“Then they said to him, ‘Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’”
Then they said to him, ‘Please tell us!
The sailors interrogated Jonah with five rapid-fire questions. They discovered that they had a runaway prophet on board. Jonah was not only a prophet, but he was a disobedient prophet. He was a preacher, but he did not like the message. He was a missionary, but he did not like the field.
For whose cause is this trouble upon us?
The mariners knew that the whole situation was Jonah’s fault.
What is your occupation?
“What do you do for a living, Jonah?” “Well, right now, I am out of work! I am a prophet, but I haven’t prophesied lately! As a matter of fact, I am a rebellious prophet.” The cat was out of the bag. How embarrassing and devastating for Jonah!
And where do you come from?
“What is your home town, Jonah? Do you live in Joppa or Jerusalem?”
What is your country?
“What is your nationality, Jonah?”
And of what people are you?
“What is your race, Jonah?”
PRINCIPLE:
Honesty is the best policy in dealing with our personal sin and rebellion.
APPLICATION:
Sometimes we do not confess until we are caught. David did not deal with his sin until Nathan, the prophet, came to confront David’s sin. If we get caught red-handed, then we confess; otherwise, we do not deal with the problem.
2 Sa 12:1-7, 1 “Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 “The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 ‘But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 ‘And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.’ 5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6 “And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.’ 7 Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’”
Sometimes our behavior belies our beliefs.
