(352) December 18: Obadiah,
Jonah 1-4 & Revelation 8
Ask God to open
your mind, heart and will to understand, delight in and obey what you read.
To discover:
As you read consider what
we learn about God.
To ponder:
Amos
concluded asserting God’s sovereignty over the nations, and how his people
would eventually possess Edom and the wider world (Amos 9v12). Obadiah and
Jonah now develop this.
Much later than Amos, Obadiah spoke after
the exile of the southern kingdom by Babylon. His vision is against Edom – the
nation descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother. An envoy is pictured calling the
nations to battle in order to humble Edom for its pride in assuming none could
bring it down. Unlike the work of thieves or grape pickers, Obadiah states that
nothing will be left. Esau (Edom) will be totally plundered, being deceived and
overpowered by her allies who eat her bread, ie. benefit from her goods. Her
wise men will be destroyed, warriors terrified, and the nation shamed, all
because of her violence to Jacob (Israel). Not only did Edom stand by and
rejoice when Babylon plundered and destroyed Jerusalem, its people even marched
in too, and cut down and captured Jewish fugitives for Babylon. So on the
nearing day of the LORD (judgement) for all nations, Edom will receive back for
what she did, whilst Mount Zion will be delivered and be holy, and Jacob
(Israel) will possess (repossess) her inheritance. Here Obadiah details how the
land taken by Edom, Philistia, Assyria and Babylon will be taken back. As
Israel never actually conquered Edom, the image of Jacob and Joseph (probably
referring to the south and north) consuming Esau like fire probably refers to
how the faithful will somehow share in the final judgement, which will be
executed by their king – Christ (Rev 2v26-27). The prophecy ends with the
kingdom being the LORD’s, implying that then the people will truly obey him
(1v1-21).
Jonah lived around the same time as
Amos, when Assyria was a key threat to Israel, being the dominant nation or
empire within the world of his day. However, the book’s message is not God
enabling Israel to possess Assyria, but about God’s concern for it. He commands
Jonah to go to its capital, Ninevah, and preach against it because of its
wickedness. In response Jonah ran in the opposite direction to Joppa in
Philistia, from where he set sail, at cost to himself, to a distant place
called Tarshish. Throughout we see God is sovereign over the entire creation, and
this is first seen as he “sends” a storm after Jonah. The impotence of other
gods is seen in the fact that the storm continues despite the desperate praying
of the pagan sailors. Jonah is asleep in denial. Yet God’s control, even of the
lot, signals to the soldiers that Jonah is responsible for the storm.
Ironically, this forces Jonah to actually speak to them of the LORD so that
they recognize he is the creator who is outraged at sin. With a sense of
submission to his fate, Jonah then tells them to throw him overboard so that
the storm would end and the soldiers be saved. The men continue trying to reach
land, not wanting to be punished for taking Jonah’s life. But failing this,
they then pray to God, asking him not to hold them accountable, throw Jonah overboard,
and on seeing the sea calm, greatly fear God, offering him sacrifices and vows.
Jonah here patterns Christ, who slept in a boat in a storm – but who himself
could calm that storm with a word. We also see him acting in a Christ-like way,
sacrificing himself so these pagans could be saved. It all implies that God’s
salvation is for all peoples, which is displayed in the pagans adopting Jewish
worship (1v1-16, see 2v9).
As for Jonah, God, who governs all
creation, sent a “big fish” to swallow him, and in which he remained for three
days and nights – again, patterning Jesus’ experience in the tomb before his
resurrection (Matt 12v40). Jonah’s prayer is one of thanksgiving not salvation
– recognizing that his being swallowed was God’s answer to his calling on him
when drowning in the sea. It echoes much from the psalms. He recounts how God
hurled him into the sea, and how as he sank down, he recognized he had been
banished from God’s sight, but determined to pray towards God’s temple – the
place of God’s presence, where Solomon had asked God to hear prayers of
repentance (1 Kgs 8v22-53). Jonah’s prayer concludes stressing the lesson of
chapter 1 – that those who cling to idols forfeit the grace that could be
theirs. And like the sailors, he too commits to make a sacrifice with thanks
for his deliverance and to fulfilling vows. His key point is simple: Salvation
is from the LORD (1v17-2v9).
Yet again, God’s governance of all
creation is seen as he commands the fish, and it vomits Jonah onto land. God’s
word comes again, and this time Jonah obeys in going to Ninevah. Its size and
importance are stressed, signalling that it shouldn’t just be dismissed. And
the people there put Jonah – and the stubbornness of Israel in their sin – to
shame. Jonah proclaims 40 days until the city will be overturned in judgement,
and the people believe God, and fast in repentance. Even the king was prepared
to get off his throne (symbolising submission to God) and discard his royal
robes to grieve. Moreover, he commanded not just people but animals in the city
to fast, mourn, call urgently on God for mercy and give up their sin, all on
the possibility that God might relent and have compassion, turning from his
anger (2v19-3v9). Often the sincere repentance of the new Christian only
highlights the lack of true repentance in those who have considered themselves
Christians for a while. Indeed, it would have shocked the Israelite to see God
do just as Ninevah hoped (3v10), proving what Jonah stated in his prayer: Those
who turn from idols, whatever nation they are from, will receive grace (2v8 and
1v13-16). This would be an apt lesson for Israel at the time, who were immersed
in idolatry themselves.
What we then see, is that Jonah knew
God might do this all along, recognizing that because God’s very nature is to
be compassionate (4v2 with Ex 34v6), he will show mercy to all who repent, even
if they are not those he initially made a covenant with. This was why Jonah
hadn’t wanted to preach to Ninevah. No doubt reflecting the wider racism of
Israel, he wanted Israel’s enemy to receive judgement not grace, and so was now
so furious that he would petulantly wish himself dead. God’s response was that
Jonah had no right to be angry, not least because he himself deserved only
judgement for his actions, but had received grace instead. However, in
frustration Jonah went and sat east of the city to see if God would yet destroy
it. This time, what God sent, was a vine to grow and give Jonah shade – making
him happy. However, he then provided a worm to chew it so it withered. Growing
faint in the sun, Jonah again displayed his petulant nature, declaring it would
be better for him to die than live. In asking if Jonah had a right to be angry
about the vine, God highlights that Jonah had not tended it or made it grow,
and so had no right to be angry at all. His point is that, similarly, it was
him as God who caused Ninevah to grow, and as God he can therefore do with
Ninevah as he sees fit. Moreover, the city is far more important than a vine,
with 120,000 people who were ignorant as to God’s will, and many cattle too –
stressing God’s concern for his whole creation (4v1-11). The book is helpful
reminder after reading so much of judgement in previous books, that God is
concerned for all humanity, desiring that they repent and are saved. It is also
a sharp rebuke to our reluctance in evangelism, resentment of those God may
choose to save, or skewed priorities that are more concerned for our comfort.
Those who have freely received grace should be ready to freely give of it to
others.
Praying
it home:
Praise God for his
compassion that readily shows mercy to all who repent. Pray that you would
share his concern for the world, being more active in your personal evangelism.
Thinking
further:
To read the NIV Study Bible introduction to Obadiah, click
here.
To read the NIV Study Bible introduction to Jonah, click
here.
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