Arise, Go to Nineveh by T. E. Bowen

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. · May 9, 1912

"Arise, Go to Nineveh"

By T. E. Bowen

T. E. BOWEN

JONAH's experience has been made by many the subject of much jesting comment. Others go farther and discredit the whole book as an unbelievable tale, and so throw a slur upon the Bible itself. But Jesus compared his deliverance into the power of evil men, and his experience with death itself, with Jonah's experience in the deep within the great fish. He thus tells us it was a real experience, not fiction, even as his was a real experience with the powers of darkness and the grave. If the former was untrue, we may also discredit the latter.

The book of Jonah presents some intensely practical lessons. Jonah received a definite call. His work was very plain, apparently a simple thing to do. "Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me." This is all: simply go down to Nineveh and proclaim there the message the Lord would give to him to give to the people.

It would seem that Jonah might have gone. To us now it certainly seems that it would have been as easy for him to obey the Lord and go to Nineveh, as it was for him to do the thing he did do. But "somehow some unaccountable desire or inclination, or whatever one may wish to call it, influenced him not to go. So he picked up his belongings, and started for another town,—"any place besides Nineveh," at least so said his actions. He went down to Joppa, and there found a boat going to Tarshish. Jonah, no doubt, said to himself, Here is my chance. Now I can get away from the presence of the Lord.

He embarked and sailed. Presently a terrific storm arose. The men having charge of the ship became greatly alarmed. By and by they began calling upon their gods. Just how it came about, we do not know; but the impression deepened that some one aboard their ship was guilty of some sort of crime which was resulting in this dreadful sea. They finally proposed casting lots to find out the man. It was not mere chance that the lot fell on Jonah. "Then said they unto him, tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence camest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?" Jonah replied: "I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land."

This reply added to his companions' trouble. They feared all the more, and asked Jonah this searching question: "Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them."

The men made an honest effort to get their boat to a friendly shore. It was of no avail. God overruled that storm. Jonah had a lesson to learn. At last the men cast Jonah into the raging sea. Of course they understood it to mean certain death for Jonah. That no evil was in their hearts is made plain by their prayer. They cried unto the Lord,—Jonah's God, the one who he had said had made the sea and the dry land,—and said, "O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee." Then they took Jonah up and cast him into the sea. And what must have been their surprise to see it immediately cease its raging. A wonderful miracle! They saw truly that they were dealing with the great God of heaven who ruled the mighty deep, and that Jonah was being dealt with in earnest for his disobedience.

Did Jonah perish? — Ah! no. Another miracle was performed to help him to see that he, too, was dealing with the great God whose word was not to be trifled with. "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."

Was this a harder thing for God to do than calming the raging deep? — Not in the least. How did he keep Jonah alive? We know not, nor need we know. One thing is sure,—he did it, and Jonah learned his lesson. For we read, "Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly."

His is a wonderful prayer when we consider the circumstances surrounding him when he offered it. It was not until Jonah came down into the very jaws of death that his soul cried out unto God. The moment he did so with all his heart, the victory was gained over the devil. God then began to deliver Jonah. "And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee."

Jonah had the same thing facing him now that he had when he paid his fare to Tarshish. "So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."

Not a very eloquent message, but it was that which God wanted given. And it attracted attention. It stirred the city mightily. These people believed what Jonah said. God was behind that message. The people of all ranks, high and low, rich and poor, repented, and God saved their city from the doom he had pronounced upon it. And they knew that it was spared because they had repented and turned from their evil deeds.

What was all this written for? Surely there must be some lesson in it for us. Nineveh contained more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who could not tell their right hand from their left; but when one servant of God proclaimed in it the message that the Lord gave him, it was quickly warned. It was a message against sin. Today there are teeming millions within city limits; and a warning against their terrible sins must be given by some one.

Messages are coming to us as a people, laying the burden upon us to go into these cities with the last warning message. The time of God's great wrath is just before us, and that will surely be a day of "fierce anger." May God help us to be as faithful to duty as was Jonah after he came up from his watery grave, a subdued and obedient man, that the Lord may use us in the finishing of his work, as he used Jonah in days of old.

Takoma Park, D. C.