Daily Encouragement

November 30, 2008 - Running Away From God

Meditation on Jonah 1

Besides procrastinating to do what God wants us to do, sometimes we just run away from God's direction. Though we have the freedom to go to the opposite direction, God would get after us like He did to Jonah.

Jonah was a historical figure. He was a prophet to the Kingdom of Israel during King Jeroboam II (792-753 BC) He didn't want to leave his home to preach to the enemies of his country in the East. Instead he went to a cruise toward Spain, the West. But God stirred up a storm to discipline him and had him swallowed by a great fish.

There should be no problem to have a great fish to swallow him. The miracle was how he could survive for three days and night in the fish stomach! Jesus used this incidence to predict his own death and resurrection. (Matthew 12:39-41)

Jesus is not only the Lord of the resurrection. He is also the Lord of every Christian's life. He loves and cares and disciplines the believers. Let us not run away from His program and plan for us. Otherwise we will be forever feeling that we are in the belly of a fish. We are going places. But we would not enjoy it until we obey God's will.

It is interesting to note that Jonah as a prophet was still willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of others while he was running away from God. So God prepare a fish to teach him. Today all Christians have the responsibility to share God's message to the world. In a sense all of us are little prophets. I hope that none of us is running away from God.

December 1, 2009 - Running To God

Meditation on Jonah 2

We can not imagine in which compartment of the great fish's belly Jonah was confined or how did he avoid being digested? But we can imagine that he was in a dark chamber for three days and nights with water and seed weeds all around him. The only thing he could do was to pray.

He realized that he could not run away from God any more. He needed to run to God fast and in a hurry. We sure can learn a lot from his prayer in chapter two.

In his desperate prayer near the gate of Sheol, he cried with confidence that God would hear him. He admitted that he was disciplined by God. He acknowledges his running away from God and then he looked to come back to God's holy temple. He knew that he trusted in a God who would grant Him mercy.

Twice Jonah mentioned the holy temple. This fact causes us to learn that it is when we promise to come back to His house that we are truly repenting our sins of running away from God.

Jonah made vow to God and committed to give thanks to God, and God caused the fish to vomit him out onto dry land. Indeed God controls all things in earth.

When we run back to God, He accepts us and will take us out of our terrible condition.

December 2, 2008- Walking With God

Meditation on Jonah 3

When Jonah obeyed God to be His messenger, he was blessed with the presence and power of God. We can also imagine his appearance after the acidified effect on his skin in the fish stomach. Indeed the Nineveh citizens really thought that he was sent from God via the fish.

A sign of true repentance of the people was that they not only fasted but also put on sackcloth, from the King to the youngest. When the people repented of their sins, God had compassion on them and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened through Jonah.

God's compassion never fails, Jeremiah said, "They are new every morning". (Jeremiah 3:22) If there is any repentance we need to make to God, let us make it now.

Let us also learn from Jonah's life and Enoch's example to walk with God. (Genesis 5:22) That means that we should do the things that please God. (Hebrews 11:5)

December 3, 2008 - Running Ahead Of God

Meditation on Jonah 4

Jonah walked with God the entire time he was in the city of Nineveh. As soon as he got out of the city, he was running way ahead of God's purpose for His preaching. He built a booth on the East side of the city for the purpose of observing God's punishing upon Nineveh in forty days as he had predicted. Is not this the way some of the so called dedicated Christians would behave? Since they feel that they have been cleansed by the blood of Christ and they are on fire for the LORD, they would criticize, condemn and judge upon others who are not doing everything or behave a certain way that these jealous Christians want everyone to do. Since they had a little success, so they feel so holy that they are above others. They are lack of compassion. They run ahead of God.

Jonah became angry that God did not do what he had preached on. He wanted to die than to live. He did not understand what it means to have compassion.

So God taught him a lesson with a fast growing plant. This plant gave him cover for the burning heat. He was very happy. But soon his joy changed to anger because the plant that gave him shade withered. So he did not want to live again because he felt so bad for the plant.

God said to Jonah that since he felt pity for a plant that was so temporal and that he had nothing to do with its growth, why should not God had pity on the people of Nineveh especially those innocent babies?

We may learn also that God even has compassion on their cattle too. (v. 11) God is an animal lover.

When we walk with God, we should have His compassion. Otherwise we would run ahead of God.

December 4, 2008 - God's Compassion Cannot Be Taken For Granted

Meditation on Nahum 1

About a hundred years after Jonah, Nahum the prophet pronounced judgment against Nineveh. His public ministry occurred from 650 to 620 BC. Nineveh was the capitol of the Assyrian Empire which was the top of the world power then in Middle East. But the religious revival during Jonah's time did not last long. The kings of Assyria and their people were ruthless, especially the famous Ashurbanipal. They invaded the Nation of Judah and destroyed God's people and property mercilessly. They were idol worshippers.

At this time King Josiah was on the throne of the kingdom of Judah. He got rid of the idols and initiated reform in the country. So Nahum prophesied the overthrown of Nineveh but the protection of Judah in chapter one.

Nahum pointed out the justice as well as the love of God: "The LORD is a jealous and avenging God.....The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished." (v. 2-3 NIV) (Those who came against God's people was the enemies of God.) "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him". (v. 7)

God was compassionate toward Nineveh, even the enemies of His people. But He would not tolerate obstinate hearts and those who returned back to evil. We cannot take Him for granted.

December 5, 2008 - Prophecy Fulfilled

Meditation on Nahum 2

This chapter recorded that Nahum predicted the destruction of Nineveh. The Assyrian empire had been a powerful empire for a very long period of time in ancient history. But now God's prophet detailed its evil will end and it would not exist again so that God's people in Judah will be comforted.

The warriors of Nineveh mighty be mighty and were famous for their preparation for war and their great construction of high wall. But they would be soon defeated by the conquerors. Verse 6 said that "The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is dissolved." (NKJV) This was exactly what happened when the Tigris River overflowed to destroy enough of the walls to let the Babylonians through. The city felt in 612 BC. She was plundered. They were treated like the way they treated their enemies before. It was buried and not discovered until 1842 AD. Today it is still a waste land just as Nahum predicted.

The Assyrian Kings were famous for their capture of lions. But Nahum described their fall from glory like the lions who were killed and no more. (v. 11-13)

When we see God's prophecy fulfilled, we are obliged to stand on the promises of God whether they are comfort or judgment.

December 6, 2008 - God's Judgment On Cruelty

Meditation on Nahum 3

The last sentence of this book summarizes the reason God describes His judgment on Nineveh so severely, "Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?" (NIV) The Assyrian empire had not only been salvaging all the nations around her, it had also been extremely cruel toward the nations she conquered. The vivid descriptions in the book of Nahum concerning the devastating condition Nineveh suffered were the same situation the Assyrians inflicted upon others.

The book of Hebrews tells us that God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29) He punished the unrepentant people in Nineveh because they were cruel, bloody and immoral. (v. 1-4)

When we looked at history, we see example of God's dealing of cruel nations. The Qin dynasty (秦朝) in China who built the great Wall was cruel. Probably many thousands of labors were buried beneath the Great Wall when it was built. That dynasty had destroyed vast amount of great treasures of ancient literature of China. And it did not last more than twenty some years after it unified China into one kingdom. Look at the rule of Stalin of Soviet Union. Millions of people were killed under him. His political rule was also twenty some years. How about Nazi Germany under Hitler, the powerful orator, dictator and murderers of million was defeated and committed suicide. Germany was divided for a number of years.

God does deal with the cruel people and revenge for His own saints in His own time.