Arise!

The first meeting is over, and the second has begun. Of course, this will take some time to refine itself into a desirable and fun activity, I hope everyone finds life here. In the first meeting we considered the beginning of Jonah (verses 1-3). Here are the thoughts and considerations:

The word of the Lord came to Jonah. Who is the word? Have we heard Him recently? Now we know that our Lord, the Messiah, came to us when we first believed. And by our faith we now hear by new, healed ears. He beckons every day after that incredible birth. It is amazing that the first word spoken in this direction to Jonah is "Arise", get up, come up, stand up! He says the same thing to us, to our spirit inside, to get up and function.

The wickedness of that great city, Nineveh, has been noticed by the Eternal. But He is sending a messenger, calling out, to bring repentance. Inclining His ear to the hearts of those who worship other gods, practice wickedness of all forms. And to a city outside of the 'people of God'. Wonderful, who can fathom the limitless depths of His wisdom and grace.

Now in the third verse it gets interesting. Jonah rises up alright, to flee from God's presence. Futile vanity indeed! But we can guess (or check some wise men) that Jonah is writing this himself, and obviously knows there is no place to hide. Perhaps as some authors suggest, he is embarrassed about the ministry, his peers would look askance at this trip to the Assyrian capitol.

There is the natural side of man in all of us, from lofty prophet to lowly servant. And it is probable that Jonah is well aged at this manifestation of the word in his ministry. The trip to Nineveh? Yes, at least 600 miles of walking! A month on the road, creaky knees and all. A peaceful few week cruise around the Eastern Mediterranean sounds more to his liking naturally. Is it hard on the natural man to obey the call of the Eternal? Of course! In functioning for the Lord, there is ridicule, pain, exposure of self, denial, sacrifice, loneliness, struggle, and a plethora of other things. But the reward is far greater! We draw closer to our true satisfaction!

Even the simple word can be a struggle. I was getting on the freeway, and saw a rusty 'little boy racer' pull up alongside. I thought to myself, knowing the habits of drivers here, that he would cut me off. My first and natural reaction was to put my foot down. But there was no time really, and he cut me off, so I had to brake immediately. Then he signalled with his hands a gesture. Not of thanks, or the ubiquitous cut off Shaka, but of obscenity. That instant, of disbelief and rising anger, the Lord turned on the flashlight. My own little piece of Jacob was driving my heart, and hence my car. It was a struggle to turn, admit my failing , and lift up the other driver in prayer.

Now, we will be putting in parallel the next section different pictures of the boat, but here let us just consider two things. Jonah left the people of God, fleeing the presence of the Lord. In the practical body life, His presence is always felt, sensed, directing us. The fellow prophets, family, and friends of Jonah all imply His presence. And he separates from that life into himself, into a vessel that sets off away from the people.

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June 12, 2008 -- The second meeting --

Prayer requests for this meeting:
Lift up the widows and orphans in our communities. That we could see them, meet them, and give them life. That the Lord would open a door for us to minister to incomplete families with stability and life.
Ask for clear vision of the Living Word, that our eyes would be open.

Questions:
How long of a response does everyone care for? I intend to keep each meeting on a couple of pages, less than fifteen minutes of your time.
From the last study, it seems there is nothing specific yet about why Jonah goes to Tarshish, open question.

The next part of Jonah: Jonah Sleeps (verses 4-6)
There are at least two major pictures here. Lets call the two obvious metaphors the pastoral picture and the prophetic one, or the self picture and corporate picture. In the pastoral, the ship is a model of our condition individually. What are some of the parallels you see? For the prophetic, Jonah is the spiritual man among dying people. How does this relate to our communities? Prayerful reading, even speaking the verses out loud a few times helps loosen up the faith. Soak in the Spirit!

Thank you to everyone who is enjoying this humble beginning, my gratitude.

Lord, I entreat You to fill each reader with a fresh quenching of Your water inside right now. Let Your life stretch out in our spirit, strengthening us to obedience when You call, as You call. May Your Glory increase today by the work You do in us. I exalt in Your infinite Grace!