Guilty As Charged

ISAIAH 5 is titled in my Bible "The Vineyard of the LORD destroyed"

A tragic picture of Judah's decline, and God's response is painted through this chapter.

The chapter starts out with God speaking of how He set Israel up for success.

In verse 2, we see all that God did for the vineyard, Israel.

He dug it (preparing the soil to be fertile)
He cleared the stones (removing obstacles)
He planted it with the best seed (setting them up to be successful)
He built a watchtower (Keeping them safe)
He hewed out a wine vat (preparing them to be effective)
He looked for it to yield grapes (waiting for an expected harvest)

As you can easily see, God did all of the work for them.

God gave them every blessing that He could, so that they could be fruitful.

In verse 4, He even challenges Judah, saying "What more what there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done it?"

But at the end of verse 2, and the end of verse 4, it says, "it yielded wild grapes."

The fruit that came from Judah was contrary to the seed that God planted.

God set it up for them to have it made. They had protection, they had provision, they had the blessing of God's hand on them. But they chose to walk a different path.

In the rest of the chapter, God describes what the "wild grapes" looked like, and what the consequences will be for Israel's choice.

Verse 5, God says that He will remove it's hedge. The first thing that happens when a nation turns from God is He removes His protection.

When you decide to walk outside of God's will for your life, you're leaving His hand of protection, and walking in your own strength, not God's.

In verse 6, God says that He will command the clouds to withhold their rain from Israel, fulfilling His promise from Deuteronomy 28:22-24, that if they turn from God, He will turn the rain from them.

The result of Israel's sin is judgment.

Isaiah 5:16, "But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows Himself holy in righteousness."

This is something that we miss a lot. We talk a lot about how God is glorified in saving sinners, but we don't often talk about this...

God is just as glorified in judging sin as He is in saving sinners.

When God judges sin, He is glorified in justice, holiness, and righteousness. When he saves sinners, He is glorified in love and grace.

So Israel will be judged. God is laying out for them ahead of time the charges that He has against them, and what the judgement will look like.

The charges and their consequences are as follows:

Verse 8: They are putting their trust in their wealth.
They are expanding their houses, and expanding their fields without any thought of God. Their wallet has become their god.

The Consequence: God will remove their wealth from them.
In verses 9-10, God promises that their houses and fields will be made desolate. Their wealth will be taken.

Verses 11-12: They chase after pleasure instead of God.
They run after strong drink. Their wine enflames them. They've replaced God with earthly pleasure.
This is a dangerous thing for all of us. Proverbs 31:4, "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink." The consequence of these choices clarifies the danger in them.

The Consequence: They have forgotten God, and their ignorance will lead them into exile.
They will die of hunger and thirst, they will die because of their ignorance of God and His works.

Verse 20: They call evil good, and good evil.
The standard of Israel has become warped. They no longer understand God's standard. It sounds a lot like our nation today. We've turned from what Biblical marriage is. We commit millions of infant sacrifices to the god of convenience, justified with the term "abortion" instead of murder.

Verse 21: They are wise in their own eyes.
The reason that they have lost their perspective of God's standard is because they have elevated their wisdom over God's. They are convinced that they know better than God.

Verse 22: They are heroes and valiant men at drinking wine and mixing strong drink.
The thing that they pride themselves in is their ability to consume alcohol.

It is a dangerous thing to take pride in ability to sin. I've heard people brag about how many shots they can do, or how many women they've slept with. It breaks my heart. They take pride in how far from God they have become.

Verse 23: They don't understand justice.
"They acquit the guilty, and they deprive the innocent of his right"

Their idea of what justice looks like has become perverted.

The Consequence: God will show them what justice looks like.
Their actions will receive swift judgement from God, as He uses the nations around them to humble them, and remove the blessings that they have received.

Why would God do that? Why wouldn't He just "smite" them with bolts of lightning without warning?

God's warning in Isaiah 5 is a call to repentance. He tells them of these charges against them, and warns them of the consequences that will follow to give them a chance to turn back to Him before the consequences arrive.

So today, if you find yourself in one of these places, set against God, and His standard. Turn back to Him today! Don't wait for the judgement to arrive, don't wait for your sin to catch up with you. Repent. Turn around and run back to God.

This is why Jesus came, so that we could have an escape from our sin, and have an alternative direction to turn. We can come to God, because He came to us.

Going Home

In Isaiah 4, God gives us a picture of His Millennial Reign in Jerusalem.

"... the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel." - Isaiah 4:2b

There will be a lot of fruit in Israel in the last days, and it will be their pride and joy.

Have you been to Israel? Did you know that they are one of the chief exporters of fruit in the world?!

This has been prophesied about in multiple places in the Old Testament, and now it's coming to pass! We're seeing this happen before our very eyes. The time is short!

In that Millennial Reign, Jerusalem will be filled with believers of Christ.

"And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem." - Isaiah 4:3

Everyone who has been recorded for life. Revelation 20 talks about a book of life. Everyone who has put their faith in Jesus is recorded in this book. In that Millennial Reign, those will be the people filling Jerusalem. What a glorious day that will be!

God will wipe away all of the sin, and His glory will fill the city! There will be a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, reminding us of God's glory and His presence covering us. He will be a refuge for His people!

Wow! That's all I can say when I look ahead to this day. What a glorious day that will be.

As Christians, this is what we look forward to. We anticipate being evicted from our tent to join God in Heaven. We're in transit, just waiting to be relocated!

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:13-14

As Paul said, we press on, seeking to draw closer to God, anticipating the day where we will be called upward to God, to receive our inheritance, our prize of eternal life in God's presence.

If you're feeling down, if you're struggling, if you feel as if you've lost hope, remember this!

This is not our home! We are on our way to be with God! I remember the words of a song by Building 429,

"All I know is I'm not home yet, this is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus, this is not where I belong."

We're going to be with Him one day!

But look at verse 4 of Isaiah 4 with me.

"when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgement and a by a spirit of burning."

The first half of that verse is great! Our sins will be washed away. We'll be made white as snow! But when we read the second half, it doesn't seem as pleasant.

A spirit of judgement, and a spirit of fire...

God will deal with our sin, and make us more like Him, but it often takes burning away the parts of us that don't belong any more.

"For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives." - Hebrews 12:6

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11

God will allow fire to try us, to burn parts of us that don't belong. God will turn up the heat to make us more like Him.

Consider the analogy that's made in a  few different places in Scripture. We're like gold being refined.

When gold is refined, the heat is turned up. As the gold gets hotter and melts, any impurities rise to the surface, and the refiner is able to remove them.

The refiner knows that the gold is pure when he can see his reflection in it.

We are gold being refined.

God turns up the heat so that He can remove our impurities, and He will keep going until we resemble Him. Until He sees His reflection in us.

So next time you feel it getting hot around you, don't complain. Remember that the purpose is to make you more like Jesus. This is part of your journey to being face to face with your Creator.

Which road are you on?

In Isaiah 3, God begins to describe what the judgment against Israel will look like.

Their basic needs won't be provided for (verse 1)
They will be ruled over (verses 2-4, 12)
The people will stand against each other (verses 5-7)
They will lose their possessions (verses 18-23)
Their blessings will be revoked (verse 24)
Their armies will be destroyed (verse 25)

Now, why did all of this happen? Did God have a bad day? Was it just a rough day in Heaven, and God had to blow off some steam?

NO!

God is full of grace and truth. He will be entirely just, but He also gives grace to those who ask for it, and repent of their sin.

The key to understanding this judgement is found in verses 8, and 10.

Isaiah 3:8, "For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying His glorious presence."

Isaiah 3:10, "Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds."

When we look at these verses, we see the reason that God judged Israel. They chose to defy God in their words, and in their actions.

Picture two roads in your mind.

One leads you closer to God, and as you get closer there are more and more blessings. God's Spirit will begin to work in your life more and more, and make you more like Jesus every day.

The other road takes you farther and farther from God. As you distance yourself from His presence, you'll become less like Him, and see less of the fruit. You're setting yourself up for failure if you keep going on this road.

Verse 10 summed it up perfectly. "They shall eat the fruit of their deeds."

Galatians 6:7-8 says it this way, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."

Israel chose the path that led away from God. That meant leaving His provision, leaving His direction, leaving His blessings, and leaving His protection behind them.

If you read Deuteronomy 28, you'll see where God lays out all of the results of the path that they choose. If they follow Him, blessings. If they decide to turn away from Him, curses. The choice was theirs.

So it's the same for us today. Which path have we chosen? Are we drawing closer to God, or are we fleeing His presence?

Maybe you want to walk towards God, but you feel like you don't know how. I want to challenge you today. Maybe you can only take baby steps, but take those baby steps!! Give your life to Jesus today. Ask Him to save you, to cleanse you of all sin, and to make you new. Get plugged in to your local church. Begin to read your Bible, and pray every day! God will draw you closer.

James 4:8 "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you..."

You just have to take the first step.

Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Continue on the path that leads you toward God. Even when it gets hard, it's worth it!

The Day Is Coming

As I've mentioned previously, I'm reading through Isaiah, 5 chapters a week with my church (Calvary Chapel of Wilmington - CalvaryofWilmington.org)

Today is chapter two.

Chapter two is an interesting chapter. It can be broken into two sections.

Verses 1-5 describe the Millennial Reign of Christ (See Revelation 20:1-6)
Verses 6-22 describe what it will take for that Millennial Reign to arrive.

Let's take a look.

The Millennial Reign of Christ will be a beautiful time. Satan will be bound and in the bottomless pit. For 1,000 years, his authority and power will be gone. What a beautiful day that will be!

The mountain of the house of the Lord will be established and lifted up. This refers to Jerusalem. People will flock to Jerusalem from every corner of the world to seek God. Wow, that sounds very different to what is happening today.

While we're on the subject of Israel, In Genesis 12:3, God promised to bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel. As more and more of the world decides to stand against Israel, we've seen God protect her. Nobody has been able to wipe them out, and nobody will be, because their God protects them.

Throughout the Old Testament, there are numerous prophecies of Israel being back in the land, and bearing fruit. (for one of my favorites, read Ezekiel 36:24-36) This has happened! God has fulfilled this prophecy. He still cares for Israel.

So in that Millennial Reign, the nations will seek God. That will be a beautiful day! They determine to follow Him, and to learn His ways.

Verse 4 adds that they will turn all of their weapons into farming tools. There will be no more war. Global peace will finally arrive, when the Prince of Peace finally arrives.

Verse 6 takes a drastic turn though. We begin to see what must happen before that glorious day.
Because of idolatry, because of the sin in their hearts, God will reject His people.

Israel's problem was that they had everything they needed. They had gold, they had silver, they had horses, they had chariots, and they decided that they had done it all themselves. They decided that they didn't really need God. They began to worship idols. They began to worship something that they made for themselves.

Psalms 115 says that we become like what we worship.

These idols had eyes, but couldn't see. They had ears, but they couldn't hear. They were unable to save.

In worshiping these idols, they became prideful, they became dull of hearing, and blind to what was happening around them.

Because of their pride, judgement was necessary.

Verse 12 of Isaiah 2 says "For the Lord of Hosts has a day against all that is proud... and it shall be brought low." 

God will deal with the pride and sin in all of us. Verse 22 says that this is what it will take for them to realize that their idols can't save them.

Before the day where Jesus reigns, there is a day where God will judge the earth. This isn't something that we like to talk about. This is something that many people will brush past. We don't like the idea of judgement. But check this out - God is just, He is righteous. His standard is perfection. Because of His nature, and because He is a just and fair judge, He has to judge sin. It is below His standard.

So how do we escape that day of judgement? Jump back to verse 5.

"O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk in the light of the LORD."

Here is our key! The way that we escape judgement is by walking in God's light.

1 John 1:5 says that God is light, and if we want to have fellowship with Him, we have to walk in that light with Him. Light and darkness can't coexist. That means the closer that you get to Jesus, the more of your sin He'll deal with. The key to following God is staying in the light.

I'll end this post with a passage from Romans 13 that seems fitting...

Romans 13:11-14
"Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cat off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

The Problem With Churchianity

For the next few months, our church (Calvary Chapel of Wilmington - Calvaryofwilmington.org) is reading through the book of Isaiah. 5 chapters a week. I've decided that I'm going to blog my thoughts on these chapters as we go through. Hope you're blessed!

Chapter 1:

Isaiah was written by Isaiah the prophet. Tradition says that he was the cousin of King Uzziah. He prophesied for at least 58 years (739-681 BC). Isaiah's name means, "God is Salvation" pretty fitting seeing as his ministry mainly consisted of telling Israel to turn back to God, and that they could only receive salvation from Him. 

Isaiah is writing in a time when the nation of Israel is in political turmoil (in 722 Israel will go into captivity to Assyria) and in Spiritual decline. Nobody follows God anymore. 

In Isaiah chapter 1, Isaiah paints a picture of Israel being God's children. He claimed them as His own and He raised them, but they have turned away. 

Verse 4 says "They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged."

Israel had chosen sin over God, and it put up a barrier between them. 

We can be just like Israel. Our sin will always separate us from God. That's the reason that Jesus came. He came to break down the wall of separation! But we can still try and rebuild it. 

Christian, be careful. Stand firm in your faith and don't allow sin to divide you from your Creator.

God challenges Israel on this sin, He asks them why they're continuing in it. Don't they see what it's doing to them? Their country is being laid to waste because of these decisions. 

They need to turn back to God, but that isn't what they do. They decide that the best course of action to fix this problem is to make a bunch of sacrifices. They're giving offerings left and right, but it isn't helping. In verses 11-15, God says that He is sick of their sacrifices. Not because the sacrifices are bad, but because their attitude is incorrect. In verse 13, God calls them "vain offerings". They aren't helping anything. 

The problem that Israel has is one that we face all the time. Israel was trying to fix their problem with doing "spiritual" things. Today it might be seen in someone feeling guilty about sleeping with their girlfriend, so they go to church that week. 

I've coined this "Churchianity".

We think that all of our problems will be solved if we can check everything off on our Spiritual checklist.

Go to church. 

Tithe.

Read a pastor's blog and call it a quiet time.

The problem with "Churchianity" is that it deals with the actions without dealing with the heart.

It fixes the symptoms without ever addressing the cause.

Now understand me here, I'm not saying that these are bad things to do! 

The problem was not that Israel was making sacrifices. They were commanded to do that.

Israel's problem was that their heart wasn't lined up with their actions.

In verses 16-18, God shows Israel what a correct response looks like.

"Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil..."

"Cease to do evil, lear to do good;"

You see, God was going beyond Israel performing the correct actions, to them changing the way that they were living. He calls them to stop living in sin. To turn back to Him.

Verse 18 is beautiful.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."

God's promise to Israel is that if they will turn from their sin and turn back to Him, He'll make them clean. He'll wipe their sins away.

Verse 19 adds a condition. It starts with the word "if". Israel has to do something.

"If you are willing and obedient." Not just willing, and not just obedient. You have to follow God with the right attitude. 

God continues through the rest of the chapter painting a picture of what Israel's sin has done to it. God promises that their sin will be dealt with, but those who turn back to God, and repent of their sin will be redeemed. 

It's the same for us today. If we look at the course of our lives, it isn't hard to see where sin took us, and (if we're saved) what God has redeemed us from. 

However, there is a choice to be made. Will you follow God? Will you repent of your sin, and turn to Him with your whole heart? He wants to wash you white as snow, if you'll let Him.

If you don't want to do that, you can see how it will go for you in verse 28.

"But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed."

The choice is yours.

STORMS

The first time that we see Jonah in the Bible is in 2 Kings 14:23-25.

“In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.”

Jonah was a prophet, called by God to prophecy that the Kingdom of Israel would be expanded. He lucked out! Instead of getting a depressing job, like prophesying the coming destruction of Israel, or being made an example, (like his contemporary, Hosea) Jonah got to bring good news. 

People liked Jonah.

But then all of that changed in the book of Jonah.

Jonah is one of 4 prophets mentioned by name by Jesus. 

Luke 11:32.

Jonah 1:1-2

“Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me."

Before we go any farther, notice this. “The Word of the Lord came to Jonah.”

God spoke to Jonah. God called Jonah, and gave Him a specific work to walk in. 

We can read through this and glance over it without a second thought, or we can become envious of Jonah. He had it so easy. God spoke to Him. God called Him. But hold on. God has spoken to you! You have His Word more accessible than any generation before you. And to to that off, God has called you! He has a specific plan for your life, just like He did for Jonah. 

Ephesians 2:10.

God told Jonah to get up and go. This plan required action. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, to call out against them. This was going to be Nineveh’s last chance to repent before God would judge them.

Assyria was Israel’s enemy. They would periodically invade Israel, killing people and taking captives. We could compare them to ISIS today. 

Nineveh was a large city. It had two walls, an inner and an outer. The inner wall was 100 feet high, and 50 feet thick. There were 200 foot watchtowers every 30 feet on the wall. This was a secure city!

But there was a problem, they were steeped in idolatry! They had temples to Nabu, Asshur, Adad, and Ishtar in their city. They were given over to these pagan idols, and it showed in the way they lived. One of the ways that they were especially wicked was the way that they treated their captives. If you watch the Veggie Tales series, they tell you that the Ninevites would slap people with fishes, but it was even worse than that! They would kill people by flaying off their skin, then hang the skins on their walls. God was tired of this wickedness, so He told Jonah to go and preach to them.

This is a famous story, so you all know what happens next. Jonah didn’t go to Nineveh.

Jonah 1:3

“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”

Jonah quit serving God. He tried to run 2500 miles in the other direction. He intentionally ran away from God’s calling on his life.

Now we know you can’t outrun God; the Bible is very clear on this. God is omnipresent, which means that He’s everywhere. You can’t escape His presence. It’s like the Psalmist said in Psalms 139:7-10.

Jonah thought a relocation would solve the issue, but that rarely works, because you take your problems with you. So Jonah went down to Joppa to find a ship. 

3 times in the first five verses of this book, it says that Jonah went down. Jonah went down to Joppa, he went down into the ship, and he went down into the inner part of the ship. 

This isn’t the direction that you want to go! Jonah is rapidly going the wrong way. 

DON’T BE JONAH.

The story of Jonah could have ended right there. That could have been it. God called Jonah, Jonah said no. Period. The end. But the story doesn’t end there, and this is such a beautiful picture of God’s grace. There’s a verse 4 for Jonah’s life. Aren’t you thankful for the verse 4s in our lives? God hasn’t given up on you! 

Jonah 1:4-6

 “But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.”

But the Lord. This is always how the verse 4s start in our lives. We’re going the wrong way, but the Lord. 

It says that the Lord sent out a great wind. The seas are getting rough. The ship is threatening to be sunk. You know it’s getting bad when even the professional sailors are worried. They’re crying out to their gods for help. They’re throwing anything that isn’t needed overboard.

What a perfect picture of the world, they’re doing everything that they can in their own strength, and it isn’t helping at all. They’re crying out to their “gods” but it isn’t working. They’re looking for help in all the wrong places.

And while they’re fearing for their lives, where is Jonah? He’s asleep. He’s given up on serving God, and now he’s just trying to get away. What an admonishment for Christians today. We’re in a world that is taking on water, and how many of us are spiritually asleep?

Don’t be a sleeping Christian in a dying world.

So the captain comes to Jonah, and he says “what are you doing, man?! (I’m paraphrasing) Get up! Do something! Call out to your God, so that maybe He’ll save us!”

The captain tells him to wake up and seek his God. You know it’s bad when the world wants you to seek God for help. But they’ve realized that their gods aren’t doing anything.

It’s important to note. They know that God caused the storm, but they aren’t blaming God for the storm. They recognize that it’s His power at work, but they realize that it’s most likely because of something they did. We can learn a great truth from this.

Don’t blame God for your storms. Seek God in your storms.

So Jonah is awake, but no prayer is recorded. Jonah is giving God the silent treatment. He know what God will say, so he just isn’t talking to God.

Jonah 1:7

“and they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.”

They cast lots, and what do you know, it points to Jonah. 

Proverbs 16:33, Hebrews 12:7-11

Jonah 1:8-10

"Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them."

They’re asking Jonah all these questions, and it’s time for Jonah to come clean. To tell them why he’s there. 

Notice in verse 9, Jonah says that he fears the Lord. Wouldn’t that have been helpful to remember 8 verses ago? Maybe he wouldn’t have ended up in this spot!

He says that he worships the God who owns it all! Heaven, earth, and the sea. So they’re blown away. “What the heck, Jonah!” 

1. Jonah is trying to run away from the God who owns EVERYTHING. That won’t work well!
2. Jonah’s words don’t line up with his actions. Why aren’t you living by the faith that you claim?

Jonah 1:11-12

“Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.”

The sea is getting worse. The sailors know that they need to do something. Jonah’s response: “Throw me out of the boat.” 

Jonah doesn’t tell them to sail to Nineveh, or to turn the boat around. He asks them to kill him by throwing him into the sea.

Most commentators agree that Jonah is saying that he would rather die than go to Nineveh. He knows that he’s in the wrong by going to Tarshish, but he’s too stubborn to go to Nineveh. Death sounds better.

It’s a sad place to be when you’d rather die than follow God.

DON’T BE JONAH.

Jonah 1:13

“Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.”

The sailors respond in a way that is typical for the world. They try to row back to shore. They’re putting in their best efforts, but it isn’t working!

Jonah 1:14-15

“Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.

So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.”

So they call out to God. Interestingly, they don’t call out to their idols. They call out to God. This experience has shown them that their idols are worthless. 

They ask for forgiveness for killing Jonah. Look at this. These sailors are more concerned with the life of Jonah than Jonah was with the whole city of Nineveh. 

DON’T BE JONAH.

So they throw Jonah out of the boat, and it works! The sea goes calm. Wow, God is powerful!

Remember back in verses 3-5, Jonah wanted to go down. Well, God finally let him. Down he went into the depths of the sea. 

Jonah 1:16

“Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.”

The result of all of this was these sailors beginning a relationship with God! They made vows to continue to follow Him instead of their idols.

This is such a beautiful picture of God’s grace. Even while Jonah was running away from God, God used it to save a boatful of sailors.

We’ll meet these men in Heaven one day, who are there because of Jonah’s failure. Now, this is no excuse to sin, but I find this encouraging. Even when I fail, God can still work through it!

This isn’t the only storm that we see in the Bible. Another storm is recounted in Mark 4.

Mark 4:35-39

“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

A storm came up, and Jesus was asleep. The conditions are a bit different, Jesus wasn’t running from God. He’d been ministering all day and was tired. But watch the reaction of the Apostles.

They wake Jesus up, saying to Him, “Master, don’t You care that we’re going to die?!”

Jesus gets up, and with three simple words He rebukes the storm.

PEACE, BE STILL.

That was all it took for Jesus to handle the storm. 3 words.

He has the power to handle the storms in your life as well! Storms will come, and there is only one who has power over them. His name is Jesus. But for Him to handle the storms in our lives, we have to come in the same way that the Apostles did. They called Him, “Master”. You see, they gave Jesus authority over their lives. 

Think of it this way. The storm wasn’t Jonah problem to deal with, because he was just a passenger. The captain held responsibility for the crew and the passengers. If you want Jesus to handle your storms, you have to give Him that position of authority. You have to make Him captain of your life. 

He wants to speak, “Peace, be still” over you, but you have to let Him in to do that.

Letting Go

Some of you may have heard of the song "Nothing I Hold On To" by United Pursuit. It's a great song, with easy to remember words. The bridge of the song is really simple, it just says, "I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open" 

These lyrics remind me of in Genesis, when God told Abraham to go up to the top of Mt. Moriah, and sacrifice his son Isaac. God asked Abraham to do this to test his faith. God had it all planned out ahead of time that a ram would be caught in a bush at just the right time, and an angel showed up to stop him from sacrificing Isaac. But Abraham didn't know all of this up front. 

Mt. Moriah was a few days away. So they packed everything up, the wood, the oil, all the supplies, and they got some of their servants together and they went off on this trip.

When they get near Mt. Moriah, Abraham tells the servants to wait for them while they go and sacrifice. In Genesis 22:6, Abraham says, "I and the boy will go and sacrifice, and we will return to you." 

Check out Abraham's faith here. Even though God told him to sacrifice his son, and he's ready to do it if that's what God wants, Abraham knows that they're coming back. You see a few chapters earlier, God promised that through Abraham's seed (Isaac), God would raise up a nation. Abraham knows that God isn't done with Isaac yet. 

So they are walking up the mountain, and Isaac asks, "Hey dad, where's the sacrifice?" Awkward question at that moment... Well, Isaac.... you're the sacrifice... Probably wouldn't be the most fun trip. But that isn't what Abraham says. In Genesis 22:8, Abraham tells Isaac, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering."

So they went up the mountain, with no offering but Isaac. 

What a picture. Abraham is letting go of everything that he holds dear. Isaac is the son that he was promised in his old age. It isn't like he has a bunch of other kids at home, or can have more kids. Isaac is their only shot. But Abraham walked in obedience.

Is God calling you to let go of some things like He did to Abraham? It would have been really easy for Abraham to get defensive, and say something like, "No, God! Not Isaac! YOU gave me Isaac!"

But Abraham didn't say that. If he had said that, he would have been elevating Isaac higher than God in his heart. 

You see, God wants our hearts to Himself. He'll give us blessings, and He'll put people in our lives that He allows us to share this life with, but ultimately, we are His. We've been bought at the price of the blood of a Lamb. 

All of this was a beautiful picture, because a few thousand years later, God would give His own Son as a sacrifice. God did provide the lamb, not only for Abraham and Isaac, but later for the whole world. Jesus' blood that He shed on the cross, and His death were the payment for our sins. The price that we owed was put on Him. He has purchased us with His blood, and that is why He can ask us to let go of these things.

Ask God today, "Is there anything in my heart that I've put higher than You? What changes do I need to make to keep You as the Lord of my life? Please give me Your Holy Spirit to walk in, so that I will have Your strength to let go of these things, and to follow You will all of my heart. Amen."