Everybody in America’s book of “Who’s Who” has heard the tale of Jonah in the Bible being swallowed by a whale. And if they haven’t – how can you tell Who’s Who? A synopsis of the most prominent Americans should tell us who’s Biblically illiterate and who’s not. Tell us no tales!
The Bible shows us the character of people that God has to deal with. In God’s Book of, Who’s Who, some are humble, some are belligerent, some are social climbers, and some are self-preservationists! In the Old Testament, the prophet Jonah is told by God to go to the city of Nineveh, about 500 miles northeast of Israel, and preach to them (the last place Jonah wanted to go). Remember your history? Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel’s brutal and longtime enemy! Jonah took a boat going the opposite direction! But he could not run from God. Running got him into worse trouble. He was to warn Assyria of judgment and to declare that the people could receive mercy and forgiveness if they repented.
The Bible tells us God prepared a “great fish” to swallow Jonah (Jonah 1:17). God’s fish did his job, and after three days and three nights in the great fish, Jonah did his job! One could tell, by the direction of the great fish’s tail, that Jonah’s tale would be a whale of a sell. Sound fishy to you? Smell fishy?
Jonah’s hatred was so strong that he didn’t want Nineveh to receive God’s mercy…but, everyone is entitled to God’s favor. Jonah’s disobedience to God endangered the lives of the ship’s crew. His refusal to obey God put others in harm’s way and jeopardized their lives. The crew knew someone was responsible for their troubled weather and they cast lots to find the guilty person and the lot fell on him. Jonah submitted. What happened? God spared the sailor’s when they pleaded for mercy. God saved Jonah when he prayed from inside the fish. God saved the people of Nineveh when they responded to Jonah’s preaching. Once again, it’s a God win-win-win situation.
Some say it’s just a tall tale; no one lives after being swallowed by a whale! Right?! Turn your computer on and search for Mr. James Bartley, a whale hunter on the ship; Star of East. Both he and the prophet Jonah had a fish tale to tell.
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