Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Mark 1:14-20
Jonah's story is one of my favorite stories in the bible; not because of the big fish or the debates that it leads to about the historicity of the bible. It's because Jonah is just so easy for me to relate to. He knows what he's supposed to do, and doesn't do it. Not only doesn't do it, he runs away from the life he knew in order to avoid doing God's bidding. I've been tempted....
I want to start by looking at the life Jonah was living at the time of his call. In the book of Jonah we don't get his background, but he was a prophet in the time of second Kings; 800 BC. He had a particular assignment; he prophesied the reestablishment of Israel as a great nation. He could be called a nationalistic preacher and that makes him an unusual choice for God to call to preach to the hated enemy of the nation of Israel, the Ninevites.
Jonah's story is one of my favorite stories in the bible; not because of the big fish or the debates that it leads to about the historicity of the bible. It's because Jonah is just so easy for me to relate to. He knows what he's supposed to do, and doesn't do it. Not only doesn't do it, he runs away from the life he knew in order to avoid doing God's bidding. I've been tempted....
I want to start by looking at the life Jonah was living at the time of his call. In the book of Jonah we don't get his background, but he was a prophet in the time of second Kings; 800 BC. He had a particular assignment; he prophesied the reestablishment of Israel as a great nation. He could be called a nationalistic preacher and that makes him an unusual choice for God to call to preach to the hated enemy of the nation of Israel, the Ninevites.