I read the book of Jonah a couple days ago as part of my Bible reading plan. Now, the point of the book of Jonah is largely resting on Jonah himself. Jonah was a prophet called by God to warn the city of Nineveh that God’s judgment was coming. Jonah, however, wasn’t interested in God’s call and was even less interested in helping the ‘wicked’ people of Nineveh receive grace from God by repenting.

So, as the story goes, Jonah fled from God’s command and boarded a ship. God stirred up a storm which eventually led to Jonah being thrown overboard and being eaten by a “large fish”. He eventually conceded his pride and the fish spit him up.

What I find very remarkable though is just what happens when Jonah goes to fulfill the word God had commanded him in the first place. He goes to Nineveh and preaches the word of God’s disaster to the people. Here’s what it says happened:

The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish."

They repented. God commanded Jonah to go and warn the city of Nineveh and the people not only listened, but repented. The very next verse details that God relented of the disaster he had set for Nineveh.

While the main theme of the book definitely focuses on Jonah’s disobedience and hard-heartedness, what I really noticed this time was the encouragement and relationship between God’s command for Jonah to preach and Nineveh’s penitent response.

I find encouragement in this. God has sent us into the world with a message for repentance and hope and if we will listen and go, God has people in every nation, tribe and tongue. Someone will listen and be saved.

In the book of Amos there is a startling saying. Amos 5:18:

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!
   Why would you have the day of the LORD?”

The book of Amos is a declaration of God’s judgments on mankind for their wickedness. A wickedness that everyone shared. All were guilty and the day of God’s judgments would be vast and painful.

But in the words Jesus taught us to pray, we read something else. Matthew 6:10:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Jesus teaches us to pray that His Kingdom would come.

Before Christ’s work, the coming day of the Lord was dismal and hopeless. For the saved in Christ, the coming day of the Lord is one of ultimate and absolute comfort. As seen in Revelation 7:17:

“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
   and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

We can hope and pray diligently for the Lord’s return, yet at the same time pray and trust that Jesus will stay his return until all of the elect have accepted his gift of eternal life.

There is hope and encouragement in that.

1 Peter 3:15 is a verse most Christians are relatively familiar with. I’ve written about it too. But what I think Christians are less accustomed to hearing is the end of that verse and the verse that follows it.

1 Peter 3:15-16:

“…In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

It seems to me that many Christians are ready with an answer for the hope they have in Christ, but they’re not ready to give it with gentleness and respect. It seems more often to me that they are given in arrogance and impatience, as though their faith were something entirely of themselves.

Yet the fact of the matter is that if we have faith in Christ it is not because we are somehow superior to those who do not, but because we have received grace thus far to believe.

Of course, this bit in 1 Peter is written to people who would be slanderously accused for their faith and therefore a confident answer was important. And since the accusations would likely be very aggressive, obviously it was important to remind them that they shouldn’t respond with aggression, but with respect and gentleness.

Questions about our faith may not come with the same aggression today as it did then, but I think the exhortation to gentleness and respect stands as just as important.

I just started 1 Peter yesterday in my Bible Reading Plan. Today I came across the familiar verse, 1 Peter 1:13:

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The word used here for “sober” is “napho”. It basically means stay calm, don’t panic. When I considered that, it offered some encouraging insight.

Peter began his writing talking about the various trials his readers would face and that they should take heart in them because it was testing the genuinness of their faith. Then he goes on to reaffirm that salvation is found solely in Christ.

Then he comes in with this “therefore,” be sober. Or in a sense, “don’t panic”, you can set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I’ve been thinking over this verse for a couple of days now. I’m not sure why, I’ve probably read it a hundred times. I guess it’s just resting on me with some fresh reflection. James 1:12:

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Although it’s phrased funny, the verse is in perfect sync with the rest of James’ message, and the whole bible for that matter.

James stresses that faith and works are not mutually exclusive elements, of which a Christian may hold one or the other. Rather, they are two ends of the same thing, which every true Christian will exhibit, if in fact they are true.

What’s so weird about this verse is that it would seem to reverse that message. Saying ‘remain steadfast so that you’ll receive the crown of life’. But James continues, explaining that the ‘crown of life’ is something that has been promised to those who love God.

How could the ‘crown of life’ be a reward for fulfilled duty and promised to those with earnest love for God? Simple, I suppose: Steadfastness is not the condition. Love is the condition for which the promise is given, while steadfastness is the symptom of that love.

Hebrews 8:11-12:

they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
   and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
   from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
    and I will remember their sins no more."

A wave of optimistic anticipation swept over me as I read this the other day. Even though I’ve read it many times before, it is wonderful when our exterior weakens enough for old truths to take new effect.

It’s very encouraging to keep those promises close.

1 Peter 3:14-16

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

“Always being prepared to make a defense”.

If you think about the nature of a “defense”, it requires objective reasoning. You would never hear a lawyer in a court argue that his client is innocent because of a good hunch he’s got. A defense would require objective evidence. The Greek word is “apologia”, which roughly defined means “a reasoned argument”.

We don’t have hope for no reason. If we have no reason for our hope, maybe we don’t really have the hope at all.

So, when Peter exhorts us to be prepared with a “defense” it can’t mean the ooey-gooey feeling inside. It must mean that we should seek to understand what we can of the scriptures to the best of our ability. Which, if you follow it to it’s logical conclusion, would mean: Get your theology straight.