Intro to Jonah

Droplets from Acts
and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 

Acts 18:3 

Given the mention of the proconsul Gallio, we can be fairly certain that this event occurs sometime around 51 AD. We also read that many of the Jews had been driven out of Rome, due to the decree of Claudius, and many Jewish Christians were probably needing to find work in order to support themselves. In this passage only do we find out that Paul was a tentmaker and of his willingness to work in order to support his ministry and the proclamation of the Gospel. One lesson I would like us to grasp from this reading is the principle that even secular vocations can be done for the glory of God. Too often, we think that ministry and service for God is only possible if we quit our secular jobs and work full-time in ministry. However, in this passage we see that service to Christ and secular activities are not mutually exclusive. We can do all to the glory of Christ.
Intro to Jonah
“…salvation belongs to the Lord” 
Jonah 2:9b 

Close your eyes…well maybe figuratively close your eyes and imagine you are on the show ‘Family Feud’. It is your turn to rep your family in one of the showdowns, you shake Steve Harvey and your opponent's hand, and prepare yourself for the question. He begins, “We surveyed 100 people and the 4 most popular answers are on the board. Tell me what OT Biblical Event is the most popular?” What would you answer? Perhaps, you would say Moses and the crossing of the Red Sea. Maybe the building of Noah’s ark. I imagine that one other water event would be in your mind as an answer, Jonah and the great fish. And although the great fish is only mentioned in three verses of 48 verses, it is the most memorable. It is one of the first narratives we teach our children. There have been movies made about it, even one with vegetables. There even is a musical production that is really quite good. And yet, while this book does mention a great fish, that is not really a major element of the whole account.

Jonah is also so much more than just the rebellion of Jonah and a moral lesson for our kids to obey God. It is a beautiful picture of God’s grace and unending love and mercy. Which, for many people today, comes as a shock because of the misconception that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath and anger. And when you come to Jonah, you cannot help but see the complete goodness and love of God. It is a love that you can find in every book of the Old Testament as well. He doesn’t change from the Old Testament to the New. He is the same, unchanging, immutable in all His ways and being.

When we are introduced to Jonah, we are quickly reminded of how God used him previously to deliver a joyful, prophetic message of how God would save His people by the hand of Jeroboam (2 Kings 14:25). So, we are compelled to think that Jonah would be a very good and obedient servant. And yet, in verse 3 we are shaking our heads in disbelief as Jonah disobeys God. It is a story rich with irony and contrasting imagery as well. For example, God calls Jonah to “Arise” and yet he goes “down to Joppa” and “down to the bottom of the ship” as if Jonah wants us to recognize the complete rejection of God’s word (1:2-3). We also see pagans, creatures, creation, and nature obey and respond appropriately to God, and yet Jonah, who declares “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of Heaven”, is the only character who acts in defiance. Even when Jonah seems to know what is the right thing to do (he tells the sailors to toss him overboard, but does not do it himself), he still does not do the right thing.

Although tragic at times, the book of Jonah is really a book full of hope. It foreshadows how the kingdom of God will include the Gentiles and how salvation is available to all who repent with Godly sorrow. We see God’s mercy and grace exhibited all throughout the book towards every character in the book. He is merciful to the sailors, to Jonah, to the Ninevites, and even to the fish in ridding him of the man in its throat. It is a beautiful display of God’s love, of which we are recipients. Praise Him for His mercy and grace and love. Praise Him for His salvation given by His Son.

Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez

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