The Spirit of Jonah and You

There are several people in the Bible where God gives insight into their spirit. Caleb, one of the Israelite spites sent to spy out the promised land in the days of Moses, is one of them. For instance, in Numbers 14:24 we read:

But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to and his descendants will inherit it.

What we learn of Caleb's spirit is that it was different from that of others, he was obedient from the heart and in other passages we clearly see that he was a fierce fighter -- victorious even in his old age!(See Judges 1:20)

Another bit of insight into a person's spirit is shown in the words of Elisha when he was speaking to Elijah just before Elijah was taken up to heaven by a chariot and horses of fire sent from the LORD in II Kings chapter 2. In II Kings 2:9, Elisha makes the following request of Elijah:

"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit."

That "spirit of Elijah" was not only the spirit of a prophet, but it was also the spirit of righteousness and a spirit of prayer (I Kings 18 & James 5:17-18). In every way, Elijah exhibited these traits. And they made him one of the LORD's greatest prophets, as his ministry was accompanied by mercy and great miracles!(See I Kings 17 and II Kings chapter 1)

It is important to know that John the Baptist performed his ministry in the "spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17 & Matthew 17:13). He had that same spirit!

So the "spirits" of Elijah and Caleb were desirous -- very good things!

Before we proceed much farther, let us consider this verse:

"The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart." Proverbs 17:3

Crucibles and furnaces were used for the refinement of silver and gold. Intense heat was part of the refining process of those precious metals. God, in His sovereignty, also periodically "turns up the heat" to refine His people -- precious children. Often this testing comes in the form of an event or set of circumstances. But sometimes it is different -- perhaps a person or people group that is much different.

Consider. Jonah was a prophet of God. God was going to "test" Jonah's heart - that is work to refine him by giving him an assignment. His assignment? Go preach to the Ninevites -- the dreaded, violent, and pagan enemies of Israel! The Israelites despised the Ninevites! The sin of the Ninevites was great and had to be addressed with God's word. The LORD told Jonah to go to these people!

What came out of Jonah's heart revealed his "spirit." For Jonah to be more effective as a prophet, these things needed to be revealed and then removed. So what came out?

1. Disobedience -- Instead of going to Nineveh in obedience to the LORD's command, Jonah ran the other way. In essence, he told God: "Don't ask me to do this, because I won't do it!"

2. Judgment -- Though Jonah was fully aware of God's mercy, compassion and grace, his preference for Nineveh was judgment! Destroy the evil beasts! Rain down God's fire and brimstone as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah! He somehow saw them as being beyond God's grace. Judgment blinded him to the true extent of God's grace and mercy.

3. Prejudice -- This was a national sin of the Israelites. They were the Jews - God's chosen people. The Ninevites were Gentiles -- the unclean dogs of the world! Therefore, the Israelites despised the Ninevites. Jonah was no exception -- even though he was a prophet of God!

4. Anger -- Jonah was angry! Though God revealed Himself as merciful, compassionate, forgiving and relenting from anger, Jonah wanted his will for the Ninevites to prevail over God's will! When Jonah finally became faithful and began preaching to the Ninevites, God was just as faithful by empowering Jonah's preaching to turn the wicked Ninevites away from their sins. That should have produced incredible joy! But.... though Jonah had been covered in seaweed, smelled like dead fish and had been to the depths of the ocean, his spirit had changed precious little! He still wanted God to pour out His wrath upon the Ninevites. When God gave grace and pardon, it angered Jonah severely!

Even Jesus' disciples proved to be prone to the "spirit of Jonah." Look at the following verses and see the disciples' view of the Samaritans:

And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” Luke 9:54-56 (NKJV)

So what kind of spirit have you? The Ninevites of today come in many forms. One of the foremost forms in many people's minds are the Muslims. There are Americans that see all Muslims as terrorists. When the subject of Islam is raised, eyes begin to burn with prejudice and anger. When asked about Assad of Syria, Gadhafi of Libya or Ahmadinajad of Iran many Americans would prefer they be destroyed. Hatred emerges. Love and mercy are far from consideration! After all, we must remember 9/11!

My questions are these:

"What if God commanded you to pray for Muslims -- all Muslims -- everywhere?

What if God asked you to give of yourself financially toward the evangelism of Muslims?

What if God asked you to pray for terrorists and the ungodly and murderous leaders in Muslim nations?

What if God told you to witness to that Muslim man or that burqa clad women at the grocery store or gas station?

What would come out of you? What "spirit" of yours would be revealed? Disobedience? Prejudice? Hatred? Judgment? A desire to turn and walk or run away from them?

Do you feel they are beyond God's grace?

Would anger come out of you if God's will prevailed over yours regarding the Islamic world?

If any or all of these are part of you, you just may have the "spirit of Jonah."

But this does not have to apply solely to your dealings with the Islamic world! It may be your neighbor or THAT co-worker. Maybe it's that teenager in black who's pierced everywhere. You know the one! Black fingernails, snake tattoo on her arm and a cross tattoo on the back of her neck. Red racing stripe splitting her raven colored hair. And the nose ring. What about the punk black teen who "sags" his pants and holds his crotch? Then there is Casey Anthony. She was just voted the most hated person in America! Mentally -- have you placed her beyond the realm of redemption? Search your heart. What spirit have you? If you think it is the "spirit of Jonah", then pray that God would refine you to remove this "spirit"!

Jesus said to His disciples prior to His ascension:

"... and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations." Luke 24:47

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15

That covers it all, doesn't it? What will we do to see that this is done? Will we let the "spirit of Jonah" stop us?