SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/02/2025 9:30 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “PT-1 Intro to Jonah 1:1-6)”
Bible Reading and Meditation Reference: Jonah 1:1-6
Message of the verses: “1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 4 The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.’”
John MacArthur entitles this first chapter in his commentary on Jonah: “An Unwilling Missionary.” I think that is a very good title for this section of the book of Jonah, as Jonah certainly was an unwilling missionary. Now like the introduction to the book which I quoted from MacArthur’s commentary, I will also quote the introduction to this first six verses from MacArthur’s commentary.
“The Old Testament consistently presents Israel as God’s chosen nation. The Lord set His love on the people that descended from Abraham (Deut 7:7), giving them special prominence (7:6), covenant promises (Gen. 15:1-21; Jer. 31:31-34), and a distinct future (Zech. 14:1-21; Rev. 7:4-8; 14:1-5). In light of that dominant focus, one might wonder if God’s compassion and concern extended only to Israel. But that was not the case. Israel was to be a beacon of hope to the nations, so that people from every tribe and tongue might learn the saving truth about Yahweh (cf. Isa. 60:3). In His plan to reach the world, God ascribed a unique role to Israel—so that through them and their Messiah every nation on earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3).” I think it best if I quote Genesis 12:1-3 here: “1Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’” God has certainly fulfilled, and continues to fulfil this unrestricted covenant with Israel, meaning it can never be broken.
“God positioned Israel to be a kingdom of priests to the nations, demonstrating His glory in the world (Ex. 19:5-6). To the end, Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 4:5-6: “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as Yahweh my God commanded me, that you should do this in the land where you are entering to possess it. You shall keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’’ The Old Testament is filled with bold proclamations of God’s glory to the nations. The psalmist declared, ‘Recount His glory among the nations, His wondrous deeds among all the peoples’ (Ps. 96:3; cf. 117:1-2), and God Himself exclaimed, ‘The people whom I formed for Myself will recount My praise’ to the world (Isa. 43:21). Because of God’s concern for all peoples, Yahweh said to the Messiah, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to cause the preserved ones of Israel to return; I will also give You as a light to the nations so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth’ (49:6; cf. 42:6). From the beginning, God designed Israel to be a nation that would display His majesty to every corner of the earth.”
9/2/2025 9:59 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment