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Day 100, or April 10. Didn't Jonah have enough to do at home?

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Our thoughts today are rooted in 2 Kings chapter 14 verse 25. He, Jeroboam, was the one who

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restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, in accordance with

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the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah, son of Amittai,

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the prophet from Gath Hepher.

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Now the big picture surrounding this verse. In amongst the many kings who ruled towards

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the end of the divided kingdom period, both north and south, we have the death of Elisha,

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and then the catastrophe of the northern tribes being attacked and scattered by the Assyrians.

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There is also a name, which is mentioned just once, and even then only as the prophet of

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a relatively minor king of Israel called Jeroboam II. The prophet's name is Jonah. He is far

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more famous for his exploits when a call comes from God to go to Nineveh. There is little

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more than fifty years left before the northern kingdom ceases to be, and its ten tribes are

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scattered far and wide, never to be gathered together again. The tribes of Judah remain

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in the south, and it is from this tribe that Jesus Christ will come.

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And now our action step for today. In the days of Jonah, there was much to do at home

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as rumblings from Assyria, the superpower of the day, over to the northeast, threatened

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its very existence. However, a call came from God for Jonah to leave Israel and go to the

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Assyrian capital Nineveh. Jonah may well have felt he was needed more back home, rather

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than in a foreign country, which would eventually invade and conquer his beloved Israel. We

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often act like Jonah ourselves and feel we know better than God when a call comes from

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him. Jonah didn't simply stand still defiantly, he became active, but all in the wrong direction.

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If you find yourself working hard, but deep down know that God has another job for you

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to do, and no matter how busy you make yourself, that call will not go away. Bend the knee

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and respond today.