Brown's Daily Word 9-20-07

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this beautiful day, which the Lord has given us. This is the last day of official summer for us here. It is going to be sunny, warm and brilliant. Praise the Lord for the seasons the Lord gives to us. He is the Lord in every season. He is Immortal and invisible, yet visible through the eyes of faith. He is Eternal yet He is our eternal contemporary. It is a great miracle that He delights in using rebels and prodigals to Honor His name, as He gives them a second chance.
I was reading the Book of Jonah, the reluctant prophet. There is a storm brewing in chapter 2 . . . in Jonah’s heart. The great fish was Jonah’s means of deliverance, and we see here his prayer of thanksgiving for rescue from a watery grave.
Verse 1 tells us where Jonah prayed. We might prefer going to a nice, quiet place to pray; Jonah had a very secluded spot. Now God has Jonah’s undivided attention, and the prophet prays. How could Jonah be so profound and calm? It became apparent that God had other plans for him. He wasn't going to be eaten. When God brings a trial into our lives, He gives us time to contemplate the lessons He is teaching. Jonah had 3 days. We may feel swallowed up by circumstance, but we have the assurance that what God brings to us is always for our good and His glory.
Jonah knew his plight was his fault, yet when he “called to the Lord” (vs 1), God responded. Jonah’s brief psalm is an honest prayer. Often ours are not. We overlook the real issues we should be discussing, or we ignore some sin God wants us to confess, or we ask for things to which He has already clearly denied.
Jonah states that he found himself in the “depths of Sheol”, verse 2. This is an OT Hebrew term referring in a very general sense to the grave. Sheol is the condition of death. Jonah is admitting that he was as good as dead, but God reached out and rescued him!
Jonah next acknowledges the Providence of God, in verse 3: “You hurled me into the deep … all Your waves and breakers swept over me ... & Jonah knew that it wasn’t chance, circumstance, luck, or blind fate that caused his dilemma. Neither does he blame the sailors; they were merely God’s instruments, His means of discipline, and His restoration. Jonah understands that his deliverance had been directed by the Hand of God, Who rules His creation.
God’s intention is to return Jonah back to a right relationship. How do we respond to correction? A father who loves his children doesn’t turn his back when they go astray. God’s discipline is evidence of His love for us. James Montgomery Boice reflects, “It is better to fall into the hands of God, even in correction, than to be apart from Him.”
Jonah recognized that he was alienated from God. Everything seemed lost as he sank beneath the deep. No more would the voice of God come to this prophet…or so he thought. Jonah cried in verse 4, “I have been driven from Your sight.” Who did the driving? The word “sight” could be translated “favor”. The door of life appeared to shut with a terrible finality. Each wave howled into his ear: “Jonah, you deserve this.” In verses 5-6 Jonah describes the horror of his plight. The “roots of the mountains” refers to the mountainous ocean depths.
Though things couldn’t seem worse, Jonah exercised hope in verse 4: “…yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.”
Faith dares to approach God, knowing that we’re sinful people undeserving of mercy. Faith drives us to “look again”. There is life in such a look.
If God had done nothing, Jonah’s fate would have been fitting. Though deep in sin as well as water, Jonah prayed in verse 7: “I remembered You, Lord, and my prayer rose to You.” Jonah prayed; he couldn’t help it. He prayed to One he knew personally, not some impersonal force. We may spiritually sink as deep as Jonah, yet God will not abandon us. Jonah was thrown out of a ship, but not out of the sight and grace of God. We have Christ’s added promise: “I will never cast you out”…you “will never perish” (John 6:37, 10:28).
Verses 8-9 prove that Jonah meant business; this is his vow of praise. It’s one thing to confess our sins; it’s entirely another to do something about them. Both chapters one and two end with sacrifice and vows. Jonah is at last brought to the point the Gentile sailors had already reached. Jonah agrees to obey God’s call.
Jonah speaks of “worthless idols” in verse 8, . “Worthless idols” could be translated, “vain, empty vanities”. People throw away any hope of salvation by creating substitutes for God. We may not think we are idolaters, yet idolatry is any worthless endeavor we take on apart from trust in God. We may be bowing to the idols of ambition, greed, comfort, and pleasure. Then he mentions “the grace that could be theirs”, admitting that the Gentiles were savable. Jonah re-enlisted in God’s service, renewing his commitment to his prophetic office in verse 9 with a song of thanks.
The prophet admitted in verse 9, “Salvation comes from the Lord.” The word “comes” could also be translated “belongs”. This is the theme of the entire Bible and the key verse of this book. Salvation is a gift, and God is not obligated to limit it to those we may think deserve it. Jonah’s attitude in chapter one was, “I’m not going to be a part of God saving the Ninevites.” God has miraculously saved Jonah from drowning, and he is brought to understand that God is sovereign in salvation.
It’s as if God were saying to Jonah: “Salvation is Mine to give--I give it to whomever I choose. I gave it to you. If I choose to save the Ninevites, that’s none of your business.” “Salvation is possible only because God makes it possible”. God chooses to reach out to people who aren’t reaching back. He accepts and entitles the undeserving. “God loves us not because of who we are and what we have done, but because of who He is” (Phillip Yancy).
In verse 10, the fish obediently spews up this indigestible prophet. Many scholars believe that Jonah was brought back to Joppa. “Return to GO”. I think that Jonah’s arrival back at Joppa was likely during “rush hour”, in other words, in full view of everyone…so that, by the time he arrived in Ninevah, news of his miraculous deliverance would have preceded him, adding credibility and considerable weight to his message.
The most terrifying aspect of Jonah’s plight is when he realized that God almost gave him what he wanted--to be free from Him. Jonah wanted to run from God. The implications of separation brought Jonah to repentance. He rejected God, and it looked as though God was about to reject him! Jonah was unwilling to say “Thy will be done.” In the waters of the Mediterranean he realized the awful significance of hearing God say to him: “All right then—your will be done.”
If we try to run from God He may grant our wish for awhile, but we’ll never want it. The belly of a fish wasn’t a pleasant place to live, but it was a good place to learn.
Jonah returned to God, not as someone expecting special privileges, but as a rebel in need of forgiveness. In the depths of the sea he discarded his pride. The highest moment of our life is the moment when we kneel in the dust and turn to God, confessing our sins. May we seek the same mercy that rescued and forgave the prophet Jonah.

In Christ,
Brown

A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.
John Keats

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter.
John Keats



How women have changed
The following is from an actual 1950's Home Economics textbook intended for High School girls, teaching them how to prepare for married life.
1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal - on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

3. Clear away clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too.

4. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

6. Some DON'TS: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

7. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lay down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his need to be home and relax.

10. The Goal: try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.

Now the updated version for the 90's woman
1. Have dinner ready. Make reservations ahead of time. If your day becomes too hectic just leave him a voice mail message regarding where you'd like to eat and at what time. This lets him know that your day has been crappy and gives him an opportunity to change your mood.
2. Prepare yourself. A quick stop at the "LANCOME" counter on your way home will do wonders for your outlook and will keep you from becoming irritated every time he opens his mouth. (Don't forget to use his credit card !)

3. Clear away the clutter. Call the housekeeper and tell her that any miscellaneous items left on the floor by the children can be placed in the Goodwill box in the garage.

4. Prepare the children. Send the children to their rooms to watch television or play Nintendo. After all, both of them are from his previous marriages.

5. Minimize the noise: If you happen to be home when he arrives, be in the bathroom with the door locked.

6. Some DON'TS: Don't greet him with problems and complaints. Let him speak first, and then your complaints will get more attention and remain fresh in his mind throughout dinner. Don't complain if he's late for dinner, simply remind him that the leftovers are in the fridge and you left the dishes for him to do.

7. Make him comfortable: Tell him where he can find a blanket if he's cold. This will really show you care.

8. Listen to him: But don't ever let him get the last word.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or other places of entertainment; go with a friend or go shopping use his credit card). Familiarize him with the phrase "Girls' Night Out!"

10. The Goal: Try to keep things amicable without reminding him that he only thinks the world revolves around him. Obviously he's wrong, it revolves around you.