He was pissed that the enemy listened to his correction. This event was not about Jonah -- it was about Nineveh.
God was going to use Jonah NO MATTER WHAT.
Like God is hard up and has noone else to replace the errant prophet
Yes, indeed, the "fish" was Jonah's salvation, in a sense. And the fish took Jonah to a place he did not want to go. He performed a mission that he did not care to perform and he found little joy in the success of the mission. There is nothing in the story that speaks of Jonah's repentance if one means to include a repentant attitude concerning preaching to Nineveh. He gives God the glory while in the belly of the fish, but that offering does not include "send me where you will, Lord, and I will forever be your servant -- to Nineveh, even to the world !!" I believe that Caroline's point (how easy it is for us to be guided off course in these "discussions") concerned itself with obedience and the manipulative will of God. To be guided by the fear of God, by the mere realization that He is much tougher than you and His will WILL be done and you are the one called to perform - this illustrates perfectly the point of Caroline's address. This 'manipulative will of God" is an awesome thing, is it not? Think about it. He (God) is not hard up with none other than one person to do His bidding ------------ but He goes with that one !!! Jonah, and at times each of us, simply ARE GOING TO DO THE WILL OF GOD. In this story, the "manipulative will" is a demonstration of God's decision to partner with Jonah, an awesome consideration when you think about it. He decided on Jonah and didn't HAVE to --- God wanted Jonah enough to "manipulate" circumstances. In Jonah's response, we see incredible faith on the part of Jonah, not incredible obedience (from the heart). He totally believes in God AND IS NOT AFRAID to disagree with Him. On the ship, Jonah is not repentant -- rather, he is honest and full of faith, knowing that God is after him, knowing that the storm is all about him. Repent? Nah. THROW ME OVER and you will be out of danger. And God said, "O.K. -- but you are doing my will anyway." Kind of like talking to a five year kid. Sometimes, deeply held faith has nothing to do with obedience and repentance -- and sometimes, the same has nothing to do with your personal calling.
the point of Jonah? God loves you and respects you enough to allow for your antagonism while teaching you the lessons of obedience.
And I would not have considered this apart from Caroline's comments. If not a lesson for anyone else, this is a lesson for me. Thanks.
Pastor Smthers
