How Stubborn AM I? How Stubborn was Jonah?

Inside a Blue Whale Stomach - Orlando Sentinel

Dear Jesus - Take my stubbornness.  Take my pride.  Make me entirely Yours....

The Bible is just so amazing.  Recently at a Bible conference teaching Bible study, the pastor emphasized 3 times the first word of Jonah 2.  It took at least 3 times before we in the class understood what he meant.  Check it out below:

Jonah 1-2 (NKJV)

Jonah’s Disobedience

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

skipping down to verse 17 of the story...

¹⁷ Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

 

2 Then

WHAT?  WHEN?  DON'T MISS THIS PART!

Then...Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.

Then
 

Right.  What we have here is the painful truth about ourselves.  Jonah would rather sit in the belly of the whale for 3 days than turn to God. 

 

Is that crazy or what?  Is that stubborn or what?  Is that ME or what?  Let me spell this out:  Jonah stayed in the stinking belly of that fish for 3 DAYS before he - like it says of the prodigal son - 'came to himself'.  Now there is a picture of a fella so comfortable in his rebellion it is scary.  Did that happen all at once?  Nope - took an entire chapter.
 

Let's back the story up - what about that piece we all know so well?  Chapter 1:11

¹¹ Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous.

¹² And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.”
¹³ Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. ¹⁴ Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” ¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.

Now - what SHOULD Jonah have said in verse 12?  He SHOULD have said - turn this tub around and take me to Nineveh!   But nope - our guy was willing for certain death to take him rather than take this opportunity to practice obedience.  Is that nuts or what?  I'm starting to think the book of Jonah should be renamed The Prodigal Son of the Old Testament.  Or wait a second - maybe, just perhaps - it is my personal book?  Because even after God's mercy is poured out - there's a whole lot of complaining that happens that sounds pretty familiar...  Oh how I love Chapter 2 verse 10 - how awesome is God? 

 

¹⁰ So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Thank You dear Jesus - that You were patient with Jonah.  Thank You that reminds me You will be patient with me though I am warned Your Spirit will not always work with me.  Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit to crowd out my stubbornness, my pride, my delight in going my own way.  Keep this picture of ugliness before me when self threatens to drown out Your still small voice...  Until my self is swallowed up in You...