A WORD FROM JEFF WELCOME TO LIFE WITH LUCAS!

It might seem that I’m proposing a strange journey – spending an extended time on Jonah, which has just four chapters. But although we are going to scrutinise each verse, we will also roam widely beyond the story. We will look at such issues as obedience, grace, anger, prejudice, repentance, and faith. And as always, we want to have a Jesus-centred approach in our reflections together.

Some try to turn Jonah into a flawed hero of faith. He was anything but. Jonah is an example of how not to behave. In his petulance and selfishness, he represents the worst of all of us. But he is not the primary character in this book – nor is the fish! The star of the story is God Himself – the God of power, provision, patience and kindness. He is the One worthy of our focus. We will visit some of the themes of Jonah repeatedly – simply because they are repeated throughout his story.

So, as we embark on this journey together, may your hearts be stirred and encouraged in your walk with Jesus. And thanks again for joining me!

Don’t forget that there is still time for you to join us for our trip to Israel in November, or consider joining us on the trip we’re planning for March 2024 – check out pages 32-33.

God bless you,

© Son Christian Media (SCM) and Novio

Published 2023 by SCM/Novio – PO Box 3070, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 6WX, UK

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of SCM/Novio.

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GETTING THE MOST OUT OF LIFE WITH LUCAS!

Choose A Time

Find the best time that works for you, ideally the same time, same place every day, when you can concentrate and have the least number of distractions.

Pause And Talk To God

Take a moment to focus on God and ask Him to speak to you as you read and reflect on His word.

READ GOD’S WORD

Read the daily passage from your Bible. Don’t be tempted just to skip this part. It’s important: who knows how the Holy Spirit might speak to you as you read the actual text?

Make Notes

Writing slows you down and helps you focus. Write in your Bible, a notebook, or in the white space in the devotions. Don’t hesitate to underline, write in the margins, or circle words.

ONLINE VIDEO INTRODUCTIONS, AND GOING DEEPER

When you see the video icon, this points you to a brief Video Introduction to the subject. Make the most of the occasional Going Deeper resources when you see this icon. They will help you delve further into the passage.

Give Your Day To God

Thank God for what you’ve learned and ask for help if the day’s notes brought to light anything especially applicable to your life at the moment.

Shock Tactics

As we begin our journey in the book of Jonah with a read through of its four short chapters over the next few days, I’d like you to join me in a brief and potentially life-altering prayer. Let’s ask God to jolt us out of any complacency as we dig deep into this old and familiar story, because it makes for startling reading. The book of Jonah is shocking because in it we encounter a Jew preaching repentance to Gentiles: the only time we find that in the entire Old Testament. It’s also surprising in that it’s loaded with kindness and compassion, even for the hated citizens of Nineveh.

Jonah 1:1-17

Luke 4:31-37 lifewithlucas.co.uk

We’re also treated to a no-holds barred picture of a man who solidly fought with God, and yet became a catalyst for a move of God that shook an entire city. And there’s a final surprise because, despite all this, Jonah is not an ‘and they all lived happily ever after’ story. Like this story, Jesus is also endlessly surprising. His methods, the team He chose, His priorities, authority, and of course His miracles – all of these are a shock, and the comment is often made in the gospels: ‘And they were amazed at Him.’ Sadly, empty religion has tended to tame His image.

Dorothy L Sayers famously lamented, ‘We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certifying Him “meek and mild,” and recommended Him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious ladies.’1 Let’s be ready for some surprises from our amazing Jesus.

To ponder: If it is true that we have ‘very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah’, how have we done that?

Read With Faith

When life turns difficult, we often wonder – why isn’t God doing something? If He’s allpowerful, why doesn’t He use some of that power? Seemingly out of nowhere, we’re hit by a tsunami of circumstances that leave us reeling and bewildered. The sickness strikes, the career collapses, the church splinters, the marriage hits the rocks. Not only do we feel embattled, but faith seems absurd, and God is apparently silent, absent, or worse still, not interested.

READ

Jonah 1:17-2:10

Ephesians 3:20-21

Focus

But the Lord sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah 1:17

And then we drag ourselves back to Scripture and find a God of the impossible who uses a large fish to rescue a fugitive prophet. Sounds ridiculous? It gets worse: we’re told Jonah was parked inside that fish for around 72 hours. All of this is humanly impossible, and we’re tempted to dismiss this as a fable, one much loved by children, but about as practical as the tales of Winnie the Pooh. But let’s look again. The Bible introduces us to the God who created the entire universe with a few spoken words. We love and serve a Jesus who was totally dead, but now is alive: His first followers staked their lives on that ‘impossible’ reality. And the writer of Jonah’s story makes no attempt to capitalise on the sensational element of the fish rescue, but just reports it as a matter of fact.

Storms have battered my faith recently, but I’m choosing to believe that God still does remarkable, impossible things. I pray that you can join me in that hope.

Prayer: Increase my faith in You, Lord, especially in the ongoing ‘impossible’ situations in my life. I affirm by faith: You are mighty. Amen.

Jonah And Politics

Read

Jonah 3:1-4:1

Amos 5:21-27

Focus

But Jonah was very upset. He became angry.

Jonah 4:1

The man was scowling. I had been teaching about God’s heart for the poor and marginalised, and had mentioned the evils of racism. ’The Bible and politics should never be mixed’, he blustered. I braced myself for a boisterous discussion, because the Bible is very political. The word politics comes from the Greek word polis which simply means ‘the city’ – hence our modern word metropolis. Scripture has much to say about what happens in our everyday lives together. In Jonah’s story, we see the sin of arrogant nationalism, mingled with prejudice. And we discover God’s heart for reconciliation – mercy mingled with justice. As Tim Keller says, ‘Insights (from Jonah) can make us bridge builders, peacemakers, and agents of reconciliation in the world. Such people are the need of the hour.’2 In the fiery book of Amos, God speaks plainly: when we worship without concern for the marginalised, our worship sickens His heart. That’s not to say that the pulpit should be party political. The task of leaders is not to endorse a particular candidate, but to speak up about broad principles of life and conduct that will equip God’s people to live (and vote) with informed hearts. As a leader, I confess that this is easier said than done. Some want their leaders to ‘speak out’ about the evils in culture – as long as the speaker agrees with them! But a gospel that ignores the issues of the city (in this case Nineveh) is not the gospel at all.

Prayer: May I be a bridge-builder, a peacemaker, an agent of reconciliation in my world, Father, and so reflect Your heart and passion. Amen.

Some readers will remember the velvetcovered ‘nodding dogs’ that drivers used to put in the back windows of their cars. Turn a corner, and the dog’s head would start nodding. This was an animal that always said ‘Yes’!

Revising God

Read

Jonah 4:1-11

Exodus 32:1-8

Focus

‘You are a God who takes pity on people. You don’t want to destroy them. Lord, take away my life. I’d rather die than live.’

Jonah 4:2-3

Going Deeper

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

Jonah’s story reveals a treacherous trait in our humanity. We want God to be how we want Him to be – the One who always agrees with us, and always says yes to our wants and desires. In short, we want a nodding God. Jonah here was outraged because the Lord was not acting in the way he wanted. God was showing grace to the people of Nineveh: all Jonah wanted was for them to experience judgement. And the irony is that while Jonah had received mercy himself, he exploded with rage and frustration when God showed grace to others.

Some openly reject God – but a more subtle temptation is to try to revise Him. Voltaire pithily observes, ‘God made man in His own image; unfortunately man has returned the favour.’ One of the most extreme examples of this is found in the Exodus story, as the people of Israel sought to create a ‘god’ of their own liking. The theologian, R C Sproul, wrote: ‘The cow gave no law and demanded no obedience. It had no wrath or justice or holiness to be feared. It was deaf, dumb, and impotent. But at least it could not intrude on their fun and call them to judgement. This was a religion designed by humans, practiced by humans, and ultimately useless for humans.’3 God is who He is. No revisions needed.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, rescue me when I am tempted to make You who I want You to be; please make me what You want me to be. Amen.

HISTORY OR FICTION?

READ

Matthew 12:38-45

Luke 1:26-38

FOCUS

Jonah was in the stomach of a huge fish for three days and three nights.

Matthew 12:40

For centuries, scholars have debated whether the book of Jonah is a record of actual history, or an allegory – a piece of fiction designed to make a point? I choose to take the story as an actual historical account, but I need to acknowledge there are some who don’t, and they are still lovers of God and God’s Word. Origen, a second century theologian who some regard as the greatest genius the Early Church ever produced, saw the Jonah account as an allegory, a story specifically designed to shock Jews into repentance. The famous historian Josephus, however, includes the story in his history of the Jewish people, suggesting he understood Jonah to be a significant person in Israel’s story. Later on, the reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin viewed Jonah as a historical person. And most importantly, Jesus spoke of Jonah as a historical character, in the same way that He talked about the Queen of Sheba (Matt. 12:38-41; Luke 11:29-32; Matt. 16:4). But let’s reaffirm that whether there was an actual rescuing fish or not, if God Almighty wanted to send one, and preserve a man in it for 72 hours, then He could. Just as a virgin discovered she was made pregnant by a direct work of the Holy Spirit, so we affirm that nothing is impossible with our God. As I said earlier, the real purpose of the book of Jonah is not to point to a great fish, but to a great God. May our vision of Him and our faith in Him increase.

Prayer: Lord, teach me what I really need to know as I begin this journey into Jonah’s experience. Amen.

The Time Of Jonah

It’s been a tough few years, to say the least. The tragic global pandemic and subsequent economic upheavals have taken their toll on all of us. Some wonder where God is in all of this. But Jonah also lived and served God in a time of continual fear and uncertainty.

Following on from yesterday, there is further evidence that he was a historical figure.

2 Kings tells us that he ministered as a prophet during the time of King Jeroboam (786-746BC), and lived in northern Israel, a country that was constantly under threat from nearby Assyria. The capital city of Assyria was Nineveh, and for a while it was the largest city in the ancient world. It was also a royal city – Assyria’s kings had palaces there. Today the ruins of Nineveh can be found across the Tigris River from the modern-day city of Mosul in Iraq, 250 miles north of Baghdad.

2 Kings 14:25-29

Isaiah 43:1-13

Focus

He had spoken that message through his servant Jonah.

2 Kings 14:25

For Israel, Nineveh was a word that represented unspeakable evil, like Auschwitz or Dachau. I won’t stain this page with descriptions of their methods of torture and execution, but their demonic creativity struck terror into the hearts of their enemies. For decades they’d forced Israel to pay tribute money to them. The people of Israel absolutely hated the Assyrians, and for very good reason.

Times were very difficult, but God was still at work among His people and in His world. And He still is today. In our focus verse today, Jonah is described as God’s servant. May the same be said of us.

Prayer: Lord, when the evils of the world overwhelm me, and You seem distant, help me to trust You, and be faithful. Amen.

Blinded

Yesterday we saw that Jonah served God during a tough time for Israel. But I mentioned earlier that he was not a perfect servant – far from it. Many commentators believe that Jonah was a fiercely nationalistic, even jingoistic lover of Israel. Unlike his contemporaries, Amos and Hosea, there’s no record of Jonah speaking out against the religious compromise and social injustice that developed during Jeroboam’s rule. It seems that he was blinded by his passion for Israel, unwilling to see anything wrong. Assyria’s sins were obvious, but Israel was also guilty of corruption, oppression, and Baal worship. It was the prophet Hosea who boldly exposed the sins of his own nation, declaring on behalf of God, ‘In your hearts you long to act like prostitutes. You do not recognise me as the Lord’ (Hosea 5:4). Jonah’s silence is telling.

Hosea 5:1-15

Matthew 7:1-5

We can fall into a similar trap in our own lives. Jesus exposed this self-deception with His ingenious illustration about the one who is oblivious to the plank of wood in his own eye, but happily focuses on a tiny speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye. Our hearts can be very deceitful. In a day when we Christians don’t talk too much about being convicted of sin, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to give us tender hearts, responsive to His whisper and ready to make amends. And our friends might help us too, if we are brave enough to ask for their insights about us, and humble enough to listen and then to change!

To ponder:Is there something negative in our lives that others have tried to help us with, but we are ignoring their concerns?