Amazed by God in Jonah

by Phil Haines

Next Tuesday (29th September), Zoomutopia returns for another conference and this time David Strain is going to be addressing us on the topic ‘Amazed by God’. Throughout our Christian lives, I imagine there have been so many times when we have been amazed by God, whether it is by the depths of the love shown to us in salvation, or in keeping us day by day, or in bringing us through grave trials when the storm of life has threatened to overwhelm us. Our God and Saviour has been there, helping us through it all. Sometimes this amazement at God’s grace happens later, when we think back over our suffering, and we realise that without God’s help we would have succumbed to the waves. At such times, the words of the Psalmist become our reality: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say[a] to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. (Psalm 91)

There are lots of places in the Scriptures (too many to count) where we are, or we ought to be, amazed by God. The book of Jonah, a subject of a recent preaching series, is one such place.  The story of Jonah is famous, mainly for the part where we learn he was swallowed by a whale. In fact, in children’s bible stories, the story may be called ‘Jonah and the Whale’, but that part of the story accounts for only a few verses out of the whole book. The story is about God; his sovereignty, righteousness, mercy, grace, love, patience, wisdom and saving power, and possibly more besides. In just 4 chapters, totalling 48 verses, we are confronted by this amazing God!

For this post, I want to focus particularly on God’s saving power and his heart for the lost. The Lord sends Jonah to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian Empire to preach against her people because their evil ways had come before the Lord. Richard Phillips writes of this city that the best parallels today would be ‘the most violent terrorist organizations or narcotics cartels, who strike their victims with a blood thirsty glee.’ In their own artwork and in their artifacts, they depict themselves as sadistic, genocidal oppressors.’ This description was worn as a badge of pride by the Assyrians. Indeed, the prophet Nahum writes: Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and booty— no end to the plunder! 2 The crack of whip, and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot! 3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, hosts of slain, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies! The city was a place of terrible evil and it had already been a scourge to Israel. Jonah did not want to go there, and he did not want to preach to that people. It may have been fear, but more likely it was the knowledge that if the Assyrians repented, the Lord would show mercy, forgive, and save. In Jonah’s mind, this people did not deserve it! 

Yet, when Jonah eventually arrived in Nineveh, via the boat and the belly of the whale, the Lord provided this opportunity for salvation out of the abundance of his grace and mercy towards the people of this Gentile city. The message that Jonah was sent to preach was not a ‘feel good’ message, it was a message of judgment. If the Assyrians did not turn from their evil ways, in 40 days the Lord would destroy the city and the people.  From the poor man in the street, to the king on the throne, the city repented. We are confronted by a people who are mourning for their sin, displaying a humble attitude before God, and making a commitment to turn away from their evil ways. They cried out to God for mercy. The king of Assyria, himself, calls on his people to join with him in prayer, city-wide prayer, city-wide petition (that’s astonishing isn’t it) – the cries of a whole city going up to God seeking His forgiveness, showing the fruits of their repentance. As a result of this repentance we read, ‘10 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.’  

This is all amazing isn’t it? In the New Testament, we see this kind of response when the sins of men are uncovered, when their hearts are laid bare, when the sword of the Spirit pierces their hearts, when they are brought to an end of themselves. All they can do is cry out for help – What must we do?  And the answer is this, Repent! Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The first call is to repent, to turn about;  a change of heart which leads to a change of life. That is what must happen for the Gospel to be truly received. But that question can only come out of a heart that has been touched by the Holy Spirit, when He takes the scales from our eyes and show us the true extent of our sinfulness, and our parlous state before the Holy God of Israel. The king of Assyria knew what he and his people needed to do; repent in the hope that God would show mercy and grace and not destroy the city. Jonah did not think that the Assyrians deserved God’s mercy, but God disagreed. 

It is a danger for Christians to believe that someone or some people are beyond the pale, they do not deserve God’s mercy in salvation. Recently, I read the book War and Grace written by Don Stephens, and the final chapter is about the work of an American pastor named Henry Gerecke who ministered to Nazis at the Nuremberg trials. Gerecke, a man who would not be taken in by false professions of faith, recorded a number of genuine conversions amongst high ranking Nazis. Gerecke said of these men that they “died as penitent sinners trusting God’s mercy for forgiveness.” This reminds us of the words of the Apostle Peter in his 2nd Epistle, chapter 3, that the Lord ‘is patient towards you,[a] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.’  It also testifies to the truth of the hymnists words, ‘however great our trespass, whatever we have been, however long from mercy, our hearts have turned away, Thy blood O Christ can cleanse us, and make us white today.’

When we add the great events of God’s grace to Jonah, to the Assyrians, and to those war criminals, to God’s love towards us in saving us, if we believe; forgiving our sins, sustaining us hour by hour, enabling us to persevere, strengthening us to stand in the evil day, hearing our feeble cries, and so much more, surely we cannot but be amazed by our wonderful God! 

Make sure to register for Zoomutopia 3, this coming Tuesday!