Mon.3.16.15...Jonah 1:1-3

How Do You Want to be Remembered? 

What do you want to accomplish for God before you're dead? Do you want to see people come to know and grow in Christ? To multiply manly men? Ben Franklin quipped, “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write something worth the reading or do things worth the writing.” Jonah wrote something worth reading and he did things, good and bad, worth the writing. So let’s learn from this man and his book. Let’s read just the beginning of the book today- read Jonah 1:1-3. There’s so much to discover.

Some doubt that Jonah ever lived. They think the story is a whale of a tale. But the greatest historian who ever lived verified the historical person and preaching of Jonah and his being in a great fish for 3 days. Read Mt.12:40-41.

Remember that a key to exploring and discovering great riches in the word is to ask questions. Imagine if you were going to hire someone, you would want to ask questions of him. You would want to get some of your questions answered by doing a background check. As we begin to study the book of Jonah, let’s do a background check on him and also on the land of Israel and Nineveh, where he was commanded to go. Nineveh, in Northern Iraq, was a great city of the mighty Assyria empire. About 60 years after Jonah’s preaching, it even became their capitol city. Our background check will reveal why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh at all. (The following good article is by Jeremy Myers, was long, so I greatly abbreviated for you. [Who loves ya?]  To read the complete article, go to- http://gracecommentary.com/jonah-historical-background/)

“When studying Scripture, it is critical to gain understanding of the historical background and cultural setting of the book or passage being studied. The most difficult and troubling passages often open their meaning and significance in the most beautiful way when the historical and cultural background of the text is grasped. This is certainly true with the story of Jonah.

Jonah lived and ministered in Israel during the 8th century BC, during the reign of King Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23-29). Second Kings 14:25 says that King Jeroboam II “restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher” (NKJV). According to this passage, Jonah had prophesied that Israel would expand her boundaries, and under the leadership of the king, the prophecy had been fulfilled.

http://www.generationword.com/ot_maps/map_imgs/195_2kg14.jpg

Off to the east, there was another nation which was also expanding in territory, power, and might. This other nation was Assyria. Like Israel, Assyria was growing in power and influence. By the 9^th century BC, Assyria had gained control of the entire Mesopotamian region and was beginning to think about westward expansion toward Israel.

…As both Israel and Assyria grew in power, both knew that continuing conflict was inevitable. Furthermore, the people of Israel knew with certainty that God would not want a nation like Assyria to prosper. Aside from worshiping false gods, Assyria was a wicked and brutal nation. Archaeologists have discovered many Assyrian inscriptions and carved stone slabs from this time period which reveals how the Assyrians treated their enemies. They often flayed the nobles, and draped their skins over piles of corpses. They dismembered enemy soldiers, cutting off their nose and ears and gouging out their eyes while still alive, before finally beheading the soldiers and placing the severed heads on sharpened stakes around the walls of the captured city. Those who were kept alive did not fare much better. Their lower lips were pierced with fish hooks on lines, and they were led back to Nineveh where they were then tortured and killed or sold as slaves.” Jeremy Myers

Those Ninevites were truly wicked and merciless, not deserving of God's mercy. Perhaps Jonah even had relatives who had met such a grizzly fate at the hands of the Ninevites. Now we know why Jonah didn't want to go. Jonah didn't just refuse to go to Nineveh, he sought to go to Tarshish, 2,000 miles in the opposite direction. Check out the good map below. (But that fish looks fishy to me to be such that swallowed Jonah:) 

Jonah sought to flee from the presence of the Lord. We know that's impossible. "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." Ps.139:7-8. (And as we know, Jonah would make his bed in the depths.)

1.-Was there ever a time you were trying to flee from God and his will for you? Perhaps this was in your BC days, when you started to sense God seeking you to follow Him. Briefly share about such if you don't mind.

2.- Copy down on your MP3 card-  "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" Ps.139:7. (This was written by David about 250 years before Jonah.) That verse is a great comfort for those seeking to follow the Lord, but a haunting verse for those seeking to flee from Him.

Let's not be like Jonah, unwilling to tell undeserving sinners the pardoning message of the Lord. Please look for opportunities to at least pass out some Greatest mini-movies cards. They reveal the greatest person and love of all.

Coaches, this is the time we have been waiting for- go out of your way to give encouragement to our new team members every day.

Now there is no G? R? E? A? T? to fill out here. Just go to the upper right corner of this blog page and click on "Resources" and it will open up our GREAT scoreboard spreadsheet. Give yourself 1 point for blogging in the first column G. The rest of the letters, fill out as usual. You'll note that the spreadsheet covers the rest of this month. Nice! And you can see your running total at the far right. Thanks again for your help with this Sam.

Announcements
A big welcome to our 10 new Pros with us! We believe God has GREAT things in store for you! We enjoyed a great meeting together yesterday. A summary of the meeting and helps for blogging went out last night to your email box.

Please take a moment coaches and pros and go to our GREAT scoreboard and click on the bottom left tab "Contacts." There fill in your phone number and email address so we can all the more encourage one another. 

Don't forget to look at yesterday's (Sunday's) post. It includes a fishy story and a mini-movie for skeptics.

Please keep our new Pro, Phil Raymond in prayer with the loss of his dad. Also please lift up Nick Vastarella who was hoping to join us, but just lost his father as well. George, we are praying for you also.