Week 42 - Tim White - The Worst Prophet Ever (and Why That Gives Me Hope)

Let’s talk about Jonah today, the prophet who got swallowed by a fish. Here’s the quick version in case you’ve forgotten the story.

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn its very wicked people that destruction was coming unless they repented. Jonah refused. He went the opposite way and boarded a ship for Tarshish. God sent a storm, and when the sailors cast lots to find out who was to blame, it landed on Jonah. He confessed and told them to throw him overboard. The storm stopped, and the pagan sailors began to worship God. A fish swallowed Jonah and headed straight for Nineveh. He spent three days and nights in its belly, repented, and was spit out on the beach outside the city. He preached, and the whole city, king included, repented. Then Jonah got angry that God had spared them. God used a plant, and then a worm, to teach him about compassion.

Here’s what I keep coming back to. Jonah was quite possibly the worst prophet of all time, so why would God choose him? When Jonah ran, God wasn’t caught off guard. Jonah was running from God, but he was never outside God’s sovereignty. God knew he would rebel. He knew Jonah would meet those sailors and that they would end up worshiping Him. He knew about the fish and the three days and nights, which pointed ahead to the Messiah about 800 years before Jesus said He would spend three days and nights in the grave. Even Jonah’s running and his return became a testimony of repentance for the world.

That’s Romans 8:28 for me: God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. No detail is wasted, and no moment is accidental. God is good, He is sovereign, and He is always working.

We don’t know what became of Jonah, but we know he wrote the book that bears his name. He laid out his rebellion and his bad attitude, and none of it was pretty. The book ends abruptly with God rebuking his lack of compassion. Scholars much smarter than me believe that was a turning point, and that Jonah became a compassionate man and not such a bad prophet after all. If God can change Jonah, He can change you. He’s still changing me, and I’m a work in progress.

So here’s my question for you: are you like Jonah? Has God asked you to do something that you’re running from? He isn’t mad at you. He’s full of mercy and grace. Confess it, and He will forgive. At the very least, you won’t end up with a whole book of the Bible written about you.