The Book Of Jonah - A Commentary

                                                         THE BOOK OF JONAH

Commentary: Jonah was a Hebrew prophet  whose name means dove. He was the son of Ammitai. The time of Jonah’s one prophecy was in the latter part of the eighth century B.C. God commanded Jonah to prophecy against Nineveh; an evil gentile city in the country of Assyria. Jonah refuses to travel there which was eastward, so instead, he heads to a town named Joppa (today Jaffa), boards a ship, and heads west toward Tarshish he hopes to run from the presence of the Lord.                                                    

The Lord caused a great  tempest on the sea while Jonah was sleeping at the bottom of the ship.  The captain and other men on the ship are in a panic and call upon their gods. They awake Jonah and command him to call on his God.  As the men throw the cargo into the sea to lighten the load, the tempest becomes worse.  They cast lots to see who it will fall on; the lot fell on Jonah. Once Jonah identifies who he is, and where he’s from, the men become terrified.  Jonah realizes he’s the cause for their panic so he commands them to throw him overboard which they do. Immediately the sea is calm.                 

God commands a great fish to swallow Jonah.  The strange thing about it is Jonah is alive in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Symbolically at least, Jonah has died.  In the second chapter of the book, Jonah acknowledges his sin of disobedience, and offers praises of thanksgiving to the Lord for saving his life – that is the great fish swallowing him or else he would have drowned. The Lord speaks to the fish, and vomits Jonah upon dry land.                                                                           

In chapter three, the Lord commissioned Jonah again to preach to Nineveh. This time he willingly obeys. It’s apparent Jonah is determined to do God’s will because it’s a three day  journey which he  travels on foot. Jonah’s message is simple,                                                                                    

            

                “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:4).

The people of Nineveh believed God’s word and proclaimed a city wide fast, starting from the king, to the least of them. The king laid aside his royal garments, and put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. This expression was an ancient way to show grief and humiliation for sin and distress. The Ninevite king led the solemn assembly and commanded no person, or beast to eat or drink anything hoping that the God of Israel would have mercy on them and spare their lives.                                                                                               

When God saw their penitence and contrition, he turned his wrath away from them and spared the city of Nineveh (Jonah 3:9). Remember true repentance from sin will always deliver one from God’s wrath. This should be every man’s pursuit!                                                                                       

In chapter four, we discover that Jonah is upset because of the Lord’s mercy toward his enemies. Jonah knew all along that God is rich in mercy and he couldn’t stand the idea of God sparing the lives of these wicked people. That is why he fled in the opposite direction to Tarshish (Jonah 4:2). How quickly Jonah forgot how gracious God was to him when he was rescued by the fish that God prepared to swallow him. The mariners lives were spared when they implored the Lord to help them on the tempestuous sea (Jonah 1:14-16). Jonah’s own life was preserved when he cried out to the Lord (Jonah Chapter 2). And now that God has loved and showed mercy to his enemies, he says he rather die than see his enemies spared.

What hypocrisy!                                                                                                                                            

God asks Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4). The narrative states that Jonah leaves and heads east of the city to see what would happen. Jonah still wants God to destroy Nineveh and he perhaps wants to be an eyewitness to it. This shows the angst of this troubled prophet      . Jonah creates a booth to shade himself from the heat. Also the Lord caused a plant to grow to cover his head and help him in his distress. The bible says Jonah was very grateful for the plant. Once the morning came, God prepared a worm to damage, probably devour the plant so it no longer protected Jonah’s head. In addition, God caused a fierce east wind which caused the sun to smite Jonah on the head. This angered the prophet who once again wanted to die.                                                                                                                                

God asked Jonah again, Is it right for you to be angry about a plant that came and went in a night?” Jonah had more pity on an insignificant plant than he had for hundreds of thousands of Ninevites. It was important that God put Jonah’s perspective in check which it obviously was not. The Lord has compassion on all of his creation, even the most wicked of sinners.

          

In this short but tremendous book, we see God’s providential care and loving kindness on display through out. Let’s review them:

1.     

      The Lord sent out a great wind on the sea to cause a tempest (Providential – Jonah 1:4)

2.      The casting of the lot falling on Jonah (Providential – Jonah 1:7)

3.      The mariners threw Jonah into the sea and it ceased raging

(Providential and Merciful ­-Jonah 1:15)

4.      God commanded a great fish to swallow Jonah (Providential and Merciful. Jonah’s life was spared – Jonah 1:17)

5.      The Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah on dry land (Providential – Jonah 2:10)

6.      God spares the Ninevites when they repented (Merciful – Jonah 3:10)

7.      God prepared a plant to shade Jonah from the heat of the day (Providential and Merciful – Jonah 4:6)

8.      God prepared a worm to destroy the plant (Providential – Jonah 4:7)

9.      God prepared a fierce east wind to blow which caused the sun to beat on Jonah’s head angering the prophet (Providential – Jonah 4:8)   

This story proves that God is ready and willing to forgive any and all that call on him in true repentance and mercy. The one distinctive about Jonah is that he’s the only prophet sent to a foreign country to prophesy against it.                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                   

 

                      

Is Jesus Christ Omniscient

There is a disturbing verse in Mark 13:32 that reads, “But of that day and that hour know no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son (italics added), but the Father.”

Now you as well as I believe Jesus Christ knows all things since he’s God manifested in the flesh correct? So why doesn’t he know the day and the hour of his return to the earth? I’ve come across some views for the reader to think about.

 1. Jesus is not God – This would be the view of non-believers and skeptics of the gospel. Looking at       the verse on the surface without further examination, would lead many to believe that this erroneous claim is true. Everything time Jesus uses the phrase, “I am”, he’s affirming his deity. He uses this phrase seven times in the gospel of John. Even the Father God calls Jesus God twice in Hebrews 1:8-9. View number one is thrown out.

2. Jesus chose not to know – Jesus in his humanity chose to reserve this knowledge to the Father alone. He recognized the Father God being greater than him in authority and rank submitted totally to the Father’s will. This is true in scripture (John 4:34; John 6:38-40).

3. Jesus willingly laid aside some of his divine attributes while on earth – We read in John 17:4-5 these words, “I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou has given me to do. And now, O Father, glorify (italics added) thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

Here we just read where Jesus while on earth, laid aside his glory, which means his splendor, praise and honor. Jesus willingly laid it aside so that he could come to earth and redeem sinful man. Jesus didn’t come to earth to be glorified, he came as a servant of the Lord, to do his will, and ultimately to die as a suffering servant (Matthew 20:28; Philippians 2:6-8).

In like manner, Jesus I believe chose, and reserved the knowledge of his return exclusively to his Father; totally submitting to his Lordship so that the Father may be all in all (I Corinthians 15:28). Jesus not knowing the day and hour of his return doesn’t diminish his omniscience, it actually amplifies it. How?

Jesus being the living Word of God, lovingly and willingly humbled himself and became like unto sinful man; being touched with the feelings of our infirmities, and also being tempted yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15), shows his love and power in a divine fashion we’ll never fully understand. For God almighty to come to this earth, wrap himself in flesh, die, raise himself from the dead, and ascend to the Father, not only amplifies his omniscience, but also his awesome power. No man ever predicted what would happen to him in such detail and have it come to pass like Jesus did. If that’s not omniscience, I do not know what is.

In short, Jesus’ power was displayed in his humility which the aforementioned demonstrates. By Jesus while on earth, not knowing the day and hour of his return when studied closely, not only heightens and confirms his omniscience, but also amplifies his extraordinary power because of what he willingly chose to set aside for us; his glory and full knowledge (yet still fully God; a mystery).  No doubt Jesus has the knowledge of his return now as he has returned to glory and is seated at the right hand of God Almighty.

The Rapture And Second Coming

Often times the rapture of the Church and second coming are used interchangeably. That is a mistake. These are two distinct events in the future regarding the Lord Jesus Christ and his Church.  Let’s break it down.

The English word rapture does not appear in the bible. It’s a transliteration of the Latin word Rapio which means to seize, snatch away with force. The Greek term is Harpázō which contain the same meaning, to spoil, to seize, to catch away.

The verses that deal with the rapture are I Corinthians 15:51-53 and I Thessalonians 4:16-18.

I Corinthians 15:51-53 – Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (a euphemism for death), but we shall be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. For this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and the mortality must put on immortality.

I Thessalonians 4:16-18 – For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to the meet the Lord in air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.

The apostle Paul is the writer of both sections of scripture. He’s describing what sequence of events that will take place during what we call today, the rapture of the Church. For those of us who are pre-tribulationalists such as the writer of this article, we believe Jesus will snatch his Church out of the earth prior to the time of the seven year period called the Tribulation, or as it’s called by the prophet Jeremiah, the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).

The rapture I believe is seven years before the second coming of Jesus Christ. The interim is the tribulation.  Here some passages that describe the Lord’s second coming:

1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. 4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Psalms 110:1-4 (KJV)

1 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

Zech 14:1-9 (KJV)

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matt 24:27-30 (KJV)

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2 Peter 3:10 (KJV)

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Jude 1:14-15 (KJV)

Other passages one can read are in the book of Revelation chapter 6, 11 and 19. 

The rapture is the catching away of the church into heaven. The dead in Jesus rise first; meaning their spirit will re-unite with their body from the grave which is now immortal, no longer subject to disease, sickness and death. It will be a perfect body; just like Jesus’ resurrected body (Philippians 3:21). That’s the blessed hope of the believer! If one died of cancer, the cancer is gone forever! If one died of aids, leukemia, diabetes, or any other disease, you’re forever healed. 

The living believers’ bodies will be changed instantly, and they’ll be caught, snatched up to meet the Lord in the air.  Jesus will not subdue his enemies and set up his kingdom at this time. The seven years to follow will be the most horrific in human history. The likes we’ve never witnessed before nor will ever see again (Matthew 24:21). It’s the time of God unleashing his holy wrath against the world for their sins. After this period is over, the Lord Jesus will return to destroy his enemies, and set up his kingdom on earth forever with his saints [(Revelation 19:11-21; Matthew 25:31-46) (i.e. the Church and those who believed and were saved during the tribulation, i.e. the seven years)].

Prayer For Our Young Ladies

Dear Heavenly  Father,

I lift up our ladies this evening. I pray that they'll understand that their allurement isn't just what they can provide for a man physically only, but they'll understand that their value is their virtue, character and modesty. Help them to realize how wonderful they are and fearfully you've created them for your glory. Apparently some of our ladies have no sense of value for themselves and their priorities are out of whack. They're not being taught by older women how to behave when they're in the presence of adults or how to properly  respond to boys when they're girls and how to respond to men when they're grown.

Help our ladies to understand that a man does not complete them and not to settle for any man just for the sake of saying they have one. However, a good godly man can compliment them and ad spice to a healthy relationship that can blossom into a lifelong love affair that can bring fulfillment to their lives.

I understand the need for our young ladies for intimacy and tenderness with a man. It's important that parents teach our young ladies that what they desire is good and healthy, but only within the confines of marriage.

Let's not teach our girls that "safe sex" is permissible, but abstinence is the only way to go until marriage. Fornication is the easy and ungodly way out which produces unhealthy, risky relationships along with guilt and shame because of disobedience. We don't want to encourage our girls to engage in having multiple partners, and living a life of promiscuity.

Lord help us to teach our young ladies the right and wrong about sexual relationships, the good, the bad and everything in between. This way, they'll make informed, intelligent decisions regarding men, and spot the genuine from the sinister through prayer and supplication with wise counsel.

In Jesus name,

Amen

THE RELEVANCE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS TODAY FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY 11/2/05

The question was recently asked, “Since the Ten Commandments were instituted under the Mosaic Law, do they have relevance today? The answer to that question is a resounding YES!!. Here are some reasons why.

When reading the commandments or Decalogue, one must keep in mind that all of these commands have universal application for all people for all time. For example, Exodus 20:13 says, “Thou shalt not murder”. This command obviously is inclusive and man knew if he committed murder he was guilty and had sinned against the Lord no matter whether he was a Jew or Gentile. A perfect example of the violation of this command was when Cain killed Abel. This account occurred before the written Mosaic Law (Genesis 4:8). So this command once again has exclusivity. Cain knew what he had done was sin because when God asked him where Abel was, he was sarcastic and pretended not to know. So he lied (Genesis 4:9). Even a child knows when he/she has done wrong even though they don’t know the written statues of the law (Proverbs 20:11).

Another important reason why the commandments has relevance for today is because the inward witness. For in Romans chapter 2 we read in verses 14 & 15: , “for when Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do the things in the law, these although not having the law , are a law unto themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”

The Lord through Moses simply canonized and codified these commandments in words and emblazoned them on the hearts and minds of all so that we can obey his word and teach our children to obey. It’s also the perfect way for God to hold man accountable for his actions just in case he tried to justify his sin by saying, “there is no law saying I can’t do thus and so.” The Decalogue then becomes a mirror of instruction to us all – letting us know what we are to do and not do. The commandments although given to Israel, apply to all men. These commandments are the outward manifestation of an already existing inward reality that God has innately placed in of all mankind’s bosom. They indeed do apply to us today unlike the Levitical sacrificial system which was contemporaneous to Israel’s time and was ultimately fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross.

IN CONCLUSION

The commandments are a hybrid in the sense they place a vertical and a horizontal requirement upon man. The vertical is man’s responsibility toward God – i.e. Exodus 20:3-4;7. And the horizontal is man’s responsibility toward man – i.e. Exodus 20:12-17.

DEFENDING THE FAITH

Precious Lord,

Help us to earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered unto the saints. Let your children know that it is not unloving to confront error in regards to doctrine. Lord your word commands us to test the spirits to see if they're of God because many false prophets have gone into the world.

Not to confront error is disobedience. Although it's uncomfortable, we need to overcome our fear, and do what you have commanded. We must speak the truth in love, and not be concerned with the reaction of the person we're confronting as long as our motives are pure in our approach.

It's critical that we say the same thing the word of God says so that we're not leading people astray or being misled ourselves. Help the Church not to be lazy in studying to show themselves approved unto God, a worker that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.

In Jesus name,

Amen!

What is true Joy?

When we hear or read the word Joy, what’s the first thought that comes to mind? Happiness, satisfaction, a cheerful heart? A lot of people look at it as an emotion based on happy feelings. Let’s define the term and find out what it really means. 

The New Oxford American Dictionary describes Joy as: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. 

The Greek word for Joy is Chará. It means: to rejoice. 

Another Greek word is Cháris. It means several things. Here are a few: favor, acceptance, a kindness granted or desired, a benefit, thanks, gratitude, grace. 

Jesus stated in the gospels that the joy he gives is a joy no man can take away from us. It’s an everlasting, abiding joy. That’s a wonderful reality. But what is God’s joy based on? 

Unlike human joy that’s based on happy feelings alone, true Christian joy has to be based on facts; facts that can’t be tossed to and fro based on our whimsical feelings. 

Reasons why we are to have joy 

Our names are written in heaven: Jesus speaking to his disciples said this in regards to evil spirits being subject to them through the power of God: “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). 

What joy that should bring to any believer! To know that your name has been written in God’s book. If it’s there, it can never be erased. 

The revelation of truth: In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, “I thank thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed then unto babes; even so Father; for it seemed good in your sight” (Luke 10:21). 

Jesus Christ rejoiced because it pleased the Father to reveal his secrets to the less noble and powerful in the world and has chosen to reveal his power to the lowly and humble. 

Obedience: Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:10,11). 

We experience Godly Joy when we obey the commands of the Lord. Knowing we have done what God has commanded us is a manifestation of his power operating in us; this should bring us inexpressible joy; knowing that God is with us. 

The hope of the Lord’s return: Jesus said, “And ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man takes from you.” (John 16:22). 

The believer has a blessed assurance that Jesus is preparing a place for us so that he can receive us unto himself. This truth should bring us great joy and anticipation. 

The joy in answered prayer: Jesus said, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24). 

As a result of being a child of God, we have the divine right to petition the Lord for what we need. It’s a joy and privilege to have the right to ask, and even more of a joy to receive what we have asked for. This brings full joy (Hebrews 4:16). 

The joy of the Lord is a spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). It’s a fruit of the Spirit that we must cultivate (Galatians 5:22). It’s a virtue that every believer has and must develop through obedience and holy living. Only then will true and full joy in Christ be realized. Christian joy’s bedrock has to be the truth of scripture. That’s the only way we can see it and grab on to it; especially when times are hard. This joy is strengthening and assists our faith in the Lord. This Joy is not an emotion that comes and goes. It’s an agent of the Holy Ghost that fills up the believer in his hour of need and reminds him of the blessed hope of his most glorious future! 

Paul said this way, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).