The Saved Castaway: I Am Jonah (Part I)

Sermon Title: Castaway: I Am Jonah

Good News Statement: When God Calls Us, He Needs Us

Preached: Sunday, July 9^th, 2023, at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Jonah 1:1-17 – Today’s Scripture reading comes from the Book of Jonah chapter one verses one thru seventeen. In the opening chapter of the Book of Jonah, we are called by God, and even though we may want to flee, God still calls us.

Jonah Tries to Run Away from God

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ² “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.” ³ But Jonah set out 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 his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

⁴ But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. ⁵ Then the sailors were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. ⁶ The captain came and said to him, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up; call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.”

⁷ The sailors said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ Then they said to him, “Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” ⁹ “I am a Hebrew,” he replied. “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” ¹⁰ Then the men were even more 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 so.

¹¹ Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. ¹² He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.” ¹³ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. ¹⁴ Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” ¹⁵ So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

¹⁷ But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

 

Introduction:

A boy came late to Sunday School. Knowing he was usually very prompt, his teacher asked, “Johnny, is there anything wrong?” “No, ma’am, not really,” he said, “I was going to go fishing, but my daddy told me that I needed to get on up and go to church.” The teacher was very impressed and asked Johnny if his father had explained to him why it was more important to go to church than to go fishing. “Yes ma’am, he did,” Johnny said. “My daddy said he didn’t have enough bait for both of us.”

No matter what we have planned, no matter what we want to do, and no matter where we are, God has a way to reel us in to His plans, His needs, and go to the places that He needs us to go. But how many times have we decided to “go fishing” rather than committing ourselves to the works of the LORD? Some of you may be able to count all those times simply by using your fingers, others may have to take off their shoes and socks, and still others will take off their shoes and socks and nudge their neighbor to do the same so that they can keep counting. No matter how perfect you may want to be, you have chosen your own ways before choosing the ways of the LORD.

In 1994, Paramount Pictures released a film, based upon a book published in 1986 by Winston Groom, which focuses on a young man retelling his adventures as he sat on a public bench waiting for a bus to arrive. His adventures ranged from shrimp boating and ping pong championships, to thinking about his childhood love, Jenny, to his time fighting in Vietnam under the military command of Lieutenant Dan, all while finding a way to relate life to a box of chocolates. Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks, is a film that gives us plenty to think about and ponder as we contemplate the adventures and stories that we want to retell about our own life. We may not be able to relate to every story told by Forrest Gump, but there is one story that we can certainly relate too.

When conversing with Jenny at a young age, Forrest is made fun by a group of bullies: rocks and dried mud are thrown at him and insults are hurled his way. In an act of desperation, Jenny tells Forrest to run. Now, Forrest had a tough time walking, let alone running, because of his leg braces, but he listened to Jenny. As much as he wanted to stay with her, he decided to run. Let me say that again, “As much as Forrest wanted to stay with Jenny, he decided to run.” He decided to run even though it wasn’t what he initially wanted to do. Like I said, we might not be able to relate to ever story told by Forrest Gump, but running, running away from what truly matters, and doing something that scares us, those are things we can relate to because we’ve been there. If you don’t want to call yourself “a Forrest Gump,” then maybe calling yourself “Jonah” is more fitting.

Jonah is just one of many characters in the Old Testament that “ran” from God: Moses ran from God, Jacob wrestled with God, Sarah—the wife of Abraham—laughed at God when she found out she was pregnant at her old age, and Noah couldn’t fathom building an ark. Many people, many prophets, many faithful believers, have run from God because they were told to do something that they didn’t feel comfortable doing. And Jonah, in my opinion, is the best runner of them all because he teaches us a valuable lesson: just because we decide to run doesn’t mean that God won’t chase after us. We can run from God but we cannot flee from God.

For the next couple of weeks, we are going to be running with Jonah. As we run with Jonah or rather swim with Jonah, we are going to be reminded that sometimes in our life running is not always the best answer. Staying true to God’s call and plan is what will get us safely to the other side! We begin our adventure by being reminded of three things from chapter one of the Book of Jonah: First, God’s call to Jonah; second, Jonah’s commission and attempt to flee; and third, one cannot flee from God.

Read Chapter One of the Book of Jonah

Body:

            The Book of Jonah, a story about a prophet attempting to run away from the LORD is the fifth major collection of writings of the Minor Prophets found in the Old Testament. The placement of Jonah after Amos and Obadiah—two books containing prophecies concerning foreign nations—coincides well with Amos and Obadiah since Jonah offers another prophecy concerning foreigners, the people of Nineveh. Scholars have estimated that the Book of Jonah was written no later than the third century before Christ. Some scholars have made the argument that Jonah son of Amittai is mentioned in 2 Kings 14 as a prophet who prophesied in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the days of the King Jeroboam II in the mid-eighth century before Christ.[1] There has not been a lot of information gathered on the person of Jonah, but a few things may help you paint a picture of this humorous, misguided, prophet as he leads us to repentance and restoration. So let’s dive into the text.

First: God’s first call to Jonah. Now, stop right there. If people know anything about Jonah, they know it’s got something to do with Jonah telling God “no” about going to Nineveh and then being swallowed up by a big fish. And a lot of people get hung up right there and say, “This can’t be true. How is that even possible? Staying alive in a fish for 3 days? It’s got to be a myth.” Well, I would remind you that this is not a story about a big, magical fish; it’s a story about God and how God calls upon certain people to share the word.

The Book of Jonah begins, “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah, the son of Amittai…” (Jonah 1:1). For starters, we are told that Jonah is the son of Amittai. Amittai is only mentioned twice in the Bible, in 2 Kings 14:25 and Jonah 1:1. Nothing is known about him other than the fact that he is  Jonah’s father. By mentioning the father, Jonah or some unknown author is providing some level of respect to the family lineage. Next, we are told that the word of the LORD came to Jonah. The word of the LORD—the word of God or the word of Yahweh—is sacred, reverent, and truthful. Jonah is not just receiving some common message. Rather, Jonah is receiving a divine message—a vision and oracle—that is going to need to be shared with the people. From this word, Jonah has been called to do the work of the LORD.

God calling Jonah is our reminder that God can call us. God can give us the word. God can tell us where to go, who to see, what to do. The word of the LORD can come upon us right now, tomorrow, a few days from now; however, we must keep in mind that there is no time frame with God. When God gives us the word, we must be ready to share the word and do what He is calling us to do. Like the shepherds in the fields watching their flock by night, we must go “with haste” to share the good news.

Second: Jonah’s Commission and Attempt to Flee. Jonah continues, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ‘Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before me’” (Jonah 1:1-2). Two things about Nineveh: it was very great, and very wicked. Nineveh was huge. Jonah says it took three days to walk from one side of the metroplex to the other. Historians tell us that the walls of Nineveh were big enough to ride three chariots across. Nineveh was also extremely wicked. The Ninevites were known as some of the cruelest people in the ancient world. Nineveh boasted in their own histories about how cruel they were. When they would conquer another city, they would skin alive a lot of the men, women, and children, and spread out their skins over the city walls. Then they would bury these skinned people while they were still alive up to their heads in the sand, and pull their tongues out and drive a stake through their tongue into the ground, so they would just languish in pain and dying of thirst.

These were the people that Jonah was asked to go and preach to and so naturally Jonah doesn’t want to do it. Can you blame him? Would you want to preach to people that are so wicked that they hunger for death, abuse, and cruelty? They choose pain rather than peace. They seek power rather than liberty and justice for all. They believe killing the outsider is the solution to any problem. Again it’s no wonder why Jonah said, “No way. I’m not going over there. Have you seen what they could do to me? I’m out of here!” But if you think about it, God was leading Jonah to the very people who Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, seeks out, “[H]e has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed…” (Luke 4:18). We are Jonahs, wanting to flee, but we are committed to word of the LORD—to proclaim, release, recover, and set free.

The text continues in verse three, “But Jonah set out 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 his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3). Here begins Jonah’s rebellion against God. God clearly told him to go, and he ran the other way. And not a little ways: Tarshish was 2,500 miles from Nineveh. That’s equivalent to traveling from the east coast to the west coast of the United States (depending on the route you take). Jonah just didn’t flee to his neighbors or to the nearest town: Jonah fled from 550 miles northeast of Israel to the present day east coast of Spain. Jonah was trying his best to get away from God. By fleeing for Tarshish, Jonah was basically saying “No” to God. But Jonah didn’t realize what we realize today: we might create distance between us and God, but there is not distance between God and us.

From this verse I offer you this: “You’re never farther from God than when you’re close to Him and say “no.” There are a lot of godly people who look like they are walking with God in every other way, but there’s some area they are saying “no” to Him in. Maybe, for you, it’s a relationship that you know is not pleasing to God but you won’t quit it. Maybe there is a sacrifice God has put on your heart to make, but you haven’t committed yourself to it. Maybe a sin you need to confess, but won’t confess it. Maybe a sacrifice of your time He’s leading you to make. You’re never farther from God than when you’re close to Him and say “no.”

The other thing to notice in this verse is this: Jonah “found a ship ready.” Let me tell you something: If you want to run from God, there will always be a ship ready to Tarshish. You have an enemy whose whole role is to “ready the ship” for your disobedience. But the question becomes are you wanting to board the ship and flee or are you wanting to stay close to God and trust Him? We are commissioned by God to do God’s work—to not say “no” to Him. And although we may attempt to flee, God will still find us. The problem with running from God is that God is already where you’re going.

Third: Moral—one cannot flee from God. The next portion of Chapter One, verse four through sixteen remind us that we cannot flee from God. Jonah writes, “But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. Then the sailors were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep” (Jonah 1:4-5). So, here’s the situation: all these pagan sailors, scared out of their minds, throwing cargo overboard seeking to stay afloat, are like “everybody pray to their god, and hopefully one of them will pick up and be in a good mood and then we’ll all be ok.” In their desperate plea for help, Jonah decides to go down into the inner part of the ship and take a nap. (Wasn’t Jesus asleep in a boat during a storm as well? (Mark 4:38-40).) In a time of need, sometimes the help we seek is already in the boat with us.

Then the captain came and said to him, “’What are you doing sound asleep? Get up; call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.’  The sailors said to one another, ‘Come, and let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose accounts this calamity has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ ‘I am a Hebrew,’ he replied. ‘I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ Then the men were even more 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 so” (Jonah 1:6-10).

This portion of our text provides us with the following realization: God sends storms to break His people from self-reliance. God sends storms into your life to get your attention. Although we may not always agree with the storms—the battles, the temptations, the trials, the tribulations, the valleys, the doubt, the fear, the disappointment, the anger—in our life, God does promise us that those who believe in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. Even though the storms in our life, the people in our life,  are storms that we do not want to face, if we remain close to God, instead of fleeing from God, we will not perish: the storms will become calm and the waves will diminish. Even the sailors knew that belief in God will cause them not to perish. If Jonah had continued to fight the storm, it would have killed him and all aboard. But when he submitted to the storm, and said, “throw me into it,” it led to his salvation. If you fight it, it will destroy you; if you submit to it, it will save you! So, if you’re in something you suspect might be a storm from Him, ask Him. He’ll make it clear. Don’t flee but believe.

In an act of desperation, the sailors continue to strive for a solution. Then they said to [Jonah], “’What shall we do to you that the sea may quiet down for us?’ For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. He said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.’ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them” (Jonah 1:11-13). Kudos to the pagan sailors; they at least don’t want Jonah to die. But now they are in a rowing contest against God. How would you like that? You’re rowing and God has His finger on the stern. The harder we fight God, the worst it gets. Think of it this way: the harder you strive to get out of quick sand, the quicker you become immersed. There are moments in life that we wish to go against God, to flee from God, because we don’t like what He is telling us or wanting us to do. So we decide to row upstream instead of with the current of God. We seek to fight rather than relax and trust the situation. In life, we must learn to listen and follow God’s lead rather than pushing back and always striving to do things on our own. With God, everything is possible; but without God, the possible becomes impossible (Matthew 19:26); we continue to fight the current.

When we trust in God, and choose not to flee, we submit to what the sailors realized: “Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows” (Jonah 1:16). After picking up Jonah and throwing him into the sea, and witnessing the sea ceasing from its rage, the men believed…the men believed. God did not create us to run from Him. Instead, God created us to run toward Him.

Conclusion:

Drawing back to the story of Forrest Gump, when Jenny said “Run Forrest, Run,” Forrest ran knowing that it was not what he wanted to do. His leg braces slowed him down, he couldn’t bend his knees, and there was no way he should have been able to out run those three bullies who were pedaling behind him. But he ran. He listened to someone who believed in him. As Forrest ran, his leg braces began to break, his knees were able to bend, and he picked up enough speed to out run the bullies pedaling behind him. It’s truly astonishing to witness what we are capable of doing when we devote ourselves to the voice or voices that believe in us. The time has come to not be a Jonah, but to be who God is calling you to be.

The time has come to accept the word of the LORD that has come to you: don’t ignore it but do something about it, don’t put it on a shelf but carry it with you, and don’t wait to act but act now. Remember what Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will but your will be done” (Luke 22:42). The LORD has commissioned you, so don’t ignore it. We have become a society that likes to sit and listen; however, God needs a people that will listen and do even if what needs to be done is challenging, confusing, and uncomfortable. We are commissioned to do His will on earth as it is in heaven.

The time has come to stop saying “NO” to God. The time has come to stop running from God. The time has come to realize that the storms in your life are not there as a payback for your sin, but to bring you back from your sin. Jesus was paid back for your sin. Jesus went into the storm of God’s wrath for you and took it all! That means God’s wrath is no longer in the storm, only His love. The storm is not designed for retribution; it’s designed for restoration. Instead of continuing to fight, why not get down on your knees, right now, and surrender to God? Stop saying “no,” instead say “yes.”

Lastly, why do you keep running? God only wants to bless your life and to use you more greatly than you ever dreamed, so why are you resisting Him? You can run but you cannot flee from God. The time has come to stop running from God. The time has come to run towards God.

As you think about the opening chapter to the Book of Jonah, I challenge you this week to pay attention to what God is calling you to do. Don’t run from Him but run towards Him. Put His voice into action. Write down what He is telling you. Pray what He is telling you. Search Scripture for guidance. God is always telling you to do something and He does so not to ignore you but because He knows what you are capable of and what you are capable of is what this world needs to experience so that it can stop running and start believing.  What would your life look like if you did more listening and accepting rather than running?

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

            Let Us Pray…Dear Gracious God, we hear you today. We heard you yesterday but we ran away from you. We hear you today, but we don’t believe in ourselves to do what you are calling us to do. O Lord, help us to believe in you, help us to trust in you, and help us to run toward you. Lord, we can be Jonahs at times, but more than anything we want to be who you have called us to be. We are tired of running. We are ready to do your will on earth as it is in heaven. All honor and glory is yours, now and forever, Amen.

 

Benediction:

The choice is yours: do want you to run from God or do you want to run toward God? You can run but you cannot flee from God. Listen to Him this week and allow Him to change your life. May you be blessed as you overcome the storms in your life and as you trust Him more each and every day. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go out into the world knowing that you have been set free. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] Furthermore, the Book of Jonah is uncharacteristic, when compared to other writings in the prophetic tradition. It uses humor or irony to make its point. For example, exaggerated behavior (running away from God), inappropriate actions (sleeping through a violent storm), outlandish situations (offering a prayer of thanksgiving from inside a fish’s bell), ludicrous commands (animals must fast and wear sackcloth), and emotions either contrary to expectation (anger at mercy) or out of proportion (being angry enough to die because a plant has withered). All of these humorous qualities, however, serve to underline the book’s theme of repentance.