Oh Jonah!

The bible is an amazing book. I'm being very careful to say that it's simply amazing, because it isn't simple at all. Jonah is a great example. Plenty of irony, morbid humour, and a very deep lesson that we can learn.

The first time I read Jonah, I thought it was simply about this man called Jonah who ran away from God after being instructed by God to go to Nineveh. Then he was swallowed by this massive fish, and he prayed and the fish spat him out. It seems like he has repented through his prayer to God. But, after the Nineveh-ians were shown mercy by God, he became very angry at God. And his anger did not subside! In my mind, not knowing the significance of this prophetic book, I brushed it aside thinking that I understood the whole of this 'simple' passage that talks about God's mercy.

Recently, I turned back to Jonah, and asked Paul to read Jonah with me because we are done with Colossians. It was such an amazement when I realise that the minor prophetic books are just shorter in length and are by no means less important. Every book in the bible is there for a good reason. Nineveh was involved in a war later on, and even at a later time judged and destroyed.

As much as I would like to mock at Jonah for being such a fool, I have to admit and recognise that I'm as big a fool. There have been times when I think I deserve salvation because of what I have done, looked on other religions with contempt and don't tell people who worship idols about Jesus because they don't deserve it, thought that I know who God is when there is no way I could fully comprehend, and many other instances.

The take home message after studying Jonah is this:
Weijie, God is gracious. You have received salvation not because of what you have done, but because Christ died on the cross and you are raised with Him. Jonah is a classic example of ways in which Christians can stumble in their faith. Pray not like Jonah, recognise your sins like David in Psalm 51, turn to God and repent. Bear in mind, too, that God is in complete control.

The bible has revealed to me a much deeper lesson than a mere superficial story about a man named Jonah, as I have once perceived. To those who read this, I hope it can be an encouragement for you to read the bible and discover God's greatness.