Thursday, November 10, 2005

Jonah 1: 13-15
Back on the subject of those pagan sailors (I'm not obsessed!). Even after discovering that Jonah was a Hebrew [sworn enemies of the gentiles], they still did all they could to avoid throwing him overboard, they 'did their best to row back to shore' (v13).
THEN they prayed to the real God - that they would not be held accountable for the death of an 'innocent man' (v14). They were terrified at the fact of executing this man without a fair trial, especially if word got to Jonahs relatives - who would may have felt bound by honour to seek revenge on the sailors. (2 Sam. 14:7)
On top of all this there was the worry of God's judgement upon them for the murder of Jonah. The shedding of 'innocent blood' was a terribly serious crime.
In contrast, Jonah seemed untroubled by his own sin, and had risked the lives of everyone on board that ship for the sake of his own stubborness.
How Jonah expected to have his life spared by these sailors, when he had turned his back on the people of Nineveh AND God, is beyond me.
He simply could not see past his own problems.
Once again, it sounds kinda familar.
Love you !
x

1 comment:

Simone's adventures said...

Hey Ste, first of all thanks for your encouraging words on my blog - I so need that at the moment. Hey, I like Jonah, because he was kind of useless but God just used him anyway. He was stuborn and argued a lot with God, I can see myself so often in Jonah. And I would love to run away at the moment, like Jonah did. Love ya