Evening star., 1940-06-29

those of the conquering ASsyrian
kings, whose capital Ninevah was.
No wonder Jonah f1unked the big
Job, when he was ordered to call
Ninevah to repentance. The great
heathern city was the dominant
center of the eastern world. Its
name was one of terror The jour-
ney thither was an ordeal. as I we'll
know. And Jonah was only minor
prophet, diStrustful of his own pow
ers, physically scared and lacking
faith to believe that Gods COM
mands are Gods enablings' So he
tried to run away from his call.
Commentators take two views of
the Book of Jonah. The general
and traditional belief of Jewry and
Christendom is that the book mar
rates actual history. The modern
critical conception is that the book
is a parable. Students of Aramaic
point out that a popular simile, still
in use. for being in predicament
is TO be caught in the jaws of
fish, However interpreted, the book
is dramatically interesting, and
should be read in its entirety at
sitting.
As to That Fish.
Our colloquial term of Jonah"
for any one who is supposed to bring
bad luck. derives from the expert
ence of the ship on which Jonah,
running away from Gods command,
had sailed from Joppa (the present
Palestine City of Jaffa, often in the
news, to Tarshish. which was prob
ably a Phoenician settlement in
Spain. A great storm arose, and the
sailors concluded that somebody
aboard had offended his God. When
the lot pointed to Jonah, he con-
fessed: and, in an accession OF
courage, bade the men throw him
overheard. The sailors behaved
magnanimously-r the story
but finally overheard Jonah had to
go.
There have been countless foolish
discussions about Jonah and the
whale; the clinching argument be-
ing that whales throat is too small
to admit a man. AS matter of
fact. the Book of Jonah makes no
mention of a whale. 1t explicitly
says, The Lord prepared a great
fish to swallow up Jonah" This was
a specially-prepared transport in
which Jonah was carried back to the
land from which he had fed. The
word whale" is used in the New
Testament, where Jesus cites Jonah
Matthew, xii38-40, but the Re-
vised Version, in marginal transla-
ton. renders the word sea mon
ster." 1t may have been huge
survival of prehistoric times. Many
curious corroborative incidents have
been cited of big fish that could have
done the deed. When God has
purpose to perform, there is no limit
to the means He may use.
It is one of the great paradoXes
of literature that the book which
reached the high-Water mark OF Olo
Testament expression of the love OF
God for all mankind should be COM
monty thought of only in connection
with a fish.
The Preacher Who Refused.
Often. in contemporary Methodist
conferences, some rebellious preach
er refuses to accept the new church
to which he has been sent. Jonah
was in that category. God had or
dered him to preach repentance 10
the greatest city of his time, the
all-powerful heathen capital OF
Ninevah. He thought he knew better
The assignment was impossible.
So Jonah sulked and skulked. His
faith in God was so weak that he
thought he could run away from
Him. Myriads of men are trying to
do the same thing today, as in the
Psalmist's time-run away from Coo
and His clear commands.
Whole nations nowadays are try
ing the same trick Russia, once
the most religious of countries, has
declared open war upon God. Ger
many, the home of Martin Luther
and his devout followers, tried to
re-establish the old pagan Germanic
cults, and laid an iron hand of op-
preston upon the Church. Both
have yet to reckon with an outraged
Diety, in this world and in the next,
The one surest reason why Ger
many, with all her savage might
and measures, cannot win this war is
that God never suffers defeat, His
honor is involved in the present
struggle.
Can Cities Be Converted?
On second commandments God
for all of our second chances -
Jonah went to Ninevah and pro-
claimed his message for 40 days.
He was an early Billy Sunday, SEN
sationally arousing great city to
an interest in religion. Billy, with
his supporting churches, proved that
1t could be done And it still can
be done. Large scale, intensive, CO.
operative evangelism is as possible
now as it was in Jonah's day or
Billy Sundays day. With the great
plus of the radio, it is nowadays
even more practicable. Incidentally
a revival of real religion would wipe
out crime more effectively than all
the efforts of district attorneys and
police agencies,
Ninevah repented and turned to
the living God. The doom that
Jonah prophesied did not fall-and
he went into the dumps because he
thought his personal prestige hao
been affronted. He cared more fol
his own reputation than for Nine
vah's salvation.
God had to teach Jonah new
lesson of His care for people every
where. The good news Is worle
news. Many a heathen communit,
has turned wholly to God. becaus'