In the Bible, we see amazing testimonies of the grace of God.  One such testimony in particular is found in Jonah chapter 3.  Jonah had been fleeing from God, but God pursued him. In the belly of a great fish he called out to God.  Now, at the beginning of chapter 3, Jonah is restored to his office as a prophet. That is a remarkable testimony of the grace of God.

But this chapter’s testimony to God’s grace does not end here.  In this chapter, Jonah will follow the call of God to go and cry out to the people of Nineveh about God’s judgment.  Nineveh was a city known for its wickedness and rebellion against God.  Amazingly, however, God uses this message to bring about repentance among the people of Nineveh.  They turn from sin and unto God. 

What can account for the way in which “that great city” (Jonah 3:2)  made such a change?  It is because God worked in their hearts.  God worked through the preaching of His Word to change the hearts of the people.  This repentance, we are told, extends even to the king of Nineveh (Jonah 3:6-7).  

What is your attitude to the preaching of God’s  Word?  Are you receptive to it?  Have you recognized it as the Word of God which is authoritative and powerful?  Are you grateful for the grace of God in giving us His Word?  This is the Word that presents to us the message of the Gospel.  God has not left His people without hope or without a Word from Him.  

Perhaps you wonder if God could ever receive you.  Look to the testimony of God’s grace to Jonah and to the people of Nineveh.  Christ has died for sinners, and the Christ that saved them is offered to you as well.  

Will you join us this Lord’s Day evening at 5 for worship at The Commons at St. Andrews Church as we consider these truths together?  For directions, click here or contact us for more information.  You can also join us on FacebookLive@RiverCityARP or on YouTube.

Photo by Weston MacKinnon on Unsplash

Jonah was swallowed up by a great fish.  That alone is enough to give us pause.  What is more amazing about all of this is that after three days and three nights the fish spit him back out.  Even with all of this said, that is not the main focus of Jonah chapter 2.  

Ernest Hemingway and Herman Melville have written books detailing a great fish and a great whale respectively, in which the fish or whale take a central place.  But the book of Jonah is different.  For one, the events in Jonah are real historical events.  Jonah was actually swallowed up and spit out by this fish at a real time in history, yet still, the fish is not the central theme of chapter 2.  Rather, the One who is central is Jonah’s God. 

In the first chapter of Jonah, we see that Jonah flees from his God, but his God pursues him.  God is sovereign over all things, even over His prophet who is fleeing from His commands. Jonah was called to go to the people of Nineveh but ran away–he sought to chart out his own course.  But God sent a storm to rage on the sea which Jonah was attempting to use as an escape route.  Jonah was tossed into the sea to cause the storm to cease from its raging.  But this was not the end of Jonah.

Jonah 1:17 says, “And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.  And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”  This fish was appointed by God to swallow up Jonah in order that Jonah would live.  And in the belly of this fish, we see in chapter 2, Jonah calls out to God.  In Jonah’s prayer we see the power and the sovereignty of Jonah’s God, and we also see the faithfulness of God to deliver His people.  We see especially that God is absolutely sovereign in the salvation of His people: “Salvation belongs to the LORD!” (Jonah 2:9)  This is a truth that comforted Jonah’s soul once again, and the truth that many have noted is the theme that runs through the entire book of Jonah.  Jonah’s time in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights also points us to the one who died for sinners and on the third Day was raised from death. It is there, in the death of Christ for sinners and His victorious resurrection that we see most clearly that “Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

Would you join us this Lord’s Day for worship at 5 PM at The Commons at St. Andrews Church at 8300 Kanis Rd. in Little Rock as we consider these truths together?  Click here for directions, or contact us for more information.  You can also join us on FacebookLive@RiverCityARP or on YouTube.

Photo by Giga Khurtsilava on Unsplash