Jonah was a prophet on the run from the Lord. When the command got here to evangelise to Ninevah, he “rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” Within the port metropolis of Joppa, conveniently, he “discovered a ship going to Tarshish” (Jonah 1:3).
You’ll be able to think about how a person in Jonah’s footwear would possibly justify this in his coronary heart: “See? If I’d been purported to go east, there wouldn’t be this ship right here able to take me west. And I’m certain that I’m actually purported to go on the ship, as a result of in any case, there’s a ship right here, and I wish to go on a ship. It’s an open door if there ever was one!”
However an open door isn’t all the time all it’s cracked as much as be. “The gate is broad and the way in which is simple that results in destruction,” mentioned Jesus, “and people who enter by it are many” (Matt. 7:13). After we’re able to run from the Lord, the satan will make sure to ship a automobile. After we’re itching to fulfill sinful wishes, we’re sure to search out ample temptations.
The surest measure of God’s will will not be what’s handy; it’s what’s written. We should always by no means undergo an open door to a spot God’s Phrase tells us clearly to not go.
The reality is, once we wish to run, we gained’t want an excuse. The Lord will converse clearly about some challenge in our lives by way of the Bible, by way of our brothers and sisters in Christ, or by way of His light hand on the conscience. We’ll say, “No. That may’t be proper. It should not imply what it says.” And we’ll run.
The surest measure of God’s will will not be what’s handy; it’s what’s written.
That is, in fact, what Adam and Eve thought they’d do. As quickly as they fouled up, they mentioned, “Let’s go run and conceal within the bushes.” However God didn’t surrender on them. He requested, “The place are you?” (Gen. 3:9). He knew the place they had been. However He wished them to reply.
Jonah, in his try to get as far-off as attainable, was ready to take something to get wherever. But it surely didn’t develop into so easy. And although it might at instances appear straightforward for us to run, the entire thing tends to go haywire. We’ll both discover ourselves someplace we hadn’t counted on, or we’ll quickly see that our trustworthy God is urgent His pursuit. The transportation He later despatched to carry Jonah again on observe didn’t have an opulent inside. We’re higher off obeying the primary time.
This text was tailored from the sermon “The Man Who Stated No” by Alistair Begg.
