Why do the Biblical accounts still hold up even in our modern times? The accounts written in the Old and New Testaments are not simply allegorical tales meant to entertain and teach; they are a historical account. But what sets these historical accounts apart from others is the frankness by which they address the subjects. When one looks at historical records, one often finds glorified accounts that tend to gloss over the uglier or less heroic parts. Take for instance the Boston Tea Party. Almost all generalized accounts speak of the heroic act of defiance in the face of the oppressive British made by the colonists. No one really wants to address that the colonists were committing tax evasion and high treason. And since the colonists ultimately won the conflict, it is convenient not to teach that little foot note to children. History is, after all, written by the victors and the victors want to look good for generations to come.
So how does the Bible differ? Take the Old Testament, the accepted ancient historical record of the Hebrews. These books speak of individual after individual that did great things on behalf of the Jewish people. Moses lead them out of slavery, David won battles and wrote beautiful songs of praise, Samson was a mighty and brave, and the list goes on. Brilliant, beautiful history is painted for the generations, but it has an ugly side that is readily evident. Moses fell into pride and was forbidden passage into the promise land. David sinned, using his royal authority to commit murder. Samson’s arrogance cost him dearly. Hero after historical hero is tarnished, shown to be all too human. They aren’t glorified. If they were, Moses would not only have led the Israelites into the Promised Land, he would have done so in less than forty years without any problems. Noah would have inspired the people of his time to repent and the flood never would have happened. And David would never have resulted to calculated homicide to win a prize.
The New Testament is much the same, with Jesus’ closest friends and followers being plagued by with doubts and flaws. Peter; proud and zealous, Thomas; doubtful, Judas; treacherous. The New Testament directly addresses sinful nature, and the failure it brings to bear, and the victory that comes with the glory of God through Christ.
No, our Biblical heroes are not glorified. Rather, they are tarnished and flawed. But still they stand for us. It is their humanity that makes them great, and that speaks to us today. At sometime in our lives, we’ve all felt the push of pride, arrogance, and lust, and at sometime in our lives we’ve fallen from grace.
It is with this basis, with this theme that we enter into our next Bible Study series; Walking with Heroes of Faith, because the heroes of faith don’t shine, but they stand firm and stand the test of time. We walk with them to get to know them, to hear their stories of human failure and holy victory, and maybe in getting to know them we get to know ourselves.
Since we have scripture readings, if you do not have a copy of the Holy Bible handy, you can read the scriptures via http://www.biblegateway.com/.
Our first hero of faith is probably the most unlikely candidate to be called “a hero”. If anything he comes across somewhere between hapless self server and unwilling participant. But maybe through his mistakes we can learn. Jonah stands out because he has an entire book devoted to his one, simple story, and more to the point this book is directly named after him. So the obvious place to start is by opening the book of Jonah. That said, let’s read from 2ndKings.
No I’m not pulling a fast one you. You might have noticed that the title is“Case of the Runaway Prophet”. That’s because there is a mystery to Jonah’s story, and we are going to investigate it. You and I are going to take on the role of detectives and we’re going to get to the bottom of why Jonah is known as the Runaway Prophet. The first step in our investigation is to figure out when the incident took place. 2nd Kings serves as our time stamp, it is as close to a date and time as we can get. Let’s cue up the reading and see what we’ve got…
2nd Kings 14:23-25
Here we have our first mention of Jonah, and given what we’re seeing here is part of a historical record, and it places Jonah as an active prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II, which was around 793 to 753 BC, giving us a clear forty year window. We’re also given a local for Jonah, Gath Hepher. Let’s cue up the map. We can assume that after speaking to Jeroboam that Jonah either returned to Gath Hepher or he returned to that general area. It’s at this point that God comes back to Jonah and gives him a second assignment. “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” Rather than following the Lord’s command to go east, Jonah packs his bags and heads due south, to a place called Joppa. Let’s check out the map. Right, and then he hops a ship heading due west to a place called Tarshish. Either Jonah has no sense of direction, or he’s on the run. What’s more, Tarshish is, at this point, the edge of the known world. Rather than follow God’s command, Jonah wants to go the opposite direction and disappear.
Let’s pause for just a second; what are some theories as to why Jonah is doing this? Based on our current evidence, what do we think is going on with Jonah? If you’re working on this study in a group, I encourage you to take time to discuss your theories.
Alright, let’s continue our investigation.
So Jonah is on this boat heading west when the Lord sends a storm on it. This boat is getting tossed around like a bath toy in a hurricane, and for obvious reasons the sailors on board are concerned…to say the least. They begin praying to their individual gods. Nothing, apparently their god’s are screening their calls. Jonah, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be afraid. In fact, he goes below deck and goes to sleep. Quick show of hands, how many of us have tried to go to sleep during a violent storm? How about when that storm is rocking around the very thing you’re trying to sleep in?
The captain of this ship comes down to where Jonah is and insists Jonah calls upon his god. While this is happening the sailors cast lots, they use a kind of prophesying technique to figure out who’s responsible for this situation. The results come in loud and clear, it is Jonah. At this point they’re really eyeballing Jonah, wondering who his god is and why exactly is his god rocking the boat. Jonah had told the sailors when he got on board that he was on the run for something, and that he was a holy man. Now he tells them that his God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; that he is a Hebrew.
Do we have any new theories? Is Jonah on the run because he’s ashamed of his faith? Is he on the run because he doesn’t want to witness to other people?
Jonah next gives an instruction that strikes the sailors as nearly impossible. He tells them to throw him overboard. They refuse. They refuse because in that day and age, when the ancient Greeks had many gods, one thing you did not do under any circumstance, was kill a prophet of a god, whether you worshipped that god or not. They considered it the fast track to incurring the wrath of the gods, of which the sailors were pretty sure they were experiencing at this moment anyway. They instead try rowing back to shore, but fail in that. The reason for this is because they don’t want to anger the God of Jonah any more by flinging God’s representative into the drink, but after failed alternatives, they pray to God asking for forgiveness and the boop, toss Jonah overboard. Instantly the storm stops. The sailors convert to Judaism on the spot.
Meanwhile, Jonah is swallowed by a giant fish. I’d expound on this, but that’s really all there is to it. He’s in the water, and he gets swallowed by a giant fish. He’s got an air pocket in the fish to last him quite a while, and we’d dive into theories as to the origins of this giant fish, but that would just detract for the investigation.
So Jonah is in a tight spot now, middle of the ocean, middle of a fish. Here he begins to pray. Take a look at Jonah 2:1-10.
So how are our theories holding up? Can we think of any new theories given our current evidence?
Jonah finally gets himself into gear and heads off to Nineveh, which is now even further than it was before. But what is Nineveh? Well, at this point in history, Nineveh is the capital city of the Assyrian empire, and it’s a pretty hefty city, about sixty miles around. Being the capital city, what happens to Nineveh happens to all Assyria. It is here that Jonah gives the shortest sermon ever; “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” The city converts on the spot, all the way to the king of Nineveh. God keeps his word, as he always does. He said that if Nineveh repented it would be spared punishment.
Jonah on the other hand is very upset. Take a look at Jonah 4:1-9.
How are our theories holding up? Do we have any new theories?
Just like any good detective story, it’s always that one little piece of evidence that’s kept until the very end. Who was Assyria? It was the historical enemy of Israel, a country with whom Jonah’s nation had gone to war with. Jonah, being a patriot, didn’t want some foreign nation, much less Assyria, to get salvation. National pride and international hatred is something very common to human beings. Its England and Germany post World War II. Its England and America post 1776. It’s America and the Muslim nations post 9/11. Imagine asking a New Yorker, born and bred, full of national and city pride, to speak of salvation to a Mosque after 9/11. Imagine yourself, locked in a conflict with someone, and being asked to speak to THAT person about the salvation of Jesus Christ. That is what Jonah was asked to do, and that is what Jonah tried to avoid.
Christ message of unreserved love is evident throughout his ministry, and echoes out from the Old Testament, and into our days. God is not concerned about where you come from or what you’ve done in the past. His focus is on your future, and your willingness to come to him. Jonah risks missing the point by forgetting that the whole of everything is God’s creation, and as such earns his love and concern. Please read Matthew 5:43-48.
Jonah stands as our first hero of faith in our series because of what he represents to us. He is us when we hold to our old prejudices, our grudges, our preconceived notions. He shows us that God works through us, despite our attempts to avoid his instruction. Despite Jonah’s intent to avoid his responsibility, he witnesses for the Lord to all he comes in contact with. Does he make a “great” witness for the Lord? He’s not perfect by any means.
So let us close in prayer:
Dear Lord, we kneel before you, a lost people. We lost in our prejudices, our hatred, and our judgment of others. We are bound in the chains of arrogance. Open our hearts so that our shackles may be opened, and our burdens lifted, that we may lay our troubles at the foot of the cross as Jesus asks. Help us to learn the lesson of Jonah, that if we cling to the grudges of yesterday we will never truly understand your boundless love. Renew our hearts and minds through you Holy Spirit, and grant us peace.
Amen.
I want to thank you all for joining us this week and being patient with me as I am starting to get the Mobile Ministry back up and running after our hiatus. If you have any questions about the ministry or the lessons themselves feel free to e-mail me or message me via Facebook. As always have a blessed week and walk with light.
Michael Bauch
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