Obediah and Jonah are both minor prophets. Jonah is the most readable of all of them. It is a historical narrative of which we are all familiar with his story.
Obediah was God's messenger who announced the doom of the Edomites which are descendants of Esau. The descendants of Esau gloried over the downfall of Judah. Obediah also prophesied that the Jews once again would rule over the land that David had formally controlled.
Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah as God had ordered him to do. Instead, he boarded a ship going to Tarshish. The Lord sent a great wind out to sea and the people aboard thought that they would all die. Jonah admitted what he done and was thrown overboard where he was swallowed by a great fish. After three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, Jonah decided to do as God told him to do. The fish then vomited him upon dry land and he went to Ninevah.
Jonah's story tells us two things: First Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:40,41;
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's
belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights
in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in
judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because
they repented at the preaching of Jonas and behold a greater
Jonas is here.
Secondly: We see through all the minor prophets that when we disobey God's will we will be punished for it; but when we repent and do God's will we will be rewarded for it.
There may be times we are called upon to do something that is displeasing to us but if we do God's bidding good things will happen. My prayer is that my eyes will be opened to what God wants from me and that my heart and mind will be willing to do
whatever He requires of me.
Great thoughts on these two books Ms. Boots!!! I want to be obedient to His calling when He asks me to do what He wants me to do. I think one of my biggest fears though is that I will hear what He wants me to do and not be willing and able to do what He is asking of me. May I be willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary and surrender completely to the Lord!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Aaron and I went to see an exhibit at the art museum in Fort Worth about early Christian art. In the early church, the cross was never used in art. It was too new, to fresh, and still used as an object for execution. I guess it would be like us wearing an electric chair around our neck or something. Instead, scenes of Jonah and the fish were used to portray resurrection and new life. That's where they got the "fish" symbol they used, that we use today! Fun fact for the day...
ReplyDeleteNatalie, thanks for that information. I have never heard that before but it makes a lot of sense. I sure would not want to wear an electric chair around my neck. There are still today people who refuse to wear a cross because it depicts Christ as dying and not as being resurrected. I had always thought the fish symbol was because of Jesus saying He would make them fishers of men. So appreciate this info.
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