Jonah's Hell on Earth
This morning as I was reading my daily Bible reading, the Lord drew my attention to Jonah 2:2, so it was my verse for the day. It is a graphic description of the situation in which Jonah found himself after trying to run away from God's command to him. Jonah found himself in the belly of a large fish that God had prepared just for him. As he lay in that huge fish, he cried out to God. However, it is the word he used that is so graphic. He said, "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried." Sheol is one of the Hebrew words used for Hell, or the place of punishment for the unbelievers. Jonah realized that he was receiving God's wrath for his disobedience.
The same thing can happen to people today, as they repeat Jonah's rebellion. They will probably not find themselves in the belly of a big fish, but they will find themselves in a Hell on earth. It is not just a punishment. It is God's admonition to repent and return to Him, so they can receive His blessing instead of His wrath. He is a Loving Father, who punishes His children to eliminate wrong behavior and to get them to listen to His commands. His commands are always for our good, even if we don't understand or we don't agree.
Therefore, if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation in our lives, one possibility is that God has put us there to get our attention. We must not continue to rebel. Fighting against Him is useless. However, there is great joy in surrendering and going His way. He will make sure of that.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jonah 3-4 and Micah 1.
The same thing can happen to people today, as they repeat Jonah's rebellion. They will probably not find themselves in the belly of a big fish, but they will find themselves in a Hell on earth. It is not just a punishment. It is God's admonition to repent and return to Him, so they can receive His blessing instead of His wrath. He is a Loving Father, who punishes His children to eliminate wrong behavior and to get them to listen to His commands. His commands are always for our good, even if we don't understand or we don't agree.
Therefore, if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation in our lives, one possibility is that God has put us there to get our attention. We must not continue to rebel. Fighting against Him is useless. However, there is great joy in surrendering and going His way. He will make sure of that.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jonah 3-4 and Micah 1.