Why Isn’t It Working?

Forgiveness.

Why is it that even after we ask for forgiveness we still feel so dirty inside? Why is it that we don’t always feel like we’ve been forgiven, even with all of the promises of scripture?
Sometimes it’s hard for us to let go of our disappointment from our own failures, even after we accept God’s forgiveness. Often we use forgiveness as a way to ease our consciences and not as a fresh start for our lives. We treat the forgiveness of God like a get out of jail free card, using it to get out of trouble, but riding the same path straight toward it again and again. It’s a game to us, to our heart, which acts in much the same way as the One Ring in “Lord of the Rings”. It’s never satisfied until it’s back in the hand of it’s master: evil.

I often find myself not feeling truly forgiven because I’ve never truly repented, nor have I even forgiven myself. It’s in times like these that I have to check myself. Am I reading a few verses before bed, or am I really taking time to study the Word of God. Am I praying just at meals or when I verbally and mentally think about God during the day, or am I intentional wearing a spirit of prayer and specifically praying for things at length.

Does my heart seek after God, or am I just going along to get along? When I slip and fall, do I ask God for a consciences clearing forgiveness, or a deep rooted, spirit-altering forgiveness that actually changes who I am? Who am I? A sinner who happens to be a Christian, or a Christian who happens to sin?

Forgiveness. Do I ever really accept it? In order to be forgiven, you have to do three things.

1. Ask: all you have to do is ask for the free gift of God. He wants to forgive you, but will not force forgiveness upon you.
2. Accept: you can’t just ask God to forgive you, then never forgive yourself. If you can’t accept the forgiveness of God for your sins, you cannot be forgiven.
3. Act: true forgiveness is evidenced in our actions. When we accept God’s forgiveness, we realize that what we did was wrong, and we turn from it, promising to try never and do it again. Forgiveness shows up in our everyday lives.

If you truly want forgiveness, you have to be willing to walk away from that sin, that vice, that addiction and toward a brighter, more righteous life. Temptation to do evil comes from within us, and the more we live for ourselves, the more we fall into sin and selfish living. God can and will forgive you from that, but you have to ask Him, accept it, and act it out in your life. Forgiveness changes people. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a change.

As always, thanks for reading.

—the anonymous novelist

The Prophet And The Plant

Finally, (maybe), the conclusion to this saga: “The Prophet And The Plant”. Sounds a little bit like a Disney movie, does it not?

I hope you’ve caught the main theme of the story throughout this series. To this point, it has been all about repentance. Think about it: Jonah disobeys, Jonah repents, Jonah goes to Ninevah, Nineveh repents, God sees their change, God repents of the evil he had intended against them. It’s about repentance from the first, unfortunately, the theme of repentance ends in Nineveh. 

So, Jonah wanders around the city of Nineveh for forty day, stinking like a fish’s stomach and looking like he’s been to hell and back. I imagine the digestive juices of the whale were not the greatest things for Jonah’s skin. He probably looked like a monster walking around the city and proclaiming, “Thus saith the Lord, turn and repent or in 40 days your city shall be destroyed.”

The King of Nineveh hears of Jonah and his message and immediately calls the city to a state of fasting and praying. God sees the hearts of the people, that they are sorry for what they have done and he forgives them. Now, this was not Jonah’s plan for how things would turn out. Even after God gave him a second chance Jonah was still unwilling to give a second chance to Nineveh.  

When all Nineveh repented, Jonah cried out to God with his great, “I told you so.” Jonah says: 

Jonah 4:2-3 

And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

He begins to point his finger at God saying, “I told you. This is exactly what I said would happen when I was in Gath Hepher before I fled to Tarshish. I knew you would forgive them. I knew you would give them a second chance!” Jonah is getting angry with God because he still believed that he was right, that Nineveh should not have been forgiven. So, Go responds with a simple question.

Jonah 4:4 

Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

I believe God likes asking question that He knows we can’t answer. Question that cause us to examine ourselves and realize that we are wrong and He is right.

Now, even though God has forgiven the Ninevites, Jonah still thinks they will be destroyed, so he leaves the city and finds a vantage point from the east side of the Nineveh to watch its destruction. He still had no forgiveness in his heart even after his time in the whale.

Yet, God still has pity on Jonah and causes a plant to grow over Jonah, shielding him from the sun. The scriptures say that Jonah was exceeding glad of the plant. But, in the morning of the next day, God prepared a worm to smite the plant, (to eat it), that the plant would wither and die. And when the sun came up, God sent an vehement east wind and the sun beat down on Jonah so that he fainted, wishing he was dead.

Jonah said, “it is better for me to die than to live.”

Then God asked him again, “doest thou well to be angry for the plant?”

Jonah replied, “I do well to be angry, even into death.” Here we see his pride breaking through, he couldn’t admit he was wrong even in defeat.

Jonah 4:10-11 

Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: and should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Jonah was so self-centered, so engrossed with his will and his form of justice that he couldn’t see the plain truth of mercy and grace. This is the reason why I believe Jonah was only given to prophesies to perform. He was not only an unworthy prophet, (for no one is worthy to speak God’s words), but he was disobedient to the end. He loved his pride too much, and he allowed himself, rather he chose to be blind to the truth.

Jonah’s story is written by the man himself, but in third person, probably long after the fact. The reason I think that he wrote his book much later after the events of Nineveh, is because of how he ended it. God had the last word, there was never a reckoning in the end with Jonah’s pride and hate. He may never have completely given them up. That is why I said the the theme of repentance ended in this part of the story, Jonah’s heart was the final item to be reckoned with. There was not a repentance that occurred in Jonah’s heart; to the end he held on to his innsecurity and his anger.

That is why I find that his story is not only compelling, but it is also very thought provoking for me. It causes me to make and interospective perusal of my life and examine my heart. Do I want to be like Jonah, and wait until it’s too late to make things write, leaving me with only a pen and parchment to detail my failures? Or do I let go of my pride, my hatred, and my selfishness to follow him and simply obey.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

Nineveh

Now that we have our two main character’s Jonah and the whale, we need to introduce the final component in this story: the city of Nineveh.

Jonah was the what, the whale was the how, and Nineveh is the why in this equation of mercy.

To aquatint you with the city of Nineveh, I’m gonna lay down some history for you.

Where Is Nineveh?

Nineveh was an early Mesopotamian city founded by Nimrod in the land of Asshur, or Assyria. It is located on the Tigris River, in between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. Trade alone brought the city great wealth and it greatly prospered under the rule of Sennacherib. 

Why Is It So Important?

For 50 years, the city of Nineveh was the greatest city on earth. In the end, it was subdued and defeated by a collaborative attack by the Persians, Babylonians, Medes, Chaldeans, Scythians, and Chimmerians; all former vassals of the Assyrians. Ninevah was the Capitol of the greatest empire in the world, the Assyrian empire, and is told to be a great city of 3 days journey. Which could mean it was a three days walk from one end to the other, or it likely meant that it would take three days to walk every main street in the city.

So, the city was large, the city was ideally located, but, it was also home to several monarchs who waged war on Israel.

2 Kings 15:29 

In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. 

This seizure of cities happened some time between 745 and 727 BC when Tiglath-pileser III went on his rampage, capturing most of the known world.

2 Kings 16:9 

And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. 

Also the doings of Tiglath-pileser III, wreaking destruction upon the lands of Damascus. This is when Assyria took control of Damascus and the conflict between Israel and Assyria began over that land.

2 Kings 17:6 

In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 

In 725 BC, the year of the death of Tiglath-pileser III his father, Shalmaneser, now the ruler of Assyria besieged and took Samaria. You may ask why is his name not Tiglath-pileser IX if his father was the third? Well, Shalmaneser was not the first born son of Tiglath-pileser III, his older brother died in battle some years earlier.

2 Kings 17:5

Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. 

For three years the siege of Shalmaneser was waged against Samaria. In 722 he took it and divided it’s land and spoils. He died the same year.

2 Kings 18:13 

Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. 

Sennacherib the Great, under his rule Assyria flourished, Nineveh became insurmountable, and he destroyed all the fenced cities of Judah. 46 cities he destroyed of the lands of Judah, exiling over 200,000 Jews. He was a true foe of the Israelites and hated more than all the others.

2 Kings 19:17 

Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,

Assyria ruled with an iron fist and a bloody sword, they were hated of all people’s but of the Israelites most of  all. Truly, the did not deserve mercy. Surely God would not spare these villains their lives. 

You can begin to understand Jonah’s hatred for the people of Nineveh, the seat of power for Israel’s arch-enemies. They deserved to be wiped from the face of the earth. And even when all men, including God’s faithful prophet turned their backs on the Assyrians, God never did. He gave them a second chance, and even gave Jonah a second chance for their sake. 

It’s a picture of all men and our depravity from God. We were lost in our trespasses and sins, enemies of God. Yet He loved us so much, that He saved us anyway. Just like Jonah spent three days in the whale so that he could go and preach to save the Ninevites, Jesus spent three days in a tomb so that He could save you. 

Nineveh did not deserve grace, but it was given to the city. Still, they could not save themselves. 

Romans 10:14 

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Nineveh needed a preacher, Jonah, to proclaim the words of the Lord that the people of the city might believe. God sent Jonah, though unwilling to bow until he had no strength left to stand, Jonah eventually chose to obey. Because of one man’s obedience, however reluctant it was, an entire city was saved.

Jonah 3:10 

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

No matter what you’ve done, God loves you, He always has, and He always will. He will forgive you, even when you don’t deserve it. Grace is so amazing because no matter how hard we try to make sense of it, we cannot. Our response should be that of the King of Nineveh. 

Jonah 3:6 

For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Immediately he recognized his wrong, he laid off his symbols of pride and power and humbled himself before God. The king of the greatest nation on earth, in an indomitable fortress city, the most powerful man alive, abases himself to God and orders his people to do the same. The King of Nineveh shows a willingness to surrender, and a desire to make things right. Not arguing his guilt, not pleaing ignorance of God’s laws, simply acknowledging God for who He is and crying out for mercy. 

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

Jonah

The story about Jonah and the whale is probably one of the most well known stories in the Bible. The story of Christ’s birth and the story of David and Goliath are the only others that really come close. But, Jonah, a book about a prophet who failed, what is the message here? Even good men fall? True, but it’s not the goal of the story. What then? Is the main theme that God forgives us, even when we run from Him? Well, let’s examine the story more deeply.

Who was Jonah? Well, Jonah was a young Hebrew man who lived in a small village in Israel called Gath Hepher, in the lands of the tribe of Zebulun. Jonah was not a very active prophet, and I believe there are good reasons why. He only delivered two prophesies that we know of. The first was that Israel would restor her borders. King Jeroboam 11 accomplished this during his reign, ending nearly a century of conflict between Israel and Assyria in Damascus.

Jonah probably felt that he was a pretty big man. Suddenly, he became famous everywhere he went as the prophet who brings God’s blessings. Out of nowhere, and with a single prophesy, he became a very popular individual.

Around this time, God sent His words through the prophets Amos and Hosea to fortel of the coming judgement upon the enemies of God.  It was then that God called Jonah to go to Nineveh.

Now, all had been going well for Jonah, he was loved by all the people of Israel; comtemporary prophets were proclaiming destruction to the enemies of God’s chosen people, and Jonah was just getting settled into this new life. Then, his perfect little world shattered. 

Nineveh? No, surely not. I am God’s good news prophet, but You want me to give them a message of repentance! You want to forgive them? Have You forgotten Lord that these are the Assyrians? Nineveh is their Capitol city. They are our enemies, Your enemies.

They are ignorant of the truth, they can not even tell apart their right hand from their left. I need you to tell them to repent.

Lord, why me? I can’t bring a message of repentance to these vile people, they murder men for no reason at all, they are idol worships, and child sacrificers. No. I will not! They do not deserve fogiveness.

Tell the people that if they do not repent in 40 days, I will destroy their city. Go, tell them my words.

No! I know what will happen. I will tell them Your words and they will repent and then You will not destroy them. No, I will not preach to them, they do not deserve mercy. I have to leave, I have to get away…

So, Jonah, despite God’s command, went down to Joppa and found a boat sailing to Tarshish. The city of Tarshish was entirely across the Mediterranean Sea from Ninevah, on the other side of the known world. Jonah thought, if there was anywhere he could go to escape from God’s presence, it was there. Jonah smiled to himself as he boarded the boat and went down into it. 

Ever downward he went, until he finally hit the bottom. It was a storm, the likes of which none of the crew had ever seen before, so the captain called his men together to pray to their gods that they might be spared this wrath and live. They found Jonah in the belly of the ship and brought him up on the deck for a sailor’s way of finding out who had brought the storm upon them: they drew lots.

Unsurprisingly, the short straw fell to Jonah. The sailors asked him, who are you, and what have you done to bring this down upon us? Suddenly, he became bold in his faith and proclaimed to them all that he was a Hebrew who served the God of the sea and the land, and that he was fleeing from Him.

It’s easy to become bold about your faith when you know you will die anyway. Jonah realized he was not getting out of this one, he was getting what he deserved for his disobedience. He would die a cruel, cold death in the raging sea. 

Jonah resigned himself to his fate and told the crew that they must throw him overboard, then the waters would calm again. Nevertheless, the men went to the oars and rowed desperately to bring the boat to shore, but it would not obey. 

Just as a side note: when God has commanded something to happen, there is nothing any man can do to stop it. No one can save you from God.

So, Jonah was thrown overboard and the seas calmed instantly. The men fell on their knees in prayer to the God of heaven for saving their lives as Jonah sank down to his death.

So, why is the story so important? Why is it so popular when it’s about failure? The story of Jonah is one the world needs to hear. Be sure your sins will find you out, God sees every hidden thing, and no man can stand in the way of His judgement.

Obedience would have save Jonah a lot of trouble, but the book was written by a man who knew he had done wrong. He was aware of his failures in the end. I encourage you to read the account of Jonah and learn from his example.

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist

A Week Is 7 Days

That’s a profound title, don’t you think? A week seems so short, but how short is life: a vapor, fleeting, temporal. 

There is an event that takes place every year on this weekend in August in Gatlinburg, TN. Many of the top teir Southern Gospel artists from around the U.S. gather together for this wonderful time of singing and exalting the Lord. This year, even as I stand in the midst of the Gatlinburg Gathering, as it is called, this event has touched me deeper than any year previous.

It all started on night 2 of The Gathering, when I truly felt God’s presence deep within my heart. Not that the first night did not contain the essence of worship and the presence of God himself, but I was unable to attend very much of the first. It was not until the second night that my family sang.

Singing is the surest way to kindle my fire of faith and light the embers of passion within my soul. On the second night, a preacher by the name of Johnny Hunt spoke on the love of God. This message inspired me to write a post about an underlying theme that he never actually addressed, but I saw it clearly as he moved through his message. So, here is what I heard.

Propitiation: to atone. The absorption of the wrath of God.

When Christ died upon the cross, he absorbed the wrath of God against men. It is said that without grace, when man sinned he would immediately be consumed by the living fire of the wrath of God.

Without atonement, the sacrificing of innocent blood for the guilty, we would be destroyed by heavenly fire. Just like the first sin of Adam and Eve required a sacrifice of blood that God would pass over them and not strike them down because of their dissobedience, we needed a sacrifice to be made for us.

From the first sin, to the levitical laws of sacrifice which appeased the righteous wrath of God, through the Old Testament we see sacrifice of the innocent to atone for the sins of man that God’s wrath would pass over him. Even in the Hebrew captivity in Goshen to the Egyptians when God brought the plaque of death to the land, the blood of a lamb on the door posts of homes appeased God’s wrath against the Hebrews and he passed over them.

All of these events led to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, the Word incarnate giving His life as the penance for our sin. On the cross, Christ absorbed the wrath of God and marked the hearts of men in inocent blood, that God would pass over them and not slay them.

I had never fully realized the nessecity of sacrifice until this message; it occurred to me that our sin is constantly angering a holy God. The only thing preventing us from being destroyed from the face of the earth is the blood of Jesus that covers us, and every sin we commit is now plunged into that blood and gone forever.

I later shared a meal with two of the event’s band members and friends of mine Stone Carter and Matthew Gooch. The time of fellowship we can have, in the midst of this praise is not a distraction. God strengthens the hearts and spirits of His children when they commune together.

It’s interesting that God orchestrates even our seemingly meaningless conversations with brothers and sisters in Christ to a common purpose when we focus on Him. This event has been drowned in prayer and worship; it’s focal point has been God from start to finish. When God’s children look to Him, He proves His power, He Reveals His Righteousness, and He Gives His Grace freely.

This is my life. This is what I live for. Praise is perfected in humble hearts and surrendered souls. 

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist