In 1891, the ship “Star of the East” from Liverpool was whale hunting near the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. Two boats harpooned a whale, and were towed three miles by the whale. During its flight, it capsized one of the boats, and all but two crewmen were rescued. A few hours later, while processing the whale’s carcass on deck, the sailors saw something moving in the stomach. They were shocked to find the unconscious form of 35 year old James Bartley, one of the missing sailors. He was delirious for two weeks, but recovered enough to return to work by the end of the third week. His skin was permanently bleached to a deadly whiteness, but he was otherwise unaffected.
What You Run From You Are Prone To Run Into. Jonah was confronted by the storm God sent, and ended up complying with his calling. Jonah was to deliver the message of repentance to a nation of violent, wicked, lewd and inhumane people. It was God’s responsibility for the outcome. We see here that by not confronting the problems God sets in front of us, we can be consumed by them.
Deep In Mission Means That God’s Justice Is Tempered By God’s Love & Compassion. The Lord showed great patience toward the Ninevites and Jonah. Jonah was moved by justice, but God moved by love and justice.
Deep In Mission Means We Must Be On Guard Against A Passive Aggressive Attitude Towards God. Jonah appeared calm when he preached to the enemy Assyrians, but there was deep resentment to the Lord underneath the surface. We must guard against falling away from God’s calling because we have different expectations.