Listen to The Daily Word online.   Why did Jonah run from God? We do not learn the answer to this question until near the end of the story. And when we do, it’s not the answer we expect.   If I were Jonah, I would offer several reasons for running from God. For one thing, the message God commissioned Jonah to deliver was a message of judgment. Who wants to be the bearer of bad news? For another thing, the recipients of that bad news were not exactly “good people.” According to the Ninevites own testimony, they were guilty … Continue reading Running from Grace (Jonah 4:1-4)

Listen to The Daily Word online.   According to Mark 1:15, the essence of Jesus’ message was this: “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” What does it mean to repent? In Jonah 3:6-10, we see an Old Testament description of a New Testament imperative.   When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:   “By the decree of the king and his nobles: … Continue reading The Nature of Repentance (Jonah 3:6-10)

Listen to The Daily Word online.   As Christians, we believe we have “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Jesus Christ came into the world to “save sinners,” including us (1 Timothy 1:15). But saved from what? If the salvation of sinners is the good news of the gospel, then the judgment of sinners is the bad news of the gospel.   The Prophet Jonah was a bad news evangelist. Consider what we read in Jonah 3:1-5:   Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Go to … Continue reading The Bad News of the Gospel (Jonah 3:1-5)

Listen to The Daily Word online.   In the modern world, many people believe that each religion is as good as any other. “All paths lead to heaven” is one way of stating the matter. But this belief—usually referred to as religious pluralism—is neither logical nor biblical, and therefore it is not spiritually helpful.   Religious pluralism is not logical for the simple reason that however similar they may be, the various religions make contradictory truth claims. Consider the case of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Traditional Judaism condemns Jesus as a heretic. Islam praises him as a merely human prophet. … Continue reading Salvation Comes from the Lord (Jonah 2:8-10)

Listen to The Daily Word online.   When life is hard, do you become bitter or better? How you answer that question will determine whether God can use you for his purposes.   In my experience, life is hard for three basic reasons: (1) Rotten luck. Sometimes, bad things happen for what seems like no particular reason. (2) Evil people. Someone else has done something wrong, and we are experiencing the negative consequences of their actions. And (3) personal sins. We have done something wrong, and we are experiencing the negative consequences of our own actions.   If Job is … Continue reading Try Repentance (Jonah 2:3-7)

Listen to The Daily Word online.   Several years ago, I found myself in the middle of a deep depression. I have never felt sadder or lonelier in my life. But I have also never felt closer to God. The prophet Jonah probably felt the same way during his three days in a fish’s belly, and that’s what I’d like to talk to you about today.   Let’s quickly recap Jonah’s story. God called him to speak a hard word to Nineveh. Instead, he booked the fast boat to Tarshish. Mid-cruise, a storm arose, and to calm it, the sailors … Continue reading Look Up and Speak Up (Jonah 2:1-2)

Listen to The Daily Word online. If life is a journey toward a destination, then the most important question you can ask yourself is whether you’re headed in the right direction.   Yesterday, I talked about God asking the prophet Jonah to say a hard word to the Ninevites (Jonah 1:1-2). You might think that Jonah would quickstep it from his home in Gath Hepher all the way to Nineveh, but you’d be wrong. In fact, he went the opposite direction.   Here’s how Jonah 1:3 tells the story:   But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for … Continue reading A Lesson in Spiritual Geography (Jonah 1:3)

Listen to The Daily Word online. When we were children, our mothers told us: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Generally speaking, that’s good advice. But sometimes a hard word needs to be said.   According to Jonah 1:1-2, God asked a man named Jonah to speak a hard word to Nineveh: “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’”   Who is Jonah? What is Nineveh? And does God expect us to … Continue reading A Hard Word (Jonah 1:1-2)