Day 100, or April 10. Didn't Jonah have enough to do at home?
Our thoughts today are rooted in 2 Kings chapter 14 verse 25. He, Jeroboam, was the one who
restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, in accordance with
the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah, son of Amittai,
the prophet from Gath Hepher.
Now the big picture surrounding this verse. In amongst the many kings who ruled towards
the end of the divided kingdom period, both north and south, we have the death of Elisha,
and then the catastrophe of the northern tribes being attacked and scattered by the Assyrians.
There is also a name, which is mentioned just once, and even then only as the prophet of
a relatively minor king of Israel called Jeroboam II. The prophet's name is Jonah. He is far
more famous for his exploits when a call comes from God to go to Nineveh. There is little
more than fifty years left before the northern kingdom ceases to be, and its ten tribes are
scattered far and wide, never to be gathered together again. The tribes of Judah remain
in the south, and it is from this tribe that Jesus Christ will come.
And now our action step for today. In the days of Jonah, there was much to do at home
as rumblings from Assyria, the superpower of the day, over to the northeast, threatened
its very existence. However, a call came from God for Jonah to leave Israel and go to the
Assyrian capital Nineveh. Jonah may well have felt he was needed more back home, rather
than in a foreign country, which would eventually invade and conquer his beloved Israel. We
often act like Jonah ourselves and feel we know better than God when a call comes from
him. Jonah didn't simply stand still defiantly, he became active, but all in the wrong direction.
If you find yourself working hard, but deep down know that God has another job for you
to do, and no matter how busy you make yourself, that call will not go away. Bend the knee
and respond today.