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What Readers are Saying…
“I loved Jonah!
“My initial impression of this devotional is that it is impressively deep and pertinent. It delves deeper & more effectively into the messages embedded within the Scriptures than any other devotional I have read in a long time.
It addresses heart issues in a clear & readable fashion. Love how it is set out.
The prayers are outstanding. I highly recommend it if you are serious about delving deeper into the Scriptures & prayerfully seek to glean as much as you can for your personal walk with the Lord.”
D’anah from Australia
Below is the first chapter of Jonah’s Faith. I hope you will enjoy it!
Jonah’s Faith – Day 1 – Jonah’s Orders
Bible Reading – 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.”
Jonah Speaks
“I was sitting down one day, just thinking about things here in Israel, when the LORD spoke to me. I knew His voice, and I understood His message perfectly, but I could hardly believe what He said to me! God knows I hate those wicked Assyrians with a passion. I don’t care if God destroys them! In fact, I wish He would!
I was afraid to sneak into the city, much less tell them that God was angry with them. Not only will they not listen to me, but they will surely torture and kill me as soon as I open my mouth. I know God is a God of mercy. He probably will not destroy Nineveh anyway, so I don’t know why He would need me to tell them that. I am an Israelite, a prophet to the Jewish people, so why did God get the idea to send me to these heathens?”
Bible Study
The Hebrew meaning of the name Jonah means “dove.” A dove is commonly used as a symbol of peace. Jonah’s father’s name was Amittai, which means “truth.” Jonah, the “dove,” was the son of “truth.” Although the book of Jonah is classified as one of the “Minor Prophets,” this book does not identify Jonah as a prophet, or a spokesperson for God, anywhere in this book. Nevertheless, God made sure that Jonah got his proper honor.
In 2 Kings 14:25, God identified Jonah as “his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher” (2 Kings 14:25). The city of Gathhepher was in the same area as Nazareth. Moses, in his blessing to the children of Israel, said of those were of inhabited Zebulun to “rejoice in thy going out” (Deuteronomy 33:18). Both Jonah and Jesus “went out” from this general area. Many centuries later, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself also referred to Jonah as a prophet.
God instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh, the chief city of the Assyrians, (a major world power at that time), located in modern-day northern Iraq. According to historians, the perimeter of Nineveh was about fifty-eight miles and had 1,500 towers. The Assyrians were a violent race of people who had taken their wealth by plundering other peoples. Although Nineveh was a great city, the focus of God’s interest was not their greatness as a city, but rather, their great wickedness.
Life-Changing Application
The opening of the book of Jonah conveys an ancient concept that has not changed throughout the centuries, that is, the sinfulness of man, the love of a concerned, holy, and personal God, and a bridge between the two. Every day, we sin against God. We may excuse and re-label our sins, calling them “faults,” “shortcomings,” “mistakes,” “oversights,” or any other socially acceptable name.
But when we face God, then we will see our sin like He does; we will realize just how much of a problem they truly are. Thankfully, God offers an even greater solution. Our sin, no matter how great or small, is repulsive to a holy God. But that same personal, loving God Who cannot excuse sin, still aches to bring us sin-dirtied humans close to Him, and so He still, today, offers His message of love to us through His Word.
Today, we have the privilege of the completed Bible, (with the whole revealed mind of God), for us to bridge the gap between us and God. The words of God that we have today are far more complete than the message God gave to Jonah.
Since God gave us His Word, not only does He expect us to use it, but He also will use it Himself when He deals with us, not only in this present life, but especially when we face Him. The same Bible that God gave to us, He uses both now and in the future. When we face God after this physical life is over, He will open His Word, His Bible, and judge our life, actions, thoughts, and intentions from what He told us in His Word.
Our lives are like an open-book test in school. With an open book text, we are told to use it to get the right answers. If we follow the instructions and search the textbook, we will score well on our test, and even get rewarded after we complete it. When God gave us the test of life, He also gave us the instruction manual, which is His word, the Holy Bible.
Now, it is our responsibility to study His textbook, and to use His answers for the life that He gave us, to help us pass the tests. The Bible will pave the way for us after this life is over. God was serious enough to provide us with His message, the information that He wants us to know in order to score well with Him, both in this life and in the next. Now it is up to us to take the message that is contained in His Word seriously.
The LORD Speaks
Deuteronomy 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Revelation 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me so much, not only to give me life, but to be so concerned about me. You also gave me an instruction manual. Thank You for desiring me to find favor with Thee. Now help me every day to look to Thee, to use Your Word as a guide for my daily life and activities. Help me desire Your Word that never grows old, which You use to teach me, to expose my sinfulness, to encourage me, and to help me grow closer in my relationship with Thee. Let me see Your Word in a fresh light, and appreciate it more, even while I love both You and Your message in a greater way. In Christ’s Name, I ask this. Amen.
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