Jonah was an amazingly successful missionary. At the same time, he was also a very reluctant one, at least at first. Whatever Jonah was doing, God’s call interrupted his life in a big way. Instead of taking God’s yoke upon his shoulders and discovering for himself that His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:30), Jonah decided to find his own “rest,” and that was by running in the opposite direction from where God was calling him to go.

Where was Jonah hoping to find peace and rest from God’s call? How well did it work for him? Read Jonah 1:1-1:16.

Image © Kim Justinen from GoodSalt.com

Jonah sets off in the opposite direction to where God called Him. He doesn’t even stop to reason with God, as had many of the other Bible prophets when called to be God’s messengers (see, for example, Exodus 4:13).

Interestingly enough, this is not the first time that Jonah has been called to speak for God, as suggested by 2 Kings 14:25. In that case, however, Jonah appears to have done what the Lord had asked him to. Not this time, however.

Why?

Historical and archaeological records document the cruelty of the Neo-Assyrian overlords who dominated the ancient Near East during the eighth century B.C., the time that Jonah ministered in Israel. About 75 years later, the Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib attacked Judah. Israel and Samaria already had fallen about twenty years earlier, and King Hezekiah apparently had joined a local anti-Assyrian coalition.

Now the time had come for the Assyrians to settle accounts. The Bible (2 Kings 18, Isaiah 36), historical Assyrian documents, and the wall reliefs of Sennacherib’s palace in Nineveh all tell us the cruel story about the fall of Lachish, one of the most important and well-fortified southern border fortresses of Hezekiah. In one inscription, Sennacherib claims to have taken more than two hundred thousand prisoners from 46 fortified cities that he claimed to have destroyed. When the Assyrian king took Lachish, hundreds or thousands of prisoners were impaled; hard-core supporters of King Hezekiah were flayed alive, while the rest were sent to Assyria as cheap slave labor.

The Assyrians could be incredibly cruel, even by the standards of the world at that time. And God was sending Jonah into the very heart of that empire?

Is it any wonder that Jonah didn’t want to go?

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Jonah 1:1-4:11, Jeremiah 25:5, Ezekiel 14:6, Revelation 2:5, Luke 9:51-56, Jude 1-25.

Memory Text: “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left — and much livestock?” (Jonah 4:11).

One of the most interesting stories in Scripture has to be that of Jonah. Here he was, a prophet of God, someone called of God, and yet — what? He runs away from God’s call. Then, after being persuaded in a dramatic way to change his mind and obey the Lord, he does so, but then only to do what? To complain that the people to whom he was called to witness actually repented and are spared the destruction that, otherwise, would have been theirs!

What an example of someone not at rest, not at peace — even to the point where he cries out, “Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” (Jonah 4:3).

Jesus Himself referred to the story of Jonah, saying: “The men of Nineveh will rise in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:41). Greater than Jonah, indeed! If not, He couldn’t be our Savior.

This week, let’s look at Jonah and what we can learn from his restlessness and lack of peace.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 18.

Sunday–>

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Support for the mission activities of the Seventh-day Adventist church has always been part of the Sabbath School program. This video is Mission Spotlight for this week.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9y2hgPCy2I&w=560&h=315]

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Stepping Out in Faith

By Terri Saelee

Someone told Father about Jesus in Iraq. Father fell in love with Jesus and joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Mother, however, decided to remain with her traditional religion.

After some time, life became difficult for the family in Iraq. Father, fearing for the safety of Mother and their two young daughters, moved the family to live as refugees in the United States.

In California, Father and Mother sent their daughters to public school. But Father prayed that the girls would be able to study at an Adventist school. He did not have the money to pay for church school and, even if he did, he did not know any Adventists who could tell him where to find one.

One day, Father visited a food bank that distributed supplies to needy families. While waiting to receive food, Father began talking with a volunteer and discovered that the food bank was organized and run by a Seventh-day Adventist church that happened to own a church school.

Father and Mother had been carefully saving money so that they could return to school and get better jobs to support their family. They decided to use their precious money to pay for their daughters’ tuition.

A short time later, Father arrived at the church school with Mother and their 9-year-old and 11-year-old girls. They sat in the principal’s office, their faces shining, as they waited for information about what to do next.

The principal and church pastor, who sat across from them, glanced at each other, and then at Father, Mother, and the girls. The eagerness on the faces of the parents and the girls tugged at their hearts. But the money that Father and Mother had saved up was not enough.

“We very much want the girls to study here,” the principal said. “But, unfortunately, there is not enough money to cover the tuition.”

The principal paused and glanced at the pastor again. She saw compassion in his eyes and felt encouraged to continue.

“We will enroll the girls in the school,” she said. “Let’s step out in faith.”

The four adults and two girls knelt on the floor and bowed their heads.

“Dear God, we need Your help,” the pastor prayed. “Please provide money for the education of these two precious girls.”

Shortly after the family left, the principal received a phone call. It was from the coordinator of the Adventist Refugee and Immigrant Ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s North American Division. She was calling to announce that she had money to help pay for the tuition of refugee children. The money, she said, came from a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering in 2011.

The principal could hardly believe her ears. Quickly, she called Father to announce that money had been found for his daughters’ tuition.

“I knew God would answer our prayers!” Father exclaimed.

Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help refugees in the North American Division again. May God use your gifts to answer more prayers like Father’s. Imagine meeting someone in heaven who learned more about God and decided to serve Him because you gave.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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Further Thought:

“We are not always willing to come to Jesus with our trials and difficulties. Sometimes we pour our troubles into human ears, and tell our afflictions to those who cannot help us, and neglect to confide all to Jesus, who is able to change the sorrowful way to paths of joy and peace.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

Self-denying, self-sacrificing gives glory and victory to the cross. The promises of God are very precious. We must study his word if we would know his will. The words of inspiration, carefully studied and practically obeyed, will lead our feet in a plain path, where we may walk without stumbling. Oh, that all, ministers and people, would take their burdens and perplexities to Jesus, who is waiting to receive them, and to give them peace and rest! He will never forsake those who put their trust in him.” — Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times, March 17, 1887, p. 161.

“Can you, dear youth, look forward with joyful hope and expectation to the time when the Lord, your righteous Judge, shall confess your name before the Father and before the holy angels? The very best preparation you can have for Christ’s second appearing is to rest with firm faith in the great salvation brought to us at His first coming. You must believe in Christ as a personal Saviour.” — Ellen G. White, Our High Calling, p. 368.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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