THE MAN JONAH - DIDACTICS

For those who hitherto hadn’t had the opportunity of reading or hearing about Jonah, I present an avenue for you to do so. The Bible only described Jonah as the son of Amittai, with no other details. I will journey with you through all four chapters of the book, and share some insightful truths God taught me as I was doing a character study of this young man.

Chapter 1: The Runaway

The Lord wanted someone He could use as a conduit for His message for the people of Nineveh, and the lot fell on Jonah. He heard the message from the Lord, but decided to disobey. He set out alright, but in the opposite direction sojourning to Tarshish. The reason for his “rebellion” was this; “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.  Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” (Jonah 4:2-3).

He knew that the Lord was a Supreme Being who showed mercy to the wicked, granted that they turned from their evil ways. So he refused to go there. Interestingly, he thought he was running away from God, perhaps conveniently forgetting that He is Omnipresent!

The Lord, noticing Jonah’s rebellion, sent a very powerful storm against the ship he (Jonah) was aboard. Out of confusion and frustration, if you will, the crew began to throw luggage hoping it will calm things down. Realising that the solution didn’t lie in that, each of them consulted his god hoping for an answer. Jonah, who by then was dozing off obviously oblivious of the situation at hand, was woken up by one of the crew members to also consult his God. Jonah perceived that he was the cause of what was happening. Indeed, even the ‘lesser gods’ even identified him as being the guilty party. Hmmm……. The sailors initially refused to throw him overboard as he requested to ‘appease’ God and even tried to find alternative ways to get the ship to the shore safely (see Jonah 1:13). Could they have been obeying 1 Chronicles 6:22; “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”???. Now the sailors weren’t believers but still called on God to forgive them for what they prior to them throwing Jonah into the raging storm, at least v.14 seems to suggest so. Even in our moments of disobedience to God, He still finds a way to glorify Himself. A whale had already been prepared by God to provide shelter for Jonah for 3 days and 3 nights until he came back to his senses.

When the Lord decides to use you for a mission, there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it other than simply heeding to His call. Any sign of disobedience might perhaps attract dire consequences greater than that of Jonah.

Chapter 2: His Prayer To God

Jonah through his prayer to God from the belly of the whale seemed to have known God for some time, and then drifted away from His presence. He realized his mistake and in chapter 2:4, he decides to “look once more” to God, the author and finisher of his faith.

Verse 6 makes the strong point that even when Jonah went through the “gates of no return”, the Lord came for him from the “jaws of death”. What is it the ‘magnitude’ of your sin that you think it is ‘impossible’ for God to forgive you? For someone to be described in the Bible as ‘gone through the gates of no return’, means that he must have done something that was so grievous to God to merit his entry into that gates. And Jonah represents that man! All he did was to admit his sins, confess them before the merciful God, and obtain forgiveness. If God could forgive such a man, why can’t He do same for you and me? I ask this audacious rhetorical question because the last time I checked Hebrews 13:8, He said “He is the same yesterday, today and forever”.    

The Lord indeed heard Jonah’s prayer and came through for him. When God comes through for you, even the “impossible” becomes possible! How can a whale swim into shallow waters and not be stranded? I ask this question because scientists have made the bold assertion that it is almost impossible for a whale to swim ashore and return into deep waters. Yet, God caused the whale to ‘drop’ Jonah off on dry land (v.10).  Isn’t this amazing?

  

Chapter 3: The Journey to Nineveh

Jonah, haven realized his deliverance, heeded to the call of God the second time. He was to deliver the message of God’s impending destruction on the people of Nineveh for their wicked ways. Now listen, the Bible described Nineveh as ‘a great city of God’. It is important to state that the only other city the Bible refers to as the city of God is Zion/ Jerusalem (Isaiah 60:14). He dwells there! I wouldn’t be far from the truth to infer that God also dwelled in Nineveh, would I?

Jonah delivered God’s message. The people of Nineveh readily accepted the accusations of engaging in dastard acts that didn’t bring glory to His name and declared a fast to ask for God’s mercy upon their lives and their city.  

Indeed, God heard their prayers and answered them accordingly – He showed them mercy! This makes the point that God’s main idea is not to destroy. Nay! It is to save. He is filled with such unfathomable compassion that even when He had a justified basis to destroy His great city, He showed them clemency. All He requires of us is our genuine repentance and subsequent plea for mercy, and BAM!, it is ours for the taking.

Chapter 4: Jonah’s Anger At God’s Mercy

Even Jonah acknowledges God’s mercy and compassion (see v. 2), but hadn’t realized that His original intent is to save, it seems to me. I make this point because he after chastising God for His leniency and subsequent request that he be slain by God, he goes to sit at the outskirts of Nineveh waiting to see what God was going to do – either annihilate Nineveh or kill him.

In his wait, he builds himself a shade to shield him off the heat from the scorching sun. It was not ‘big’ enough to shield him so the ever-merciful God caused a tree to sprout out from the ground to provide Jonah with the needed shade. It eased his discomfort that he was so grateful for it. However, by the following morning, God had caused a worm to destroy the plant that it withered and died. Interestingly, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. When God wants to prove a point to you, I believe He will go great lengths to do it. Jonah declared “Death is certainly better than living like this!” and vents his anger at God for destroying a plant He made. Hahaha….God’s humourous side! Hmm….. He then makes the didactic clear to Jonah; if He is justified to show mercy to people and animals He created, how much more humans He created in His own image and likeness who were once in spiritual darkness and have now now realized their mistakes? Hebrews 13:5 says “ He will never leave us nor forsake us”, and Psalm 138:8b adds “….for He made us”!

 

JUSTIFY YOUR INCLUSION........

JUSTIFY YOUR INCLUSION

In the early part of my junior high school days, I played for an Under-12 colts football team called Golden Boys F/C [no raising of eyebrows as I’m quite talented] lol. On my first day, I trained with a young boy who would have easily passed for an Under-8 team player. Initially, I thought we actually had a lower division team, but nay!, we didn’t. “How can I play with this ‘skinny’ little boy”, I kept on muttering under my breadth on numerous occasions. The pace of these mutterings was increased a notch when he was selected ahead of me in a warm-up game in training. Truthfully, I nearly stormed out of the Tesano R/C Cluster of Schools pitch we’d adopted as our training grounds.

These unfounded qualms were short-lived as Richard Babalanga proved beyond reasonable doubt the reason for my warming the bench that day. WHAT??? What a joy it was to watch the ‘Rothmans-esque’ lad engaged in a 'passionate romantic session' with the football. His style of play, as I recall was synonymous to what is being exhibited by Andres Iniesta today; as if he owned the ball and the very pitch we were training. An absolute talent to behold, he was.

A Gomoa-Fetteh based team; Feyenord F/C had a lond-standing arrangement with the club to ‘supply’ it with very young but talented footballers. Under this arrangement, players were invited to partake in a training session dubbed ‘Justify Your Inclusion’, which is akin to the pre-selection exercise at the annual MTN Soccer Academy aired on our TV screens, at the bigger club’s station at Fetteh. Players who were able to justify themselves were camped and educated at the club until such  a time when they were sent to Feyenoord F/C in Holland.

Excitement mixed rather energetically with tension filled each one of us when the news was broken to us about 2 weeks before the exercise. Feverish preparations were made by all, including the purchase of new cleats for the fortunate lads. Richard trained and played with very worn-out trainers [not cleats!]. He was the son of a poor charcoal seller, who could not even afford to send the boy to school. Bro Karim, as our coach was known, decided to buy a pair of brand new cleats for our winger, much to the jealousy of almost all the other players.

Babalanga played football with some form of nauseating pride which usually resulted in very vicious tackles from opponents, but our key player graciously refused to be hurt by any of them whether in training or league matches. Time and again, Karim had warned him to shun his ‘teasing’ footballing skills, but to the latter, Karim seemed like the mentally retarded man who walks about exposing his genitalia around the Ring Road overhead bridge much to the amusement of little kids, it seemed to us.

A Dutch Feyenoord official stood up and clapped for a defender whose pulled a 'Carles Puyol-esque' tackle that prevented what would have been a very good assist from Richard leading to a goal on the D-day.The tackle on first sight looked ‘clean’ and very necessary. It was not after a few minutes after that seemingly good tackle that the signs started manifesting. Richard could not run or walk like he used to. He turned out to have ‘tore a ligament’ in the thigh or ‘pulled his hamstring’ [I don’t recall the exact term used by the grey – haired chief Physiotherapist from Feyenoord Academy]. Indeed, few or no eyebrows were raised by Karim and his management team. As sad as it looked, Richard Babananga was not selected as part of the top 3 players at the trials as he only spent about 10 minutes on the pitch. He couldn’t justify why he should be included in the trio who eventually were drafted into the academy, and neither could I, lol! [This is where I rather reluctantly confess that inasmuch as I was talented, there were ‘more gifted’ players than I was at the time].

The nostalgia that accompanies my recount of how Richard had to learn to heed the advice of his handlers the hard and painful way is only to set the tone for my main theme which is in relation to our Christian walk with God. We are all witnesses to the happenings in the world which are strong harbingers of the imminent loud trumpet – sounding episode on the last day when Jesus will return to the earth to take those who are His into the New Jerusalem, entering through the Pearly Gates and walking on the ‘famous’ Streets of Gold. I subscribe to the three-fold Salvation theory: Our Spirits haven already been saved by the redemptive work of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary, Our Souls ‘being’ saved, and our body which ‘will be saved’ on the last day when the dead are resurrected.

The present-continuous soul saving exercise is by the quality conduction of our lives as sojourners in this world. Indeed, that is why the Apostle Paul strongly admonishes us in Philippians 2:12 to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling”! He lays that responsibility squarely on our shoulders i.e. it requires our personal conscious efforts. The task is very onerous, I readily admit, but don’t you think that is the reason the Bible tells us in James 1:5 to ask for wisdom to lead our lives from the giving God who gives to anyone who cares to ask liberally and ungrudgingly?

So I ask this question; When the Director yells “cut” and the movie edited, will your name be found rolling upwards on the screen as part of the cast? Would you be found to have JUSTIFIED YOUR INCLUSION in the final selection in the Book of Life? The Lord is indeed our strength!

PS: The last time I saw Richard Babananga, he said to tell you to watch out for him as he plays more ‘technically’ now……. lol

  

  

EMANCIPATE YOURSELF FROM MENTAL SLAVERY

For about two months in the year 2002, I visited the La Pleasure Beach Resort every Sunday afternoon with my uncle and cousins. It was there that I had the opportunity of being taught the difference between swimming in a pool, and swimming in the sea; against tides actually. My cousins and I would change into our swimsuits immediately we got there and plunge into the blue-or-green ocean [I learnt that the colour of the sea depends on the intensity and position of the sun, the kind of ‘quality’ food one eats, the clarity of the eyes inter alia…but I’m not properly placed to give an expert view on that…lol]. We would only come ashore when we were signaled that our time was up!

In one of our numerous trips there, I decided to show some ‘big boy levels’ by sitting with my uncle and his friends. My uncle then beckoned some ‘dread lockers’ with instruments to come and give some reggae renditions. It was there that a life-long relationship with Robert Nesta Marley was birthed! After nodding my head, snapping my fingers and tapping my feet for a while, I felt like springing up from my seat and doing the ‘reggae dance’ amidst the occasional shouting of ‘Jah Rasta far – I’, but I ‘refused’ to behave like a ‘sheep being led to the abattoir’ and keep the dignity I have. Truth be told, there was a very beautiful girl sitting opposite our table and so I didn’t want to make a fool of myself.

This new-found love with Bob Marley aroused some deep passion in me to listen to get his records and soak them in. However, it was a particular song that caught my complete attention, and me thinking real hard up till now; Redemption Song! A particular phrase seemed to jump out of the song every time I heard it received airtime; Emancipate Yourself From Mental Slavery!

As humans, and more importantly as Christians, one of the greatest battles we’ll get to fight is that of the mind! The devil will always try to pump fear into the mind, and the ability to drive those ‘filthy’ thoughts out depends on the kind of stuff one is made of. Oh! It’s a serious battle! He’ll feed your mind with fear of the sickness, fear of losing out on that juicy contract you’ve drooled over for the past six months, fear of death, fear of an unsuccessful marriage etc…. In fact, the devil’s fears are innumerable. And when one actually dwells on these fears, without doing the necessary thing a believer ought to do, there’s a 99% chance that he’ll force that fear from eternity into reality.

According to Joel Osteen, Nick was a very hardworking middle-aged man who was admired by his superiors, colleagues as well subordinates. What nobody knew was that Nick had been entertaining lots and lots of fears from the enemy which would sometimes involve sleepless nights. Nick was working in the refrigeration unit of a large machine when management issued a communiqué to all employees that they could close early to catch the Super Bowl which was going to be on air later in the day.

His luck ran out when a colleague a colleague, on his way home locked the door which led to the refrigeration unit. He screamed his lungs out for help but to no avail. The devil then went into motion….”You are going to be frozen to death”…”You are going to be frozen to death”….”You are going to be frozen to death”! Nick also concurred! When the door to the unit was opened the following morning, Nick’s dead body was found inside. Indeed, the coroner’s report confirmed the cause of death as being exposure to a very cold temperature. He had been frozen to death!

Now here’s what’s interesting. When the unit was checked again, it was realized that it was not even plugged in. Indeed, the temperature in the unit was measured as 60°C! This begs the question of the actual cause of Nick’s death! Simple! He thought that he was going to be frozen to death just like the devil so audaciously put in his mind. Remember, one becomes a slave of whatever he chooses to give attention to! To liberate ourselves from this type of slavery, we need to know our identity.          

How can we drive these Machiavellian fears out? The antidote to fear is faith! How do you acquire faith to win this mind battle? Romans 10:17 has the answer: “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” And what is the ‘good news’ being spoken about here? It’s the fact that God sent His Only begotten Son to come into the world to take away and bring to naught the evil schemes of the enemy….To pay the ultimate price so we will be free!

So when next the devil feeds your mind with sickness, Yell to him saying ‘Jesus bore all the sickness of the world on the cross, so I can’t be sick!’ When he says you are going to fail, just say ‘With Christ in my vessel, I’ll smile at the storm’! When he fills your mind with death, simply say ‘I shall not die but live to declare the works of the Lord’! The Bible is a book that tells you who and what you are! To be able to know our identity and purpose, we need to consult it and find out who and what it says we are!

LET US EMANCIPATE OURSELVES FROM THIS MENTAL SLAVERY…NONE BUT OURSELVES CAN FREE OUR MINDS!!!