Jonah and Speaking the Truth
God spoke to Jonah and told him to go to the “great city of Nineveh” and announce the message which the Lord would give him. God wanted Jonah to preach against the city due to their wickedness. Long story short: he ran away. While on a ship, a great storm came and the ship was about to be destroyed. The crew were crying out to their various gods and started throwing cargo over the side of the ship to lighten the load.
To show us just how “out of it” Jonah was, Scripture relates that when the captain went searching for him, during the storm, he found Jonah fast asleep in the hold of the ship. The captain reproved him and told him to call upon his god. The crew and Jonah cast lots and it was revealed that Jonah was hiding a secret. He finally told them that the storm was his fault because he had disobeyed God and ran away.
He said to the men: “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea and then the sea will calm down for you. For I know that this great storm has come upon you because of me.” (Jonah, 1:12) After some debate, the men decided to hurl Jonah into the sea and once that happened, the sea stopped raging. Now in the sea, Jonah was swallowed up by a giant fish. After expressing heartfelt repentance, the Lord commanded the fish to vomit Jonah upon the dry land.
Jonah was given a second chance to follow the Lord’s command. This time, he set out for the city of Nineveh to announce the message of the Lord. He preached against the city, and in a shocking turn of events, the king of Nineveh “rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” (Jonah 3:6) He proclaimed a fast for all the people and heeded the prophetic word of Jonah.
Jonah, ever the odd choice of prophet, became indignant because the Lord spared Nineveh. He did not want the Lord to forgive the Ninevites. The fourth and final chapter of Jonah contains more of Jonah’s interesting and unfortunate response to God, as well as gourds, worms, and scorching winds. But for today’s brief reflection, I want to focus on what got Jonah into the belly of the fish.
Jonah was told by God to speak the truth to Nineveh. When he did not but instead ran away, then the truth nonetheless made itself manifest. He could not escape his obligation; he just kicked the can down the road, so to speak. Then, when given a second chance, his prophesying had great effect and the truth set the people of Nineveh free, regardless of the disposition of Jonah. The reminder for you and I is to not be like Jonah. We must speak the truth when we are prompted and not count the cost. Certainly, history and personal life experience can attest that a truth that is hidden will become clear in the past and the consequences for not speaking the truth with haste will likely be far greater.