The Far Country Will Take You Further Than You Want to Go
Jonah had one job – go preach to Nineveh. However, Jonah did not want to go. Instead, he decided to board a ship and head to Tarshish, thinking that he could escape the presence of the Lord. While on the sea, God hurled a great wind and brought up a great storm so that all the sailors became afraid. They began tossing the cargo into the sea and praying to their gods, but Jonah was asleep. They cast lots to see whose fault it was that they were in the midst of this great storm, and the lot fell to Jonah, who then instructed them to throw him overboard to stop the storm. The Lord then appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and there he stayed for three days and three nights.
Jonah’s trip to the far country (cf. Luke 15:11-32) did not turn out to be as he had hoped, which is typical of sin. Often, we start down the road because we want to see what it’s like; we want to test the waters. However, once we get started on the road of sin, exits and U-turns are hard to find. Soon enough, we find ourselves encompassed and engulfed (Jonah 2:5).
[Editor’s Note: The youthful pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25; 2 Timothy 2:22), if we are not careful, can last a lifetime. The Bible provides every student of it the opportunity to view the outcome of alternate paths through life that lie ahead. Thereby, one can conscientiously and carefully select the narrow pathway that leads through the narrow gate into eternity where God dwells (Matthew 7:13-14). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
