The Sovereignty Of Yhwh Series

The Sovereignty of YHWH

(Jonah 1:1-17)

YHWH Sent a Prophet (1:1-3)

11 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

Exegesis: YHWH called Jonah to preach to the great city of Nineveh. The scene (paragraph) talks about YHWH’s notification to Jonah and what Jonah did in response. Jonah fled to Tarshish. Verse 4 begins the next scene with Jonah on the ship. Verse 1-3 is about Jonah and YHWH. A clear break and scene change from YWHW and Jonah and what happens on the ships at sea. The point is also clear YHWH called Jonah to go on a mission and Jonah disobeyed and feed to Tarshish. The paragraph point it tricky here, it culminates together in two phrases the first one being what YHWH did in 1:1, 1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai" and then Jonah’s response in 1:3a, "3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish." the entire paragraph centers on two central ideas that is best summed . . . YHWH call/spoke to the prophet Jonah and Jonah fled. The rest of the details either provides specifics. Three miles north of Nazareth at Gath-hepher in Galilee, (cf. Joshua 19:13) lived man named Jonah: the prophet of Yahweh. Interesting to note that Jonah, was the first Hebrew to be sent on a missionary adventure to a pagan society. The Word of Yahweh came to him. In the Hebrew, the word came means: To be or become continuous; a negative warning or threat of God’s physical chastisement. In other words, the Word of the Lord become continuous to Jonah as a warning or threat of God’s physical chastisement if it was not obeyed. The "great city of Nineveh" the capital of the great Assyrian empire and prophesy destruction because "it’s wickedness has come up before" Him (Yahweh). “This “exceeding great city” lay on the eastern or left bank of the river Tigris, along which it stretched for some 30 miles, having an average breadth of 10 miles or more from the river back toward the eastern hills. This whole extensive space is now one immense area of ruins. Occupying a central position on the great highway between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, thus uniting the East and the West, wealth flowed into it from many sources, so that it became the greatest of all ancient cities.” However, Jonah, took off to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for Tarshish. In attempts to "run away from the Lord’s calling." "After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD." This would take him 723 kilometers (449 miles) in the opposite direction from Nineveh. This marks the first time that Jonah essentially placed YHWH on ignore and tried to run from Him. Jonah was forever known as “the runaway prophet!” Jonah was attempting to tell YHWH that he was going to do his will and not His will. This marks the first cycle of sin in his life: he was disobedient.

Application: YHWH will call whoever He wants, it’s His will that we should be concerned about not our will. Quite antithetical to how we should respond. Sometimes in Biblical narratives, the example of the characters are opposite of what we should do. The application is quite clear, what has God called you to do. Is what He called you to do seem opposite of what you want. It’s is interesting that Christ’s example completely different, did He not say in Luke 22:42, “42 “yet not my will, but yours be done.” We all should learn from Jonah’s example. What do you say the your life? It’s not a good idea to place YHWH on ignore.

Transition: It’s important to note the YHWH is the one who called Jonah, Jonah did not call himself. YHWH will choose whom He wants to use, He will do as He pleases. 14b, “for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." Are you willing to submit your will to God’s sovereignty? God’s is the one who calls us to do only those things, in which in His divine wisdom, we can do. Are we going to allow Him to do as He pleases in our lives or are we going to turn and run. Are you a runaway believer like Jonah was the “Run Away Prophet”?

YHWH Sent a Storm (1:4-16)