Overview:
The word of God came to Jonah, but Jonah turned away. God said to go east; Jonah went west. God said to speak; Jonah stayed silent .Did this rebel prophet thwart God’s plan? What happens when people today learn of God’s plan for their lives but choose to sidestep it? From Jonah 1:1–12, Chuck Swindoll teaches us about the God who pursues. Learn how the grace of God shines through even in the rebellious turn of a racist prophet.
Message Summary:
In “Resistance of a Racist Rebel,” Chuck Swindoll digs beneath the surface of Jonah’s flight to reveal the toxic prejudice that fueled his disobedience. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, a nation notorious for its extreme cruelty toward Israel. Jonah didn’t just fear for his life; he hated the people God called him to save. Swindoll maps out the “geography of rebellion,” showing how every step away from God’s will is a step “down”—into Joppa, into the ship, and ultimately into the depths of the sea. This message serves as a sobering warning that while we are free to choose our path, we are never free to choose the consequences or the “fare” of our disobedience.
Message Key Facts:
- The Root of Rebellion: Jonah’s flight to Tarshish was driven by a deep-seated ethnic prejudice (racism) against the Assyrians.
- The “Downward” Path: The text repeatedly uses the Hebrew word for “went down” to describe Jonah’s journey away from God (Joppa, the ship, the hold).
- The Cost of Disobedience: Jonah “paid the fare” to Tarshish, illustrating that running from God always costs more than we expect and takes us further than we intended to go.
- God’s Sovereignty: Even in Jonah’s rebellion, God remains in control, hurling a “great wind” to intercept the runaway prophet.
Message References:
- The Profile of the Enemy
- Understanding the brutality of Nineveh and why Jonah felt justified in his hatred.
- Scripture: Nahum 3:1–7 (Historical context of Nineveh’s violence).
- The Anatomy of a Runaway
- Why we choose Tarshish over Nineveh and the psychological state of a rebel.
- Scripture: Jonah 1:1–3 (The commission and the flight).
- The High Cost of the Ticket
- A look at the “fare” Jonah paid and the reality that disobedience always has a price tag.
- Scripture: Jonah 1:3 (“…and he paid the fare thereof”).
- The Divine Interruption
- God’s “severe mercy” in sending a storm to stop Jonah’s progress.
- Scripture: Jonah 1:4–16 (The storm, the sailors’ fear, and Jonah’s slumber).
