Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-23

Thanksgiving day recalls to all Amer
leans the debt that we owe as citizens
and a country to God. This makes to-
days study an appropriate lesson Tor
our consideration because 1t teaches us
the obligation that VIC owe to God and
the other nations of the world. We
have many slackers when we face the
spiritual duty that we owe to other
countries and our Christ. If America
is to 10 loyal to its mission. then we
must not only be patriotic In our al
legian :" to our flag, but we must possess
the higher patriotism that recognizes
that we are doomed to fail as a nation
and as Christians, If we fail to be inter-
nationalist as well as nationalist.
This is the message that is told in
dramatic manner in the Book OF Jonah:
Our Lord accepted it as a historical
document. In all probability he visited
on more than one occasion the birth
place of the prophet, for it was only
about miles from Nazareth. where
Jesus spent his boyhood. When he was
called to go as foreign missionary to
Nineveh, Jonah refused to obey GODS
call. 1t was not the fact that it would
require him to travel over thousand
miles northward to the upper Euphrates
Valley and thence eastward through
Mesopatamia to reach the great city,
that was at that time at the zenith OF
it's power, that he refused to go. His
reluctance was the outgrowth of his
narrow exclusive view that considered
that Jehovah was the God of their race
and nation and not interested in others.
His nation had been crushed century
after century by foreign despots He
NAV have recalled how his countrymen
had suffered from the ASsyrianS when
he refused to carry the gospel OF re-
pentance, salvation and brotherly TEL
lowship to Nineveh. He understood the
commission, when he engaged passage
to Spain.
Too many professed followers of the
Lord Jesus are slackers concerning the
great commission today. If we refuse
to hear His call, we must not expect
that He will follow us and recall us to
His service, like He did Jonah. In the
prophets case Jehovah had great
moral purpose If Nineveh was to be
saved, His messenger had to be delivered
by a Jew, who could speak with au-
thority. Jonah had to learn that
Jehovah Sabaoth" was the Lord of
hosts (nationS) through the discipline
of suffering. the universally of Divine
grace and the necessity of obedience.
He learned that there was no safety in
flying away from duty and responded
willingly to the second call.
Obeying Gods Call.
Jonah was a changed man when the
word of God came to him the second
time. Crannel has well said concern
ing the prophecy of Jonah that it is
"one of the Bibles greatest books.
That Jewish eighth century patriot,
righteouSly indignant at Nineveh'S awful
cruelty (see Nahum, should use the
hated Nineveh to teach Jehovah's
world wide compassion is a miracle
much more marvellous than a specially
large fish swallowing a man." Jonah
was the first foreign missionary OF the
Old Testament. He did not hesitate
to obey the second call to preach Gods
message to Nineveh, the queen city of
the East 1t possessed great riches,
prestige, power, but its cup of iniquity
was about full. Its vices honeycombed
society, both physically and morally.
Jonah was man of tremendous con-
victionS. He was not afraid to enter
that great city and its suburbs, that
are thought Ito have had an area of
fully 80 miles in circumference" His
ing. Although he did not mention any
hope that the city could be saved. yet
the effect of the missionary's efforts
was soon seen. THE people of Nineveh
believed God" They proved their faith
in Jehovah by their actions. They pro-
claimed a fast. The whole city from
the king to the least in the city put
on sack cloth and mourned. The king
appealed for every one to turn from
their evil way, in the hope that God
might hear their prayers, forgive their
sins, and save Nineveh. The genuine
ness of their repentance Is seen III the
fact that God showed His mercy to the
city, because they had humbled them
selves and turned from their sin. The
universally of Gods grace proves His
interest in all nations. File calls upon
us to preach His gospel to all nations
and every creature. II through narrow
patriotism we refuse to share the mes
sage of light, life and love with other
people, we will find that our own