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The Pulpit

Jonah - in the darkness

Read Chapt. 2

The heathen seamen stood there with the impression of a God of wrath and revenge, who demanded His fallen prophets life. Therefore they also sacrificed and gave promises in great fear (1,16).
This is the way it all seems for those who are standing outside it. He only sees "storm" and "darkness" when it comes to christianity. And that's according to Gods word and will. As it is written, He hides Himself behind many different covers. - "…because over all glorious there is a cover." (Isai. 4,5 Norw.transl.). The Lord, He doesn't reveal Himself for the natural eye, because it can altogether neither see nor acknowledge Him, but for the "eye of the faith," that God Himself gives (Eph. 2,8), when you in the midst of the "storm" and the "rough weather" hear the coaxing voice: "Come to Me, all you who are working hard and carrying a heavy load, and I will give you rest." Mt. 11,28.

Because, after all, what did the Lord want with the storm He sent after Jonah? Was it revenge because of disobedience, and with that the destruction of the prophet? No, He wanted to save both the prophet and the people of Nineveh, the more than 120.000 persons who couldn't tell their right hand from their left, and the many animals (4,11). But the heathens, they only saw wrath!

We often notice the thought about revival, presented like this today; that it is to make"christianity" popular and attractive in the natural mans eye. But what's introduced to you then? The thoughts of the natural man, and a social gospel, that firstly is about how we shall be, and where man (and today even animals!), and not God, is honoured and the one that is in focus.

But, christianity is Christ, He who saves us from the punishment that is coming (1 Thess.1,10).
The situation Jonah now was into, tells something true about revivals. "The Lord ordered a big fish to swallow Jonah." He was "swallowed" by a great darkness, where he experienced his own littleness and helplessness, in a true light. But the fish acted on the Lord's command.

While he found himself in the deepest darkness, everything was still under full control. The Lord knew where he was, and He saw him and heard him. He was, in the whole, in no danger at all, but in far more safer hands than the seamen who sailed on, on a calm dead sea.

It often looks like this, in this world, that it is the heathen who is doing well, while the believer is going to the bottom. But where does the journey end? That's what you must focus on, and Gods promises, that follows you on your "journey."

It was, as already said, no danger, but clearly: there is only one way out, and that was the question, if Gods mercy was sufficient. Everything depended on that now, and that was also clearly pictured out for Jonah now.

Christianity is today often presented as an "offer" among other alternatives. But there were no alternative for the prophet, neither for the people of Nineveh. The alternative was death and after that the judgement (Hebr.9,27), and that can hardly be called an alternative!?

But those of you who read this; what do you believe is the alternative for you, if this message about Gods grace because of the blood of Jesus Christ, passes by your heart, without beeing welcomed in? Do you believe that you can save your soul from death and judgement, by something else? Have you seriously thought about that?

It is a revival to see oneself in Jonah's situation. We too are swallowed by a darkness, the darkness of sin, and it's only one way out, and that's Gods grace.

But in fact, we all, in our natural condition, flourish in the stomach of Leviathan (Satan), and seek our happiness there, because we, in our spiritual blindness, don't understand our own situation, although the world today, showes it's true face more clearly than ever before.

It is written about man, that they were chased out of the garden of Eden (Gen. 3,23).

Dear friend, this world, in its natural condition, is outside the garden of Eden, the blessed one, therefore it is useless trying to build a paradise on earth. The result in eastern Europe, among others, should clearly tell us so, or was it just a wrong ideology?

No, "the forces of Paradise" are not to be found here!" We are in our natural condition separated from them!

Jesus is standing, knocking on mans heart, as if it was Him that was locked out! But it is you who is on the outside. He wants to let you in, and there's only one way; hear Him knocking, and let Him into your heart.

But the Lord has planted a new garden of Eden, where these forces are active again; Golgotha! But what do we see there? We are seeing Gods word confirmed again; "...because over all glorious there is a cover." On Golgotha you see a man hanging, tormented and put to death. One who didn't look like any human being (Isai. 52,14), and called himself a worm and no man (Psalm 22,6). And God does nothing to make it more beautiful! Here is namely, paying for your sins!

"But isn't His open wounds wide doors into heaven?" (Norw.song). Yes, precisely them! It was this Jonah also got yhe hold of, and clinged to, at the same time as he realized himself driven away from the presence of God, and that rightly, because of his sin. "Though...I will certainly again look at your holy temple." (v.5). The Lord had namely spoken a word. About the place where He would put His name, and that the children of Israel should turn to it in times of trouble and need. Also the trouble and need that was caused by their own sin and failure. (Read Solomon's praising in Kings 8). Jonah pointed to this, and in his need he presented this true profession: "The Lord is able to save" (v.10). Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and he spit out Jonah on the shore." Mark this; Then!

Yes, the Lord really is a God who hides Himself. All these glorious truths that are hidden here, but yet revealed in a story about a fish that swallowes a man, keeps him for three days, and three nights, and then spits him out on the shore. In other words,something, that when it comes to nature, is impossible, and therefore it has also caused such enormous offence, among those who are only seeing the external, because of their disbelief. "When it is incomprehensible, it can't be true?" And there it stops for the natural man, who with his greatest matter of course, rejects the word of God for the benefit of his own intelligence and reason.

But for us, who believes, His word is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path (Psalm 119,105). He who sees in his unveiled face (2 Cor.3,18), he sees more than Jonah did, he sees the Lord in the bosom (Norw. heart),of the earth (Mt.12,40), because of our sins.

And then you can ask: "Was it a coincidence that Jonah ran away from the Lord, and ended in the belly of the fish? Was it a coincidence that Paul, who was appointed by the Lord before he was born (Gal. 1,15), first should be a pharisee and a persecutor of the congregation, Gods own people? etc.
It is only one true answer on a question like that; don't try to understand the Lord, but hear and read His word to faith (Rom. 1,17), and you shall not be dissapointed! He will let you understand all that you need to understand.

On this true divine testimony: "The Lord is able to save," you too shall experience to "be spit out on the shore." Or as the Scriptures elsewhere says: turn from darkness to light and from the devils control to God. This no man can achieve by his own power, force or cleverness, but it's Gods work by acknowledgement and revelation. Then Jonah, by Gods word, came back to life! And now it was really true for him: "The Lord is able to save." He had experienced it.

E.K.

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