In The Belly Of A Whale

Whale (Pastel painting by Christine Lee, Feb 2021)

'Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn his fierce anger so that we will not perish.' Jonah 3:8-9

On the 27 Jan 2021, the Internal Security Department disclosed that a 16 year old Singaporean Protestant Christian was arrested for plotting to attack two mosques in Singapore. He was influenced by online antipathy towards Islam. The Singaporean protestant community was in for a rude shock, that in our midst there may be individuals who have such radical views as to plot harm against our fellow Muslim citizens

Timothy Keller in the book The Prodigal Prophet (Ref 1) on the book of Jonah explained that such Christians have shallow identities resulting in some being racists. These professing Christians have a self-righteous image, blinded to their flaws and sins; hostile to those who are different.

Jonah the prophet was like that, he was a nasty and self-righteous person. He could not believe that God would save those he considered to be irredeemable. He had bias and negative views of people who are racially and religiously different from him; a toxic disdain of people with different faiths. So when God ordered him to preach to the people of Nineveh in order that they could repent and turn to God, he was flabbergasted and defiant. He simply refused and sailed away in the opposite direction. 

God punished him. While at sea a raging storm broke. What followed was a seemingly implausible event. Jonah was thrown into the sea during that severe storm and was swallowed by a big fish. In the belly of the whale, Jonah prayed, "In my distress I called to the Lord and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help and you listen to my cry." Jonah 2:1-2. Three days later, that big fish vomited him onto a beach.  

Upclose Whale-Watching@Merimbula, NSW Australia-5 Sep 2008

People who debate whether this is a real story or a fairy tale will miss the real miracle behind the Jonah story, the wonderful grace of God. Despite the incorrigible nature of the Ninevites, Jonah was sent to these people to preach repentance and a return to God. Unexpectedly, they heeded Jonah's warnings, God showed them mercy and the city of Nineveh was saved. Thus, Jonah's shameful behaviour helped demonstrate God's grace for people beyond the Christian community. God saved the city just as He rescued Jonah. 

The Book of Jonah shows how much God desires us to be peacemakers, to build bridges across different communities and faiths. It was very heartening that the day after the troubling news broke, Muslim and Christian leaders met to singularly condemn this terror plot and to reaffirm mutual trust. Thereafter the newspapers carried articles of the necessity to maintain religious harmony and respect for different races and religions.

Are there bigoted people like Jonah around, imprisoned by the narrowness of their self-righteous prejudices? God's grace can turn them around. God's love can build bridges across many communities and help maintain the harmony between the various races.    

There is a old familiar song, Wonderful Grace of Jesus which clearly states what this Grace has done and will do for all of us.

Wonderful Grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it,
Where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free;
O the Wonderful Grace of Jesus reaches me!

Wonderful Grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost;

By it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost.
Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty;
O the Wonderful Grace of Jesus, reaches me!

Wonderful Grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled;
By its transforming power,
Making me God's dear child,
Purchasing peace and Heaven, for all eternity;
And the Wonderful Grace of Jesus, reaches me!

Refrain

Wonderful the matchless Grace of Jesus,
the matchless Grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
the rolling sea;
Wonderful Grace, all sufficient for me, for even me
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame
my sin and shame,
O magnify the precious name of Jesus,
PRAISE HIS NAME!

Lionel

Ref 1: Timothy Keller, The Prodigal Prophet - Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy. Hodder and Stoughton, 2018.

People Hearing Without Listening

"The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land - not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD." Amos 8:11

Amos is also known as the prophet of doom. Living in the 8th Century BC, he was the first to have accurately foretold the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel. He lived in a period of relative peace and extreme wealth for both the Kingdom of Judah and Israel. However, beneath the affluence, the two kingdoms were morally corrupt and spiritually destitute. Amos warned of an impending 'Day of the Lord' when God judgement will descend but the people would not listen. 

In Amos 8:12-13, he wrote "Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. In that day the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst.” He warned of the danger of a famine of the hearing the words of the Lord. This may well be the case also for our times 

It is not that there are no bibles. The Bible has been the a best seller for centuries. Each Christian household usually has more than 2 bibles of differing translations. At times and places where the Bible was banned Christians have been known to smuggle bibles into these countries. This happened for China in the 1960s-80s until we realised that more bibles are being printed in China than in any other country in the world. 

It is not a famine of preaching and preachers either. Today many sermons can be downloaded from the Internet. We can search for sermons or Christian writings by key words. There is such a deluge of material that people tend to ignore or simply gloss over them. 

 

It is not that there are no churches. In Singapore, there are more church attendees today than at anytime in our church history. Unfortunately many flocked to churches attracted by the entertainment mode preaching or by lively praises and not for true worship. It seems we have no time nor patience to listen to God's words being preached if we cannot be entertained. Given the competition for attention in advertisements, entertainment, internet in an info-deluge world, dull preaching is given no time of day

These are circumstances similar to Amos' days. At that time, a pseudo-religiousity was introduced by King Jeroboam. 1 Kings 12:25-31 recorded that Jeroboam set up the trappings of religiosity and false religion in Bethel and Dan. He made idols, ordained priests and set up his own holy calendar but lacked the religious truth. In the same way we look for the trappings of religion today not the truth within. 

Is there something plastic in our spirituality that we listen and yet not hear, hear and yet not listen? Is there a famine in the midst of plenty? We may end up be searching for God’s words but at all the wrong places and we will not find Him. Amos warned that there is going to be an unquenchable thirst which can be dreadful. 

Let us turn to the discourse between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:7-13. This woman saw that significance of the water from that well was attached to popularity of Jacob. But she could not see beyond the mere cult popularity of Jacob to the significance of the water she was drawing for Jesus. 

What did Jesus offer? Jesus taught her that there is a NEW water which He shall provide. This water will be a cure for thirsty people. Jesus, the Living Word of God, provides water that shall make us never thirst again, the drinking of which will well up to eternal life. 

So often, Jesus would preface his preaching with, "He who has ears, let him hear." Jesus the Living Word brought us Wonderful Words of Life, it will do well for us to listen.

 Sing them over again to me,

1. Wonderful words of life;
   Let me more of their beauty see,
   Wonderful words of life.
   Words of life and beauty
   Teach me faith and duty;
   • Refrain:
     Beautiful words, wonderful words,
     Wonderful words of life;
     Beautiful words, wonderful words,
     Wonderful words of life.
2. Christ, the blessed One, gives to all
   Wonderful words of life;
   Sinner, list to the loving call,
   Wonderful words of life.
   All so freely given,
   Wooing us to heaven;
3. Sweetly echo the Gospel call,
   Wonderful words of life;
   Offer pardon and peace to all,
   Wonderful words of life.
   Jesus, only Savior,
   Sanctify forever;
4. 
   

Let's strip away all forms of religiosity, which are false and come back to Jesus the Word of Life. Come back to the Fountain whose water when we drink, shall never make us thirst again?

Lionel

Updated from previous article published June 2006