“And he said unto them, I am a
Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the
dry land.” Jon 1:9
The rebellious prophet Jonah thought to flee from obeying God’s command
to him to go to Nineveh and boarded a ship headed as far away as possible: to
Tarshish, in Spain.
When God caused a storm to threaten to destroy his ship, everyone in the
ship but Jonah called to their ‘god’ to save them. This of course was to no
avail until it was discovered that Jonah’s God was the cause of the storm.
We notice that, when he was confronted, Jonah
introduced his God as “The God
of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”
Jonah was in essence saying that this God is not some local deity that
is worshipped by a small nation in one corner of Palestine. No, this God is the
God of ALL. Don’t call Him my God, because He is your God as well.
In this 21st century world of scientific breakthrough and
enlightened reasoning, touting one’s persuasion as “agnostic” or “atheist” is
increasingly becoming popular and rejecting the existence of a ‘Creator’ is
seen as a mark of intellectual sophistication.
Today, belief in an intelligent designer to the cosmos (as opposed to
chance evolution) is synonymous to bigotry, archaism and scientific illiteracy.
Indeed, any attempt to push one belief system at the exclusion of another is
considered insular and intolerant. Especially if it is Christianity, which, the
erudite scholars would be glad to tell you, was founded on mythology, superstitions
and outright fabrications.
However, when we go out to evangelize, we’re not trying to push our
idea of ‘God’ down other people’s throats. We’re actually, and literally,
talking to them about their God and about their Creator.
It is somewhat naïve and childish for a man to suppose that skilful and
systematic disproof of the existence of a Creator makes said Creator to vanish
out of existence. We will all stand before our Maker one day... whether we believe
in Him or not.
Jonah clearly understood this power and sovereignty of God over all of nature
and all of humanity and spoke accordingly! The heathen sailors of his ship (and,
subsequently, the idolatrous Ninevites) exhibited some intelligence that the
intellectuals of this generation need to imitate: when confronted with a
message from your Creator, acknowledge it and don’t presume you can wish it
away.
“Again, he limits a certain day,
saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if you will
hear his voice, harden not your hearts”. (Heb 4:7)
“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men”; (2Co 5:11)
AMEN.
More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.
GREG ELKAN
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