"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope."

Matthew 12:18-21 and Isaiah 42 

"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope."

As I have completed my study of Jonah and have yet identified my next study, this morning I use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which examines how Christ is both the Lion and the Lamb.  

Among His many attributes, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.  He is all of these things at the same time and much more. In Matthew 12, Christ is described as God's Chosen Servant, and during His ministry, He heals those who followed Him.  In the devotion today, John Piper uses two attributes of Christ - how he is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and how He is the spotless slain lamb of God who lays down His life for all of humanity.  These two attributes are used to depict two seemingly opposite ends of a spectrum - on one hand the lion is ferocious and as an apex predator - no other animal is higher than it on the food chain.  On the other hand, you have the lamb who follows the shepherd and is a portrait of meekness - going and doing as the shepherd leads.  Jesus is both and in the text today, we see an emphasis of His servant-hood and meekness, and how He cares for those in His flock.  All of us at various points in our life are in need of the humble and gentle care described here - we are the bruised reed and the smoldering wick.  We also see others who need this same humble and gentle care.  We are created in His image to be His ambassador during our time here, so believers must allow Him to work in us so that others can see His Light in us and be drawn to Him.        

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who reigns, serves, and saves!  Thank You for my salvation and for the blessings You pour out every day for me.  I am not deserving of how You love and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

... “[L]et them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

Jonah 3 

... “[L]et them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” Jonah 3:8-9

I continue my study in Jonah to supplement my church's current sermon series in this book, and today I review Jonah 3 again as I prepare to lead Sunday school this morning on this text. Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God created humanity in His image, to bear His image and to live in fellowship with Him.  Yet, during the Fall (Genesis 3) sin entered the world and each one has sin - no one can deny it - and we are all in need of a Savior (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8, Romans 6:23). God calls the church to go into the world to preach the Good News of Jesus for people to repent and believe in Him - God's call to Jonah reflected this mission. Key to the Good News is that other than acknowledging your sin, repenting from it, and believing in Him, there is nothing You need to do - God alone saves and then He works in Your heart and life to transform You into more of His image through sanctification.  God displays incredible mercy and these mercies never cease and are new every morning - Lamentations 3:22-23.
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Just as with all other believers, there is nothing Jonah did to be worthy of a second chance to be saved - it is God's grace alone that saves.  People often don't see a need for God - hardness of heart, arrogance, etc - or don't know Him enough to love and follow Him no matter what.  In the text today, God reaches the king of Nineveh (v6), and the king then (vv6-9) repented and urged all of Nineveh to repent and call out to God for mercy - this is a true repentant heart.    
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid claiming you have no sin!  Claim the promise that no matter who are or what you have done, God's grace is available to anyone who confesses sin and surrenders to Christ as his Lord and Savior.  Follow the example of the king of Nineveh who confessed and believed - and was saved.     

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God whose mercies never cease and are new every morning - what incredible grace You offer.  Thank You for my salvation and for the blessings You pour out every day for me.  I am not deserving of how You love and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Jonah 4 

And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” Jonah 4:10-11

I continue my study in Jonah to supplement my church's current sermon series in this book.  In the text today, Jonah is angry about the grace God gives Nineveh and God scolds him. Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: V2: Jonah describes God is "a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster."  God is sovereign over all creation as He appointed a plant to provide Jonah shade - v6; He appointed a worm to attack the plant - v7; and He appointed a scorching east wind - v8.  In v10-11, God scolds Jonah for using His grace, mercy, patience and love according to His plan.  God's designs and plans are perfect and for good - Romans 8:28
• What do we learn from the text about people?: While Jonah accurately describes God in v2, at the same time, he is angry with God about how his grace, mercy, patience, and love are used to relent from punishing Nineveh.  It is not for us to judge how others deserve or not deserve grace, mercy, love, patience, etc. God alone decides how He want to display these attributes - He alone is judge.  We certainly don't deserve mercy or grace - no one does because all sin and are deserving of death (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8, Romans 6:23).  We must understand that God is always at work, that His work is perfect and good, and that He seeks to save as many as He can. When God give us a mission our job is to do the mission, not to question it. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid questioning God's commands or the mission He gives us.  Claim the promise that God is gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love in ALL things!  Follow the example of those who do according to His Word - and not question Him.  Love God and love others - do as He says and see that obedience is not burdensome as we seek to please Him.   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who alone is sovereign and judge over all creation and all matters.  You hold my life in Your hand and You are so full of grace and mercy, withholding the punishment I deserve but giving the salvation I don't deserve.  Thank You for my salvation and for the blessings You pour out every day for me.  I am not deserving of how You love and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Jonah 3 

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. Jonah 3:10

I continue my study in Jonah to supplement my church's current sermon series in this book.  In the text today, God gives Jonah a second chance to complete his mission to preach to Nineveh, and the city does. Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: V1: God gives Jonah (and us) second (and third, etc.) chances - He is a God of grace who forgives.  Yet He does not forget our sin - we may still have consequences but we are not slaves to sin nor do we get what we deserve - which is death (Romans 6:23).  He also does not let us off the hook for the mission He gives us - in v2 God gives Jonah the same mission as He did in 1:2.  V10: God responds to the king and the people of Nineveh and how they repented of their sin and believed and He withheld the punishment they deserved - again death.  God is full of grace!
• What do we learn from the text about people?: V3: This time, Jonah did the mission "according to the word of the LORD."  In v5, God's message through Jonah moves the people of Nineveh to believe.  The word and faith even reached the king - vv6-9.  God's Word is for everyone - we are all the same in terms of our sin and need for a Savior.  While the king speculates that God might work to "turn from his fierce anger [so that the people of Nineveh] may not perish," we should not doubt God's sovereignty.  He is in complete control of all Creation, including earthly authorities He places above us.    
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid rebellion and when He calls you, say yes to the mission He gives you - do it according to His Word.  Claim the promise of grace that is offered by God and repent and believe and see God work in your life to transform Your heart and life.  Follow the example of Jonah to repent and seek Him.  Serve God and His mission and know that He will never leave or forsake you and will equip you for the mission He gives you.  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God whose mercies never cease and are new every morning - what incredible grace You offer.  Thank You for my salvation and for the blessings You pour out every day for me.  I am not deserving of how You love and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

Jonah 1:17-2:10 

When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” Jonah 2:7-9

I continue my study in Jonah to supplement my church's current sermon series in this book.  In the text today, after Jonah is thrown overboard, God "appoints" a fish to swallow Jonah, Jonah prays to God, and God speaks to the fish and the fish spits out Jonah on dry land. Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Consistent with my post yesterday, we must see how God is sovereign over Creation as in 1:17 He "appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah" and how God speaks to the fish in 2:10 and how this causes the fish to vomit Jonah "out upon dry land."  Note how God orchestrates all the details - in this case Jonah is not spit out under water nor into the sea, but "upon dry land."  Clearly God wants Jonah to live and to complete the mission to get Nineveh to repent from its evil and sin.  God wants everyone to repent as He hates sin. God hears our cries and our prayers (2x in 2:2) - we are encouraged to repent and pray.  
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Jonah thought he was going to die, and even after he was swallowed by the fish he still considered himself in peril. Similar to the mariners from my post yesterday who prayed to God, Jonah also prays to God - God calls us to pray, including ceaselessly (see also 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Jonah's prayer is genuine and reflects repentance and how God alone offers grace - so should our prayers!  Jonah makes a vow to sacrifice to Him (2:9).   
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): God does not like it when we flee from Him.  Claim the promise that God always hears and responds to our prayers - He appreciates a repentant heart.  Follow Jonah's example to pray, and pray ceaselessly.  Thank God in all circumstances as He is always at work - we may not understand what He is doing but He is at work in all things for good!

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that is always at work and You always hear my cries and prayers!  Thank You for these blessings and how You save.  I am not deserving of how You love and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

Jonah 1:7-16 

So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. Jonah 1:15-16

I continue my study in Jonah to supplement my church's current sermon series in this book.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: As I posted yesterday,  the mariners threw the cargo overboard and "each cried out to his god," but neither of these actions moved God to relent of his wrath towards Jonah. God wanted Jonah's attention and he got it in the text today...He also got the attention of the captain and his crew as vv15-16 share how once Jonah was thrown overboard, the sea (God) immediately "ceased from its raging[, and]...the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows." The text today does not detail what these vows were but my sense is that they made vows to the Lord to believe and trust Him.  God made the sea rage to not only get the attention of Jonah but also of the captain and his crew.  God wants everyone's full attention!    
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Fear is a great motivator and it often pushes people to desperation.  The ship's captain and crew clearly sought to avoid death, and once they learned how Jonah was a Hebrew but running from God, and then saw how throwing him overboard calmed the sea, they instantly believed (including prayer to God to seek forgiveness for throwing Jonah overboard) in God as King of Kings and sovereign over all including Creation.  Jonah, at the same time, saw God's wrath and recognized that the raging sea was due to his disobedience - nothing anyone could do (including tossing cargo overboard and crying out to their pagan gods).  We often do not discern how our circumstances reflect God's work and in this case God was disciplining Jonah.  God's discipline may also reflect His desire to mold us into more of His image and to prepare us for future ministry.  God wanted to use Jonah to reach the gentiles in Nineveh and for them to repent and Jonah for some reason did not want to perform this mission.  Don't miss what and how God is working in your life - he could be punishing you OR he could just be preparing you for future ministry - discipline as training.       
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid missing how God is using your circumstances where He is using discipline as training.  Claim the promise that nothing is hidden from Him and God is sovereign over all. Follow the example of Jonah and the mariners - Jonah repented from his sin and the mariners prayed to God.  Trust and depend on God for everything in your life as He holds your life in His hands.  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  You are in control of all details and You seek my full attention....and You deserve it!  You saved me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  My sin is great and it continues....daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So the captain came and said to [Jonah], “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

Jonah 1:1-6 

So the captain came and said to [Jonah], “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” Jonah 1:6

I completed my study of Hebrews, and I begin a study in Jonah to supplement my church's current sermon series in this book.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: V1: God speaks and works as He is accessible and available to people through various forms - most prominently through His Word, the Holy Spirit, the church (sermons, Bible studies, etc.).  V2: When God speaks, we are prodded into action - this time Jonah is called to go to Nineveh and urge the people to repent of their sin.  V4: Disobedience to God has consequences - for many, when such rebellion persists it will be eternal damnation.  Here, God causes a great wind and tempest - "so that the ship threatened to break up."   Vv5-6: Jonah is so comfortable with his sin that He goes to sleep, feeling deserving of rest.  We may think we will get away with sin but no sin is hidden from God. God stirs fear into the mariners on Jonah's ship - God is seeking to get Jonah's attention and He works through not just the wind/storm but also through the mariners (captain) stirring Jonah to call out to (his) God. 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: V3: Jonah rebelled against God's authority and command, as he fled to Tarshish - about as far away as one can go from Nineveh at the time (see this map).  The text is silent why Jonah fled but there are many reasons why someone would flee from God - fear of punishment, fear of failure, disagreement with or objection to God's commands, etc.  What we do know is that Nineveh was the capital city of the of Assyrian Empire - a known enemy of Israel. Vv5-6: Anxiety and panic forces a response, often not the right response.  In the text today, the mariners "each cried out to his god," but this did not lead to the outcome God was seeking, which was for Jonah to preach to Nineveh.  The captain sought for Jonah to call upon God (not even knowing who Jonah's God was) - this was the right move for the captain but God sought for Jonah's heart to move....
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid rebellion against God.  Claim the promise that obedience to God is not burdensome (1 John 5:3b) as it is a natural response based on our love and adoration for Him. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who alone forgives and offers eternal life!  I know that when I cry out to You that You not only hear me but respond!  Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of how You love, save, and bless.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.