Commission to a Mission

Commission to a Mission (Jonah 1:1-2)

Today’s devotion is an excerpt from a Bible Study Series I preached from the book of Jonah.

Jonah 1:1-2, “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”

1. The Master (Jonah 1:1) “Now the word of the Lord…”

Throughout Scripture, the Lord is known by several titles which reveals His work with mankind.

• Jehovah-jireh= The Lord our Provider.
• Jehovah-rapha= The Lord our Healer.
• Jehovah-nissi= The Lord our Banner.
• Jehovah-shalom= The Lord our Peace.
• Jehovah-ra-ah= The Lord our Shepherd.
• Jehovah-tsidkenu= The Lord our Righteousness.

God spoke to the prophets in the Old Testament and God spoke through the prophets in the Old Testament. Today God speaks to us by the Son, by the Scriptures, and by His Spirit. Thank God that the Word of the Lord still speaks to the child of God. The call of God was a powerful call (the word of the Lord), it was a personal call (it came to Jonah), and it was a purposeful call (he was to go to Nineveh). Jonah could be labeled as the prophet that said, ‘Lord, here am I send someone else.’ Jonah was called by God to preach the word. What should have been a blessing and privilege turned out to be a burden and a pain for Jonah. The man of God heard the Word of God but refused to do the will of God. Jonah was a man on the run. How many of us have ever sought to run from the call of God on our lives? When we are on the run from God we will have no peace, no joy, no purpose, and no direction. Jonah went in the exact opposite direction that God told him to go.

2. The Man (Jonah 1:1) “…came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying…”
Jonah's name reveals an important truth when it is used with his father. Jonah means "dove", the emblem of peace. He was the son of Amittai which means "truth of God." Jonah’s name means peace, but we learn early on in this book that Jonah did not want the peace of God to come to the people of Nineveh. Jonah’s father’s name was Amittai and his name means faithful. We learn from this passage that Jonah was not faithful to God. We cannot have peace (Jonah) without the truth (Amittai), just as you cannot have a son (Jonah) without a father (Amittai)." It was the truth that brought forth peace. If you want the peace of God, you must accept the truth of God. Jesus and His Word both give peace to the believer. We have no peace without the Prince of Peace.
Without the Lord, a person cannot have the peace of God.

To have the peace of God means....
· we are reconciled with our Redeemer
· we have a calm in the midst of calamity
· we have tranquillity in trials
· we have stillness in storms
· we have fellowship with a friend that sticks closer than a brother
· we can relax when it is time to rest.

3. The Message (Jonah 1:2)
Jonah 1:2, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”
God’s command to Jonah was clear and concise, to arise and go. God commands His people to take His Living Word to a lost world. His divine directive to His church is to arise, go, and cry. Matthew 28:19-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”


God had a job for Jonah to do. The duty, which God gave Jonah, opened up tremendous opportunities to preach to thousands, but he almost missed this opportunity. Opportunity and duty go hand in hand. When Jonah decided to forsake his God-given duty, he shunned his opportunity. Everyone who forsakes duty loses opportunities. Years ago a Christian doctor was at a Bible conference to hear his friend preach. The doctor was sitting on the front row. Well into the message the preacher heard, “Doctor twenty-two, please check with the hospital at once!” The sound came from a paging device on the doctor’s belt. The doctor got up and left immediately. Although he told his friend this could happen it still distracted the preacher for a moment. The preacher used the doctor’s call and immediate response to challenge the people. When God calls, it is time for action. God’s purpose for His prophet was to preach. God has called us to go into all the world and preach to all people; no matter what color, what nationality, what social standing, or what background they may have. Why did God leave us in this sinful and dark world? God has left us in this world to be the salt and the light of the world and to reach people for Jesus Christ.

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