prophet of God, made a bad choice and found himself in the belly of a big fish at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD (ESV).
God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, the Assyrian capital city, 550 miles east of Israel. Jonah decided to go the exact opposite direction, to Tarshish, on the southwest coast of Spain, 2500 miles west of Israel. He was trying to run away from God as far and as fast as he could go, but of course that’s impossible.
Jonah 1:4-6 But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish” (ESV).
God chased after Jonah with a storm, which Jonah tried to ignore by going as far down as he could to the inner part of the ship. The ironic thing is that the pagan sailors showed more spiritual sensitivity than God’s prophet did. They pray to their gods and urge Jonah to pray to his God. Then they try to determine the cause of the storm.
Jonah 1:7-10 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And 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.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them (ESV).
They were afraid, because they knew Jonah was rebelling against the most powerful God they had ever experienced. Their gods were mere idols, deaf and dumb pieces of stone and metal, powerless to do anything. Jonah’s God hurled storms across the sea. He was real!
Jonah 1:11-16 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows (ESV).
As God had hurled a great wind upon the sea (4), so the sailors hurled Jonah into the sea and became true believers in the Living God of the Universe, the One who controlled the wind and the waves. As for Jonah…
Jonah 1:17 And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (ESV).
You cannot run from God no matter how hard you try, because God controls the wind in the sky, God controls the great creatures in the depths of the sea, and God controls everything else in between. God is everywhere with all power, so it is foolish to try and get away from Him.
Jonah tried and failed, but you can’t blame him for trying. God had commanded Jonah to preach in the great city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria (verse 2).
According to one commentator, “The Assyrians were well known for the brutal atrocities they inflicted on their war captives. They impaled survivors on stakes in front of their towns. They erected pillars of skulls from slain warriors, and Assyrian nobles and chief officials hung heads around their necks to demonstrate the power of their god Asshur” (Schrader, S. R., Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, Vol. 3, p. 645, Baker Book House). The Assyrians were a brutal and godless nation, so you can understand Jonah’s resistance to go there.
The Power of Forgiveness is a documentary, which tells the story of seven people, who faced unimaginable atrocities. Elie Wiesel’s story begins with footage of Jewish families being ushered into concentration camps as the narrator speaks in the background: “Elie Wiesel was one of the few who lived to walk out of the camps—his father died only weeks before the end of the war. For the next 10 years, he was virtually silent about the experience. For the last half-century, his gift for putting words to the nightmare that was the holocaust has helped generations to never forget.”
The scene shifts to Wiesel giving a speech inside of a concentration camp's remains. “So look and listen,” he says. “Close your eyes and listen, but open your hearts and listen. Listen to the question that we asked ourselves then: 'What happened here?’”
The scene shifts again, and an elderly Wiesel reflects on the powerful emotions he experienced in his attempts to grapple with the holocaust later in his life. “I composed a prayer,” he says. “Literally I composed a prayer, saying, ‘God of mercy, have no mercy on these souls—on these murderers of children. God of compassion, have no compassion on those who killed these children.’” As he speaks, the video shifts to scenes of Jewish children rolling up their sleeves to reveal the numbers they had been stamped with to replace their names.
“I was criticized all over the world,” Wiesel continues, “because it was published all over the world. But I felt it—I still feel it. Some persons do not deserve forgiveness. And those are the persons, really, who went beyond the human capacity for evil. They went beyond it” (The Power of Forgiveness, chapter 5, Journey Films, 2008, written and directed by Martin Doblmeier; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s the way Jonah and the Israelites felt about the Assyrians, so you can understand Jonah’s resistance to go to their capital city. God’s command didn’t make any sense to him, so Jonah disobeyed the Lord and found himself down at the bottom of the sea.
In fact, his whole journey away from God was down. Verse 3—He went DOWN to Joppa, and He went DOWN into a ship. Verse 5—Jonah had gone DOWN into the inner part of the ship. Verse 15—the Sailors hurled Jonah DOWN into the sea. Verse 17—Jonah was DOWN in the belly of a big fish. Down, down, down, down, down he went, but that’s what happens when you think you know better than God and decide to go your own way.
You end up going down, down, down as low as you can go. Do you find yourself on that downward spiral? Then the only thing you can do is…
LOOK UP.
Look up to the Lord and pray. Cry out to the Lord like Jonah did.
Jonah 2:1-10 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land (ESV).
From the bottom of the sea, Jonah cried out to God, and God delivered him—the fish spit him out onto dry land.
Jonah reflects the nation of Israel in the days of the prophets Hosea, Joel, and Amos. Like Jonah, they had rebelled against God and were headed down, down, down towards certain destruction. However, Joel urges them, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Joel 2:32).
It's the same invitation to anyone who finds themselves in a downward spiral towards certain destruction—not just to the Jews, but to us Gentiles, as well. In Romans 10, the Apostle Paul says, “Everyone who believes in [Jesus] will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:11–13).
My dear friend, if you’re down, call on Jesus, who died for your sins and rose again. Call on the name of the Lord today and let Him save you from your sins.
In Christianity Today magazine, Gregory E. Reynolds, shares how God delivered him. He writes:
During my junior year of high school, my mother came to genuine faith at a Baptist church where the gospel was preached. As for me, I remained uninterested in Christianity. And by the time I went off to college, I was falling in with the ’60s counterculture. I soon affirmed the moral and spiritual relativism that reflected the counterculture’s blend of Eastern religiosity and American optimism.
In 1970, I left school to join a commune in Oregon. During my summer there, we hiked, camped, and climbed among the Three Sisters Wilderness of the Cascade Range. We also enjoyed many deep discussions about Eastern religion and the meaning of life.
Ultimately, however, life in the commune was deeply demoralizing. If nothing else, it washed away my naïve confidence in the inherent goodness of humanity. I still believed, for instance, that sex was meant for marriage—or at least for serious relationships. But that norm was flouted everywhere I looked. I believed, too, in an ethic of working hard and paying my own way. But many members of the commune were essentially mooching off their parents. This lifestyle showed up in their chronic neglect of chores like washing dishes or cleaning the toilet.
The breaking point, for me, came during a weeklong music festival in Portland, known as Vortex I. The depths of depravity I witnessed there convinced me I had to get away. I returned to the Boston area literally singing the blues.
Several days later, I sat despairingly in my room, realizing my own desperate condition: I was the problem—not the “establishment,” not my hedonistic friends in Oregon. My heart was dark with selfishness. I knew I was living for my own pleasure and satisfaction. I looked at a picture of Jesus. Then the realization stole over me: Jesus had died for sinners just like me.
Almost immediately (Reynolds says), I grabbed my Bible and turned serendipitously to the book of Jonah, where I read: “But Jonah ran away from the Lord …” (Jonah 1:3-4). This was me: fleeing from a God who graciously let the Woodstock generation swallow me up and spit me back out, all so he could get my attention.
From there, I read the Bible voraciously, quickly latching onto John 8:31–32, where Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” I wanted to tell everyone the liberating good news of Jesus Christ.
Reynolds ended up going to seminary and has been in ministry for more than 40 years. Reynolds says, “Sixties revolutionary fervor did nothing but plunge me into despair. Now, thanks to Christ, my hope is built on solid rock, not sinking sand” (Gregory E. Reynolds, “Christ and Counterculture,” CT Magazine, May/June, 2021, p. 95-96; www.PreachingToday.com).
No matter how far down you are, this can be your story, too! Just like Jonah, just like Gregory Reynolds, cry out to God! When you’re down, look up to God. Then…
SPEAK UP FOR GOD.
Turn from your sin and obey His call on your life. Repent and do what God tells you to do. That’s what Jonah does.
Jonah 3:1-2 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you” (ESV).
God gave Jonah a second chance. And this time, Jonah does what God tells him to do.
Jonah 3:3-5 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them (ESV).
Jonah warns Nineveh of impending judgment. And wonder of wonders, these pagans believe God’s message and mourn their fate.
Jonah 3:6-10 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it (ESV).
The king orders everyone to grieve and turn from their sin. They do, and so God relents, literally, He grieves and turns from the disaster He had planned to inflict on them. The Assyrians did what Israel failed to do. They believed God and turned from their sin. As a result, God spared them from judgment.
God gave Jonah a second chance. God gives Nineveh a second chance. And now, God gives you a second chance, as well. Please, do the right thing—trust Him with your life and turn from your sin.
One of the main characters in the movie Seabiscuit is a broken-down, unemployed cowboy named Tom Smith. Millionaire Charles Howard, who is about to engage in a horse racing enterprise, has a campfire interview with Smith and asks why he bothered rescuing an old, lame horse that was sentenced to death because of a broken leg.
Tom replies, “You don't throw a whole life away just 'cause it's banged up a bit.” Every horse is good for something, Tom claims. This devotion to horses convinces the millionaire to hire Tom as his trainer.
Together they find and purchase Seabiscuit, a horse whose physical shortcomings and temperament make it an unlikely prospect for racing success. Tom's method of training, while unorthodox, is tailored toward curing the horse of its inner demons—a byproduct of the neglect shown by its previous owners.
Tom hires a second-rate jockey named John “Red” Pollard to ride Seabiscuit. At 5'7", Red is considered too tall to be anything but a bush-league jockey and a bad match for this undersized horse. But Tom notices a mystical connection between Red and Seabiscuit.
Red has another handicap. He is blind in one eye, which he has concealed for fear that track officials would keep him off the track. As a result, Red loses a crucial race in a photo finish. Take a look (show Seabiscuit—Rosemont wins in photo finish).
Tom is outraged that the jockey failed to urge Seabiscuit to keep the winning pace. He presses the jockey to explain how he could let this happen. Finally, in a burst of emotion, Red shouts, “Because I'm blind!”
Stung by the loss and betrayal, Tom scornfully urges Mr. Howard to fire Red. To Tom's surprise, Mr. Howard requests that Red remain as his jockey. Dumbfounded, Tom demands a reason. Mr. Howard states, “You don't throw away a whole life just because it's banged up a bit” (Seabiscuit, Universal Studios, 2003, written and directed by Gary Ross, based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand; www.PreachingToday.com).
Did you hear that? “You don’t throw away a whole life just because it’s banged up a bit.” That’s what God says about you! He’s not ready to throw you away just because you made a mess of your life. Please, take the second chance He offers you right now, and like Jonah, like the Ninevites, turn your life over to Him and let Him turn your mess into His masterpiece. When you’re down, look up to God in prayer, speak up for God in repentance, then…
LISTEN UP.
Pay attention to the lessons God wants to teach you. Ponder His love not only for you, but for your enemies, as well. That’s what God wants to teach Jonah. Take a look.
Jonah 4:1-4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 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. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the LORD said, “Do you do well to be angry?” (ESV)
Jonah is angry because God spared his worst enemy.
Jonah 4:5-8 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live” (ESV).
Despite Jonah’s attitude, God appoints a plant to give Jonah shade and relief. Then God appoints a worm to attack the plant. Then God appoints a scorching wind to expose Jonah to the hot sun. God is in charge here, and He is trying to teach Jonah a lesson.
Jonah 4:9-11 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (ESV)
God loves Jonah’s enemies as much as He loves Jonah. You see, God chose Israel not to hoard all God’s blessings, no! God chose Israel to be a channel of His blessings to the rest of the world (Genesis 12:1-3).
And God chose and blessed YOU to do the same (Ephesians 1:11-12). Israel rejected her calling. Jonah tried to reject his calling. Please, don’t you reject your calling like they did. Understand that God loves your enemies as much as He loves you, and He wants to use you to bless your enemies like He has blessed you.
Pastor and author Kent Hughes tells the story about one of his wife’s friends, who came home on furlough with her family after an unusually tiring stint of missionary service. She had been looking forward to this time with great anticipation. For the first time she was going to have a place of her own, a new, large townhouse-styled apartment with a patio. She is very creative and made the patio the focus of her decoration.
After a few months some new neighbors moved in. The word to describe them would be “coarse.” There was loud music day and night along with a constant flow of obscenities. They urinated in the front yard in broad daylight. They totally disrupted her peace. She could see nothing good in them.
She asked the Lord to help her be more loving, but all she got back [from her neighbors] was disgust and rejection. The crisis came to a head when she returned home to discover that her neighbors' children had sprayed orange paint all over her beautiful patio—the walls, the floors—everything! She was distraught and furious. She tried to pray but found herself crying out, “I cannot love them; I hate them!”
Knowing she had to deal with the sin in her heart, she began to converse with the Lord in her inner being, and a Scripture came to mind: “And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Colossians 3:14). In her heart she questioned, “Lord, how do I put on love?” The only way she could picture it was like putting on a coat. So that is what she determined to do—she chose to wrap herself in the love of God!
Then she made a list of what she would do if she really loved her exasperating neighbors, then did what she had listed. She baked cookies, she offered to baby-sit for free, she invited the mother over for coffee—and the most beautiful thing happened! She began to know and understand them. She began to see that they were living under tremendous pressures. She began to love her “enemies.” She did good to them. She lent to them without expecting anything back.
The day came when they moved—and she wept! An unnatural, unconventional love and captured her heart—a supernatural love—the love of Jesus (Kent Hughes, Luke, Volume One, Crossway, 1998, p. 229; www.PreachingToday.com).
My dear friends, don’t try to love your neighbor with love you don’t have. Instead, wrap yourself in God’s love and let Him love even your enemies through you.
When you’re down, look up in prayer, speak up in repentance, and listen up to the lessons God is teaching you. Love, because He first loved you (1 John 4:19), and let God use you to reach a world in desperate need of Him.
