Thought for the Month - December 2014
"A whale of a time?" by Barry Adair
(Jonah and the whale)
I heard the story of "Jonah and the whale" again recently when our former Pastor paid us a visit in 'the Grove'. But on this occasion we were asked to think about the whale (or 'great fish') rather than concentrate on Jonah. We were also encouraged to use our "sanctified imaginations" in this regard, and I would ask the same of you…
So here was this great fish going about its normal routine - perhaps even having a whale of a time, we aren't told. Then, according to the Bible, it was led, by God, to a very particular place at a very particular time. Now the whale could have been too busy to go, or perhaps it could have had something more important to do on that day. But it obeyed the call and went to the appointed place on the appointed time. Then using that obedient whale, God intervened miraculously in the life of Jonah. When thrown into that stormy sea, the exact positioning and timing of the whale was what saved Jonah.
There was one other thing too; the whale had to swallow Jonah. Now as the main food source for the majority of whales is microscopic zooplankton, krill or small fish, you can almost hear the whale thinking… "You want me to eat WHAT!" Even though it must have sounded like a weird request and that it could have been potentially hazardous to the whale, the whale obeyed implicitly.
Three days it had Jonah in its stomach! I'm thinking that for the poor whale it may have been the most uncomfortable 3 days of its life. I mean, just think of the awful indigestion! But did the whale complain? We aren't told but I don't think so. It was prepared to be in that uncomfortable position for the required period of time.
Then the last part of the story, as far as the whale is concerned anyway, is that God then commanded the whale to vomit up Jonah. I don't know about you but I hate being sick, especially the whole process of vomiting. But again, this was something the whale did because God asked it to. There's one intriguing part here too. If you look at Jonah 2:3, Jonah was vomited up onto the dry land. To do that the whale would have had to almost beach itself. A very dangerous manoeuvre indeed! But again it simply obeyed even when faced with danger.
And that is all we are told about the whale (great fish) in the Bible. I like to think that it went on to complete its life the way God intended it. The one thing we do know is that due to the whale's complete obedience, Jonah went on to finally complete his end of God's plan and due to the mass repentance of the people of Nineveh, that great city was spared total destruction. It may have taken a miraculous intervention on God's part but Nineveh was saved. We aren't told how many were saved but the population of Nineveh at that time is estimated to have been over 500,000 souls!
I know I have been a bit flippant in my story telling (even more so than Pastor Ian Wilson) but I am hoping that at least a couple of these thoughts will be swirling around your head:
- God is all sovereign and all powerful
- As God knows everything, we should leave everything to God
- I didn't know that whales could think (scrap this one!)
- Total obedience to God can be difficult, uncomfortable, or even dangerous
- God is not willing that any souls will perish
- God will go out of His way to enact His plan of salvation
Or to summarise this Thought in a sentence.
to God, our greatest ability is our availability
That's it for another month.
I will end with a poem that I heard many years ago and also with a timely reminder from God's word…
Thy will I choose: I give to Thee
All of the life Thou gavest me:
Thy will I choose, no life I ask
Except to do Thy given task (Anon)
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." Rev 3:20
(All Bible quotations are from the NASB)
Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!