When God’s call came, Jonah ran. What kind of servant of the Lord are you? Are you like Jonah? Or are you following Paul’s description of the Lord’s servant to Timothy?
Scripture:
Jonah, chapters 1-4; 2 Timothy, chapter 2
Jonah 1:1-3 (NASB):
The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it, because their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord.
Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
Observations: What Kind of Servants Are We?
Jonah, the “Servant of the Lord”
Today’s readings present quite a contrast. On the one hand we have Jonah, the Lord’s prophet. God told Jonah to arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it. Did Jonah obey God? NO! He got up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. In Jonah’s day, the Assyrians dominated the world scene. They had previously warred with Israel, and in the future would do so again. However, peace prevailed between Israel and Assyria in Jonah’s time. God, knowing what would come down the road, wanted Jonah to go preach against Nineveh.
Jonah ran the other way. Now, could Jonah really flee from the presence of the Lord? Of course not! But Tarshish was about as far away from Nineveh as Jonah could go. Nineveh was east of Israel (in modern-day Iraq); Tarshish was in what we know today as Spain. While he couldn’t really escape God’s presence, Jonah’s flight to Tarshish symbolized his refusal to obey God’s call.
Why didn’t Jonah want to go to Nineveh? Chapter 4 gives us the answer. After Jonah was swallowed by the great fish, he repented, and God gave him a second chance. Jonah went to Nineveh and preached this message: “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). But lo and behold! When the people heard the message, they repented! “Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5). And when God saw their repentance, He relented and spared them (Jonah 3:10).
Jonah’s Response to God’s Mercy
Jonah was not happy! “But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry” (Jonah 4:1). Why was Jonah angry? Because God had spared Nineveh! Jonah wanted God to wipe them out! And when God relented, Jonah got mad. “Please, Lord, was this not what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore in anticipation of this I fled to Tarshish, since I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and One who relents of disaster” (Jonah 4:2). Wow! “I knew You were going to let them off the hook, and that’s why I didn’t want to come. I didn’t want You to spare them; I wanted You to wipe them out!”
Paul’s Description of the Servant of the Lord
Compare that with Paul’s description of “the Lord’s bond-servant”: he “must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” It almost seems as though Paul was reading Jonah and describing the exact opposite!
Do any of these phrases describe Jonah?
- Not be quarrelsome
- Kind to all
- Patient when wronged
- With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition
I don’t think so! And yet God in His mercy granted repentance to the people of Nineveh. They came to their senses, and God spared them.
Application: What Kind of Servants of the Lord Are We?
I’ve read the book of Jonah many, many times. I preached a series of sermons from Jonah that revolved around the lengths to which God was willing to go. The key was not only that God went to great lengths to save Nineveh; God also went to great lengths to save Jonah! And Jonah, of all people, didn’t think he needed to be saved!
That’s the problem that comes to mind today as I read Jonah along with 2 Timothy 2. I fear that too many Christians these days are more like Jonah than the Lord’s bond-servant described by Paul. We’re only too eager for God to wipe out our enemies – whether political, national, or religious. We despair too much at things that look like defeat, and we gloat too much at “victories” that have little to do with the Kingdom of God. Remember, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). That was true when Jesus said it to Pilate, and it’s still true today.
Paul’s description of the Lord’s bond-servant reminds us where God’s ultimate priority is: to reconcile people to Himself. The Son of Man did not come to wage political campaigns nor to fight wars; He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). That’s why God calls us to not be quarrelsome, but to be kind to all and patient when wronged. We are not called to bash people over the head with their sin, but to correct those who are in opposition with gentleness. Just like Jesus did.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for reminding us that You are a gracious and compassionate God. Even though he didn’t like it, Jonah knew that You are slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and ready to forgive. And You still are ready to forgive! Help us to be patient, kind, and gentle with those who don’t yet know You, that they may find their way to You. And remind us each day that You have extended the same grace and mercy to us. Amen.
I welcome your comments and questions on this post. Whether you agree or disagree, I’d love to discuss it with you!
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