Jonah lived in interesting times. God's people, as you may know, were divided following the reign of Solomon, who lived some 150 years or so before Jonah. In the south, Israel had been divided into the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, and were known as the Kingdom of Judah. They were ruled over at Jonah's time by Amaziah, and then Uzziah, or Azariah, who was Amaziah's son. Their reigns overlapped with each other. And both are described in the Book of Kings as doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, though there was some qualification with regard to that statement. In the North, the 10 other tribes were led by Jeroboam II. Jeroboam I had been the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after its division. Rehoboam had been the first king of Judah. He was the son of Solomon, but was foolish and not wise. He had inherited perhaps some of the follies of his father. And so the kingdom of Judah went through periods of grace and periods of strength and weakness. In the north, Jeroboam had led the people into deeper and deeper idolatry, and with each successive king that followed him, things seemed to get worse and worse. And now we have his namesake, Jeroboam II, 150 years later, digging deeper into wickedness every day. And yet, and this is what makes the time so interesting, While Israel in the north, under the reign of Jeroboam II, who was wicked, while they were pursuing their wicked course, God was blessing them. He gave them a period of peace, a period of prosperity. There was a kind of a political revival of the nation. one of their enemies, the Assyrians, had become weakened by attacks from outside and conflicts within its borders. And it's during this time when Assyria is experiencing this period of weakness and strife, and Israel is apparently on the ascendancy that Jonah lives. Jonah himself had been used of God to foretell the Israelites' political revival. For it says in 2 Kings chapter 14 and in verse 23, In the 15th year of Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam, that is the second, the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned 41 years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the first, the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. Though he restored the border of Israel from Labohamath, as far as the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-Heper. For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. But the Lord had not said that he would brought out the name of Israel from under heaven. So he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash. So the Lord's blessing seems to be on the life of this wicked King Jeroboam and upon the nation of Israel to the north, while Assyria is floundering to the northeast. And Jonah is now sent not to Israel, not to Jeroboam to speak some word from God to God's people, that he is commissioned to go to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, and to give them a word from the Lord. The wickedness, the evil of that great city has come up before me, God says. And so he commissions Jonah to go there, to tell them of the impending judgment of God upon them. And it's into this situation then that we have this book of Jonah. And I want you to first see the prophet's folly. You know, this isn't some new cadet straight out of prophet school who doesn't really know what he's doing and is floundering around trying to work out the best way to go. Now this is an experienced prophet who has already fulfilled God's commission to speak God's word as God directed. But here is a mission that is distasteful to Jonah. The Assyrians were the Israelites' enemies. And Jonah knew that God had this tendency to show mercy. We're told in chapter four and verses one and two, after God relented upon the judgment because of Nineveh's repentance, it displeased Jonah exceedingly. And he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, O Lord, Is not this what I said when I was in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you were a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. I knew you would do this, Jonah Pouts. I knew you would show mercy on our enemies. That's why I was running away!" And so he sought to run away. There was Nineveh, up in the North East, far away. And Jonah runs to the coast and finds a ship that is sailing in the opposite direction. He's going to go as far away from Nineveh as he can get. But the way that it's presented to us in this prophecy is that Jonah rose to flee from the presence of the Lord, from the presence of his God, from the presence of the God of Israel, who at this time was showing such mercy to Israel and to Israel's people. As goes the king, So goes the kingdom. That was the norm. For Israel, in those days, a wicked king would come under the judgment of God, and all his people with him would come under the judgment of God. And we read those few verses from 2 Kings chapter 14, where God saw that because of the king's wickedness over generations, there was no one left in Israel that was untouched by his hand of judgment. And he had compassion on them. He had compassion upon the population of Israel. He wanted to show mercy to the Israelites. And so he caused the hand of the king to prosper in what he put it to. And they regained territory and they strengthened their cities and they became prosperous in their trade and their enemies were no longer at their throat. God shows mercy and this God who shows mercy and was showing mercy to Jonah's people, Jonah was fleeing from. Fleeing from him because he did not like his will. Fleeing from him because he did not agree with his purposes. Fleeing from him because he did not want to be a part of his plan. Here is a prophet of God running away from God. He was determined. He took the journey to the coast, and then we're told that he paid the fare for this ship that was going to Tarshish. Now, we don't know exactly where Tarshish was. There are many debates. Was it in Spain? Was it further afield? wherever it was, it was somewhere towards the western end of the Mediterranean or beyond. And he dug into his savings account. and he got all of his money out and he'd gone down to Joppa and he paid the fare. He was determined in his refusal to do God's will and to be a part of God's plan, which he was convinced would end in mercy shown to the enemies of Israel. He would avoid this commission at all costs, but what recklessness is this? He surely knew that there was no way he could run away from God. Did he not know what the psalmist had said? That though he went into the depths of the sea, he could not flee from God. As far as the east is from the west, he could run and he could not get away from God. There was no way where he could hide from God. So this enterprise that he is on is utter foolishness, run from God, who is everywhere and knows all things, but Jonah's heart drove him to it. We see even here in a prophet of God the uprising of evil in his heart. how desperately wicked the heart can be, how it can lead us in paths that are desperate and reckless, what sins it can drive us to. Jonah's heart was driving him to run away from God, to do the impossible, because that's what temptation does. That's what sin does. It convinces us that we can achieve this, we can do this, we can get away with this. It is irrational. It is not sensible. And so Jonah is driven by a wayward heart to flee from the Lord his God. You know, we read this story and we think, well, that was silly. But we've all done it. Jonah, you see, the essence of Jonah's mission was to show love to his enemies. Love your enemies. That's what God says to every one of us. And I ask you this, do you love your enemy? Or would you flee from that commission? I think we all have, at times, failed to serve our God when he's called us to do so. in the way that he has called us to do. This is our folly. We cannot run from God and from his hand upon us. But Jonah tried it, as we all do from time to time, and he learned that he could not. The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, And there was a mighty tempest upon the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up, and the mariners were afraid. I want you to see the sailors' suspicion as these events unfold. Initially, the wind began to blow. Perhaps it came quite suddenly, and the waves began to get bigger and bigger, and then they broke over the bow of the ship, and then they were struggling to keep it in the right direction, to keep it safe in the midst of this raging wind and these battering billows. And as the day develops, or perhaps it's the night, They begin to be suspicious that this is something more than they've ever seen before, these sailors on the Mediterranean. That this is a storm like nothing they've sailed through before. And they begin to wonder, is this natural? Or is this supernatural? Of course, There were all kinds of superstitions in those days, just as there are today. And they cried out to their gods. They did all that they could. They used all of their understanding of how to sail the ship, and lightened the load, and trimmed the sails in whatever way was necessary. But nothing helped. The storm just got worse and worse. It became apparent that they were in real danger. And it also became obvious that one passenger wasn't around. And the captain of the ship went to find him. What are you doing, you sleeper? There he was, in the depths of the ship, tossed around in this storm. He's fast asleep, this Jonah. You wonder how he could have such an easy conscience. Call out to your God, the captain says. Perhaps the God will give a thought to us that we may not perish. Something is going on here. They decide that they'll cast lots, a superstitious activity that they thought might help them But in God's overruling, the casting of lots can bring out the truth, as it does on this occasion. They cast the lots and the lot fell on Jonah, and he is found out. Tell us. Tell us your story. Tell us where you're from. Tell us what you're doing. Well, apparently, it seems that he had already said something about him fleeing from the Lord, but I suppose when they were all snug and safe at dock, that comment didn't really mean very much to them. But now that they're in the midst of a raging storm, that comment takes on a seriousness that they have to grapple with. I fear the Lord, Jonah says, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. And the men were exceedingly afraid. What have you done? How could you stir up the wrath of the God who made the sea? What folly is this, Jonah? How could you do this to us, Jonah? What must we do to you, Jonah? And Jonah says, you must cast me into the waves, for I know that this great tempest has come because of me. Jonah, who refused God's commission, found that there were other agents of God who always obeyed. And so the wind blows and the waves attack that boat at the command of God. It's interesting, throughout the Bible we get instances of this, when nature responds to the will of God when men refuses to cooperate. Nature obeys and storms the vessel in which Jonah is asleep. And with Jonah's confession, the men, the mariners, are confronted with the reality of sin's weight. Here is a man who is simply sailing away from God. And this God doesn't like it. Here is a man who is rebelling against the commission of God, and this God is angry. Here is a man who is fleeing for his life, and he's in danger of losing his life. What are they to do with this man? He is guilty. They can see that. They know that. He knows that. He confesses that. Do they cast him into the waves? What about them then? Will they be guilty? Will they become murderers? And they determine to row as hard as they can. But Jonah's confession was not enough to quiet God's wrath. Something more was needed, because God's justice requires satisfaction. Jonah must pay the price for his rebellion. Forget for a moment that you know the story. I know that's hard, because we're so familiar with this story of Jonah. I read the last verse of the chapter that tells you that a great fish swallowed up Jonah, and that he was there in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. That gives you some hope, perhaps, for Jonah. But imagine that you didn't know the story. Imagine that you are Jonah, there upon that vessel. Imagine you're one of the mariners, and you've heard what Jonah has to say. If you want this storm to cease, you must cast me into the ocean. I must pay for my sin. I must come under the judgment of God. Justice must be served. The soul that sins shall die. What a fearful moment for Jonah. And for those men, you see, there is no happy ending at this point. No one knows. The fish is swimming, perhaps already obeying the command of God. Jonah doesn't know about the great fish. Jonah knows about the storm. Jonah knows about his sin. Jonah knows about his guilt. Jonah knows about God's justice. Jonah's never heard of a great fish. coming as a saviour. This is it. This is the end for Jonah, the prophet of God, who ran away. And the soldiers cry out to God for mercy. Perhaps Jonah would have done well to have listened to them and followed their example. Often the behaviour of sinners puts saints to shame. They respond to calamity suddenly with faith in God. I'm not suggesting for a moment that the faith of these men and the cries of these men resulted in vows of integrity and commitment to the God of Israel. Who knows what their sacrifice and their vows entailed? They were superstitious men who knew that sacrifices to the gods were a necessary part of life, and to make promises to the gods would appease them and hopefully bring their help for the future. But here were men who had come face to face with God on this day, and it touched them to the core of their being. And yet, while Jonah has been affected, He does seem, even now, to have a death wish, rather than fulfill the commission of God. There's no apparent cry to God, Lord, spare me and I'll go. I know I didn't want to, I don't want to go, but if this is your will, I'll go. There doesn't seem to be any of that. He still seems to be determined This is it. This is over. My life will end in the depths of the ocean. And who cares what happens to Nineveh or anyone else? And so Jonah is hurled into the raging sea. And it ceased from its raging. I wonder was it somewhat like that occasion when Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, when he hushed the wind and calmed the waves, so that in a moment it became like a mill pond? Was that what happened to these sailors and their ships? Suddenly they're just floating, so still and quiet and calm. The waters have swallowed up Jonah, the man who ran from God. Certainly like the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, they were filled with fear. They feared the Lord exceedingly. This was not like anything they had ever encountered in their lives before. The storm was bad enough, but the calm, the calm after this storm, it was a fearful thing. They had been in the presence and the power of the God of Israel, and it filled them with fear, and they offered sacrifices to the Lord and made their vows, whatever they were. And Jonah, Jonah sinking, sinking, sinking, suddenly is swallowed up into the belly of a great fish that the Lord had appointed for this very purpose. And you see then the Lord's kindness, sparing, as he so often does, sparing those who deserve not to be spared, showing mercy towards those who deserve no mercy, being kind to those who deserve no kindness. God had commissioned Jonah to go to Nineveh, and he refused. But God did not forsake his servant. He commissioned the fish to go to Jonah, and the fish obeyed. God did not forsake his servant, sinking, sinking, sinking into the depths of his judgment. God saved him. How did he save him? Doesn't God's justice require satisfaction? How is it that this man, who knew so much about God, who had been a faithful emissary from God to the people of Israel, how could he flee from God and refuse his commission and live? How is this possible that God can show such mercy to this man? And it is possible because God has determined to save sinners. He has determined to save the rebellious. He has determined to save the wicked. He has determined to save the wayward. He's determined to save the foolish. And God commissioned his son to come to earth, to come to this great planet full of wickedness, to come to this spear that was the object of God's curse. to come into this place in which the judgment of God was already being felt, the wrath of God was already evident, the holy justice of God was already being worked out, and the Son of God heard the commission, and he came. He didn't argue, he didn't refuse, he didn't say it's pointless, those people, they're just so undeserving, they are so wicked, they should just be cast into hell forever. He came. He came into this world of sin. And he came to bring peace from God. He came to reconcile sinners to God. He came to obey God on their behalf, and he came to suffer the judgment of God in their stead. The Son of God came for Jonah. He obeyed where Jonah disobeyed. He fulfilled where Jonah failed. And he bore Jonah's sins in his own body upon the cross. And so it was that God could show mercy to Jonah. He dealt with Jonah's sin. He dealt with the depravity of Jonah's heart. He dealt with the hatred against Jonah's enemies. He dealt with his failure to honor God in obedience. He dealt with all that Jonah failed to do in the person of Jesus Christ, his son. And as Jonah sank deeper and deeper into the Mediterranean waters, God commissioned a fish to swallow him up, and after three days, to spit him out onto the shore. And Christ took his place. And he descended down and down and down into the hell of God's judgment against him. And after three days, he rose triumphant, or the grave, having gained the victory over sin and death. This is the purpose of God. He is working out his purpose in the life of Jonah, and he sets him up as a sign for generations to come that will be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, who in his life, his holy, perfect, obedience life, and in his death, his substitutionary, sacrificial death, he would gain the triumph over all to bring his people rescued from hell into his heaven. And so sinners from Israel and from Nineveh and from Palmerston North are saved by the grace of God. God's will must prevail and nothing can prevent him from doing it, even a wayward prophet like Jonah. Indeed, he turns the waywardness of his people to good. for the glory of his name and the salvation of those whom he has chosen out of this world. He will overrule. But, brothers and sisters, it is much better to cooperate with God than to fight against him. You've spared the storms and the giant fish to walk with Him. He is always there, always present, because you can't flee from Him. And so to walk in harmony with Him through the struggles, through the trials, through the difficulties, and through the challenging commissions that He gives us, like loving our enemies and doing good to them. May God help us. to live more like Jesus and less like Jonah. Let's pray. Our Father, we acknowledge that we do have a tendency to flee from you. There are things that your word calls us to do and we find them so hard. And not only do we find them hard to do, we find them distasteful. We ask for your forgiveness and we ask for your help. Help us to put to death that all nature. Help us to fight against those inclinations that are against you and against your will. Help us to look steadfastly to Jesus and to follow him. to know his presence and to know his strength and to know his peace in every circumstance. But Lord, we pray that as we go astray, may your spirit incline us to cry for mercy, bringing us to our senses and appealing to you the God who does show mercy to sinners. And so may we learn to be faithful, learn to be true, learn to be steadfast, we ask for the glory of our Saviour who died for us. Amen.