Jonah 1:17 - 2:10

Turning to God

© 2000, J.W. Carter
Scripture quotes from KJV

Jonah 2:8-9.

8"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."

When we stray from God, he requires more of us than simply confession and repentance. God has called us to a task. Until Jonah was ready to complete that task, God would continue to deal with him, turning him in that direction. These verses show that Jonah was not only repentant for what he had done, he was no ready to respond to God in obedience.

What kind of promises do we make to God when we are down for the count? Oftentimes people make vows like, "God if you get me out of this, I will…." Fill in the blank. What most likely happens when God finally does get them out of the problem? Often those vows are forgotten. Sometimes that may just be what God would prefer, when we promise to do something that sounds penitent to us, but is not really the task to which God has called us. However, it is often possible that we truly do know what God wants us to do, and in turning back to Him, He wants us to set ourselves to that task, not some meaningless penitence that we think is appropriate. Usually such penitent acts are meant only to make us feel better, and are not related at all to God’s call on our lives.

I am reminded of the movie, "The Mission," where Robert DeNiro plays a medieval Spaniard Jesuit assigned to minister to a tribe of South American Indians. In the screenplay he kills his brother over the love of a girl. Then, in the aftermath of his guilt and depression he decides that the appropriate penitence is to take all of his weapons and armor, weighing several hundred pounds, and carry them on his back as a burden to the top of a high cliff where he would then dispose of them, never to use them again. In the process of the climb he endangers his own life, the lives of those with him, and abandons the very purpose that God had called him to. The misdirection ultimately destroys his influence with other Jesuits and he is unable to protect the Indians from attack and destruction by more conservative members of the Jesuit order. It is a very depressing movie, and it reveals the depravity that accompanies self-inflicted penitence. God does not want us to punish ourselves when we sin. We do not know the appropriate response to our acts, only God does. Jonah’s promise is much more appropriate. Rather than saying, "If you…, then I will…" he states, that he will worship God, give to him the sacrifice that He requires, and continue in obedience to Him.

God does not want us to punish ourselves. He wants us to come home. Sometimes we may remain in rebellion to God, because we are unable to determine the appropriate punishment for our disobedience. Again, God simply wants us to come home. Rather than dwell on ourselves, or dwell on our predicament, God would prefer that we dwell in Him and let Him deal with those issues.

What do we do?

Service to God is motivated by an awareness that the grace of the one true God is the only means of salvation, and by personal gratitude for that grace.

    1. Turn Loose of anything that is hindering us from joining God in His mission.
    2. Turn Back to God in those areas that we are running from Him.
    3. Turn Down any excuses to evade our responsibility to share Christ with the world.
    4. Turn Away from selfish pursuits and indulgences that prevent us from sacrificially investing more of our resources for God’s kingdom.
    5. Turn Up the volume. Listen to what is happening around us, so that we can be more sensitive to the needs of those around us, and so that we can be a part in meeting those needs.
    6. Turn Over a new leaf and let God use us in a long-term or short-term missions venture.