Have you ever seen a wild horse being tamed? An experienced rider stands on a fence and as others try to still the horse, the man jumps on its back. He holds tightly onto the rope that has been lassoed onto the horse’s neck. For an unpredictable time the horse kicks and bucks wildly. Eventually, it gives up the struggle and becomes docile to the will of its rider. When the horse realizes that the man is not going to “get off his back,” it submits and becomes “friends” with its master.
Yesterday we read about Jonah running away from God. He had been given an assignment he didn’t want to do, and so hopped a boat and headed in the other direction. Today we read the next chapter of the story (Jonah 3:1-10).
“The word of the Lord came a second time: ‘Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message I will tell you.’ So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the Lord’s bidding.”
Do you think God knew that Jonah would say “no” to him the first time? I do. Jonah’s “wildness” was fueled by his own will and his own fears. He couldn’t bear thinking about being a prophet in a hostile city. And while he was on the boat heading toward Tarshish, Jonah realized he could never run away from God. No matter how much he “kicked, bucked, hid, and ran” God would not “get off his back.” At a certain point Jonah gave up the struggle. He jumped into the sea expecting to drown there. God, however, followed him and sent a fish to rescue Jonah. Why didn’t God just let Jonah jump on the fish’s back and ride it quickly home? Why did God want him to spend three days and nights in the belly of the whale? What happened between God and Noah during that makeshift “retreat house?” I believe Jonah, free from all distractions, got to know God in a personal way.
After Jonah had given up the struggle and spent a three day “retreat” with God, he was ready for God to approach him a “second time.” We are amazed at how much Jonah had changed. As soon as God gave him his orders, Jonah complied. He packed his suitcase and went straight to the place he had previously dreaded visiting. God had tamed him, and Jonah came to love God more than himself and his personal safety.
We know the rest of the story. To everyone’s surprise the evil people of Nineveh repented—even the king put on sackcloth and declared a fast. We read that Nineveh was a huge city.
“It took three days to go through it.”
Jonah walked only one day before the grace of repentance took hold of the people. He only had to do “one third” of his work; God took it from there. It wasn’t as hard or frightening a task as Jonah had imagined.
Most of us recognize the “Jonah” inside us. Maybe when God called us the first time we said “no” and ran the opposite direction. Then God, because he so loves us, continued to work with us, until we were ready for him to ask us a second time. We need a “taming period” in which we come to give up the struggle and develop a personal relationship with God. Because we love him even more than we love ourselves, we accept his will.
“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Luke 11:28).
