Followim Faith Bilong Olketa

Hem Lane From Mistek Bilong Hem

JONAH laek for stopem olketa noise wea hem herem. Hem no strongfala wind nomoa wea blowim olketa rope wea holem sail bilong datfala ship; or olketa mamaeti wave, wea bangam saed bilong ship wea mekem big noise. Bat samting wea nogud tumas long Jonah nao, hem wei wea kapten and olketa crew long ship singaot, taem olketa trae hard for stopem ship for no sink daon. Jonah savve hao olketa man hia maet dae bikos long wanem hem duim!

Why nao Jonah kasem hard taem olsem? Bikos hem duim wanfala big mistek taem hem no duim nao wanem God bilong hem Jehovah laekem hem for duim. Wanem mistek nao Jonah duim? Waswe, hem hard tumas nao for hem stretem datfala mistek? Iumi bae lanem staka samting from ansa long olketa kwestin hia. Tingim diswan, samting wea kasem Jonah helpem iumi for luksavve olketa wea garem trufala faith savve mekem mistek tu, and olketa savve duim samting for stretem datwan.

Wanfala Profet From Galilee

Taem pipol tingim Jonah, evritaem olketa ting nogud abaotem hem. Olketa tingim wei wea hem no obey or hem bighed. Bat iumi bae lanem samfala gud samting tu abaotem Jonah. Tingim hao Jehovah God chusim Jonah for kamap profet bilong hem. Jehovah hard for chusim Jonah for duim datfala big waka sapos hem no faithful.

Long 2 Kings 14:25, iumi lanem lelebet abaotem laef bilong Jonah. Hem from Gath-hepher, wea stap 4 kilometer from Nazareth, datfala ples wea Jesus bae big kam long hem long samting olsem 800 year bihaen.a Jonah waka olsem profet long taem wea King Jeroboam II rulim mek-ten tribe kingdom bilong Israel. Elijah hem dae longtaem nao, and Elisha wea changem hem tu dae long taem wea dadi bilong Jeroboam hem king. Nomata Jehovah iusim olketa man hia for finisim wei for worshipim Baal, olketa Israelite barava go difren moa. Datfala ples stap anda long paoa bilong datfala king wea “gohed for duim nogud samting wea Jehovah no laekem.” (2 Kings 14:24) So waka wea Jonah duim hem no isi. Bat hem faithful for duim datwan.

Gogo laef bilong Jonah hem barava change. Hem kasem wanfala waka from Jehovah wea hem faendem hem barava hard for hem. Wanem nao Jehovah askem hem for duim?

‘Iu Go Long Nineveh’

Jehovah talem Jonah olsem: “Iu go long datfala big taon, Nineveh, and talem pipol long there hao mi savve long nogud samting wea olketa duim.” (Jonah 1:2) Hem no hard for luksavve why Jonah fraet for duim datfala waka. Nineveh hem samting olsem 800 kilometer long east, wea maet savve tekem wanfala month for kasem sapos man hem baeleg. Bat long tingting bilong Jonah, luk olsem hem isi nomoa for baeleg go long datfala ples winim waka wea hem mas duim. Long Nineveh, Jonah mas talemaot judgment message bilong Jehovah long olketa long Assyria wea barava raf. Sapos pipol bilong God no tinghae long wanem Jonah talem, haomas moa olketa heathen long there? Hao nao wanfala wakaman bilong Jehovah bae fit for stap long Nineveh wea big tumas, and wea olketa bae savve long datfala ples olsem “taon for killkill”?​—Nahum 3:​1, 7.

Maet Jonah tingim datwan or nomoa. Iumi no savve. Wanem iumi savve nao hem ranawe. Jehovah talem Jonah for go long east, bat hem go farawe long west. Hem go long saed sea long wanfala wharf long Joppa and hem lukim nao wanfala ship wea bae go long Tarshish. Samfala savveman talem hao Tarshish hem wanfala ples long Spain. Sapos olsem, Jonah mas travel samting olsem 3,500 kilometer farawe from Nineveh. Maet datfala gogo long narasaed bilong Mediterranean Sea hem savve tekem samting olsem wanfala year! Jonah barava disaed strong for no duim waka wea Jehovah talem hem for duim!

Waswe, iumi fit for sei Jonah hem man for fraet? Iumi shud no kwiktaem for judgem Jonah. Iumi bae lanem hao Jonah hem man wea fit for garem strongfala tingting for duim wanem hem laek for duim. Olsem iumi evriwan wea sin, Jonah tu hem man olsem iumi nomoa wea stragol witim staka wik point. (Psalm 51:5) Iumi tu savve fraet samfala taem.

Maet staka taem iumi tingse God askem iumi for duim samting wea hem hard tumas and iumi no fit for duim. Maet iumi tu fraet lelebet for preaching gud nius abaotem Kingdom bilong God, wea hem nao waka wea olketa Christian mas duim. (Matthew 24:14) Iumi savve isi for forgetim nao trufala toktok bilong Jesus: “God savve duim eni samting.” (Mark 10:27) Sapos iumi forgetim datfala toktok bilong Jesus, maet iumi savve minim nao hard taem wea kasem Jonah. From Jonah ranawe, wanem nao kasem hem bihaen?

Jehovah Stretem Profet Bilong Hem wea No Tingting Gud

Luk olsem Jonah hem satisfae nao taem hem go insaed long datfala kago ship wea masbi hem bilong olketa long Phoenicia. Hem lukim kapten and olketa crew taem olketa redyim evri samting for datfala ship go aot from wharf. Taem olketa start for go farawe and no lukim eni sandbis, maet Jonah tingse hem free nao from datfala waka wea hem fraet for duim. Bat seknomoa, weather hem change nao.

Strongfala wind wea blow mekem olketa mamaeti wave and nomata olketa big ship distaem bat luk smol tu. Maet no longtaem nomoa datfala ship luk iusles nao midolwan long datfala sea wea barava raf. Waswe, Jonah savve finis taem hem insaed ship hao “Jehovah nao mekem big wind kamap long sea” olsem hao hem raetem bihaen? Iumi no savve. Jonah luksavve hao nomata olketa wea waka long ship singaot big long olketa difren god bilong olketa, hard for eni god hia helpem olketa nomoa. Jonah hem talem olsem: “Ship hia klosap for rek.” (Jonah 1:4; Leviticus 19:4) Hao nao Jonah bae prea moa long God wea Jonah ranawe from hem?

From Jonah no wei nao, hem go daon insaed long ship and lukaotem ples for sleep and hem barava deepim sleep nao.b Taem kapten lukim Jonah, hem wekapem hem and askem hem for prea long god bilong hem olsem olketa narawan tu duim. Taem pipol long ship luksavve hem no normal for sea raf olsem, olketa pleim samting olsem daes for luksavve hu insaed long ship nao maet mekem wei for datfala trabol kamap. Jonah seksek taem hem lukim datfala daes no point go long eni nara man. Gogo olketa savve nao hu nao datfala man. Jehovah nao mekem sea for raf and mekem datfala samting olsem daes for showimaot Jonah nao datfala man!​—Jonah 1:​5-7.

Jonah talem olketa long ship abaotem wanem hem duim. Hem talem hao hem wanfala wakaman bilong olmaeti God, Jehovah. Hem nao God wea Jonah ranawe from, and wea Jonah mekem hem for no hapi, dastawe evriwan kasem bigfala trabol. Jonah lukim hao olketa man hia barava fraet fogud. Olketa askem Jonah wanem nao bae olketa duim long hem mekem ship bilong olketa no sink daon and for olketa no dae. Wanem nao Jonah talem? Maet Jonah fraet taem hem tingim hao bae hem draon insaed sea wea cold and barava raf. Jonah savve wanem hem need for duim for sevem olketa, so why nao bae hem letem olketa for dae? So Jonah tok olsem: ‘Liftim mi and torowem mi go insaed sea, and sea bae kwaet for iufala; bikos mi savve mi nao rong dastawe disfala big trabol kasem iufala.’​—Jonah 1:​12.

Sapos Jonah hem man for fraet hem bae no tok olsem. Masbi Jehovah hapi tumas taem hem lukim Jonah no fraet for dae for sevem olketa narawan long datfala barava hard taem. Distaem iumi luksavve long strongfala faith bilong Jonah. Iumi tu savve followim faith bilong hem taem iumi tingim olketa narawan firstaem. (John 13:34, 35) Taem iumi lukim olketa narawan needim help, maet long physical wei, feeling, or spiritual wei, waswe, iumi trae for helpem olketa? Taem iumi duim olsem iumi mekem Jehovah hapi!

Maet firstaem olketa wea waka long ship les for duim olsem long Jonah, bikos olketa sorre long hem! So olketa duim enikaen samting mekem olketa no torowem Jonah long sea, batawea hem hard nao. Gogo, datfala big wind hem barava blow strong go moa. Gogo, olketa no wei nao. Datfala taem nao olketa singaot long God bilong Jonah, Jehovah for sorre long olketa, and olketa torowem Jonah long sea.​—Jonah 1:​13-​15.

Jehovah Sorre Long Jonah and Sevem Hem

Jonah insaed mamaeti wave nao. Maet for lelebet taem hem stragol for swim mekem hem no draon and hem lukim olketa big wave hia mekem datfala ship start for muv farawe. Bat olketa big wave hia pushim hem go daon moa. Taem hem sink daon hem tingse hem no wei nao.

Bihaen, Jonah storyim samting wea kasem hem long datfala taem. Hem start for tingting olobaot. Hem sorre taem hem tingim hao bae hem no lukim moa datfala naes temple bilong Jehovah long Jerusalem. Hem savve nao hao bae hem sink daon long botom sea, klosap long botom bilong olketa maunten, long ples wea bae hem pas insaed long olketa seaweed. Luk olsem diswan nao hem grev bilong hem.​—Jonah 2:​2-6.

Bat seknomoa, wanfala big blak samting muv kam klosap long hem. And kam long hem nao. Hem openem big mouth bilong hem and swallowim Jonah wan go nomoa!

Masbi diswan nao last day bilong Jonah. Bat Jonah sapraes long samting wea happen. Hem laef nomoa! Hem stap laef, no garekil, and hem no short wind tu. Nomata hem tingse long there nao bae hem dae, hem laef nomoa. Isisi Jonah sapraes fogud. Tru tumas, God bilong hem Jehovah nao “markem wanfala big fish for swallowim Jonah.”c​—Jonah 1:​17.

Samfala minute go pas, gogo hem samfala hour nao. Long datfala dark ples wea hem nating kasem bifor, Jonah start for tingting stret moa and hem prea long Jehovah God. Prea bilong hem wea stap long mek-tu chapter bilong Jonah barava helpem iumi for minim gud. Datfala prea showimaot tu hao Jonah savve gud long olketa scripture, bikos hem talem tu samfala toktok from Psalms. Hem showimaot tu gudfala fasin: wei for tinghae. Jonah finisim story bilong hem olsem: “Long saed bilong mi, witim toktok for sei thankiu mi bae givim sakrifaes long iu. Wanem mi promisim, bae mi peim. Jehovah nomoa savve sevem man.”​—Jonah 2:9.

Jonah lanem hao Jehovah savve sevem olketa wea worshipim hem, long eniwea, and long enitaem. Nomata “long bele bilong fish,” Jehovah lukim and sevem wakaman bilong hem Jonah wea kasem trabol. (Jonah 1:​17) Jehovah nomoa savve mekem man stap laef and stap gud for thrifala day and thrifala naet insaed bele bilong wanfala big fish. Hem gud for iumi mas tingim distaem, hao Jehovah nao ‘God wea holem laef bilong iumi.’ (Daniel 5:​23) Iumi thankiu long God bikos hem givim iumi laef. Waswe, iumi tinghae and obeyim Jehovah?

Waswe long Jonah? Hem lanem wei for tinghae taem hem obeyim Jehovah? Ia, hem tinghae. Bihaen thrifala day and thrifala naet, datfala big fish tekem Jonah long sandbis and ‘toroaotem Jonah long drae ples.’ (Jonah 2:​10) Tingim bihaen evri samting hia wea kasem Jonah, hem no need for swim go long sandbis! Hem tru, hem mas faendem wei bilong hem. No longtaem nomoa, nara samting happen wea testim wei bilong hem for tinghae. Jonah 3:​1, 2, talem olsem: “Then mek-tu taem Jonah herem toktok bilong Jehovah wea sei: ‘Standap, and go long Nineveh datfala big taon, and talemaot samting wea mi talem long iu.’” Wanem nao Jonah bae duim?

Jonah hem hariap for go. Bible sei olsem: “So, Jonah hem standap and hem go long Nineveh followim wanem Jehovah talem.” (Jonah 3:3) Ia, Jonah hem obey. Hem klia, hem lane from olketa mistek bilong hem. Iumi tu need for garem faith olsem Jonah. Iumi evriwan sin and savve mistek. (Romans 3:​23) Bat waswe, iumi givap nao, or iumi lane from olketa mistek bilong iumi and trae for duim wanem God laekem?

Waswe, Jonah kasem gudfala samting from Jehovah from wei wea hem obey? Ia, hem kasem. Gogo, hem herem hao olketa long datfala ship stap laef nomoa. No longtaem bihaen olketa long datfala ship torowem Jonah insaed sea, datfala big wind and wave stop nao, and datwan mekem olketa hia ‘start for barava fraet long Jehovah’ and olketa mekem sakrifaes long Jehovah and no long olketa god bilong olketa.​—Jonah 1:​15, 16.

Bihaen, Jonah kasem wanfala bigfala privilege. Jesus talem story abaotem Jonah taem hem insaed bele bilong big fish olsem tokpiksa abaotem taem wea hem bae insaed grev, or Sheol. (Matthew 12:38-40) Jonah bae hapi for savve long datfala privilege taem hem bae laef bak long disfala earth! (John 5:​28, 29) Jehovah laek for blessim iu tu. Waswe, iu olsem Jonah for lane from olketa mistek bilong iu and showimaot wei for obey?

[Olketa Footnote]

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Staka No Bilivim Story Abaotem Jonah

▪ Waswe, story wea stap insaed Bible buk bilong Jonah hem tru? From bifor kam, samfala no bilivim. Nomata long taem bilong iumi tu, samfala tingse datfala story hem kastom story nomoa and wea no tru. Wanfala man wea savve raetem buk long mek-19 century talem hao datfala story abaotem Jonah and datfala big fish hem tokpiksa nomoa: Jonah stap long wanfala hotel long Joppa wea nem bilong hem, The Sign of the Whale. Bikos hem garem kaon, man wea ownim datfala hotel raosem hem. Dastawe, datfala whale hem swallowim and toroaotem Jonah! For tok stret, luk olsem samfala wea tok daonem Bible laek for mekem pipol for no bilivim story abaotem Jonah!

Why nao staka tok daonem disfala Bible buk? Bikos hem storyim olketa mirakol. Luk olsem pipol wea tok daonem olketa mirakol nating bilivim hao: Mirakol savve happen olsem. Bat waswe, hem stret for biliv olsem? Askem iuseleva olsem, ‘Waswe, mi bilivim firstfala sentence insaed Bible?’ Datfala sentence hem read olsem: “Long firstaem, God creatim skae and earth.” (Genesis 1:⁠1) Staka million pipol evriwea long world bilivim nomoa disfala tru samting. For tok stret, datfala scripture antap hem winim eni mirakol wea Bible storyim bihaen.

Sapos iumi ting raonem God wea wakem skae and evri samting wea laef long earth, waswe, bae hem hard tumas for bilivim disfala Bible buk abaotem Jonah hem tru? Hem mekem big wind kamap? Mekem big fish for swallowim wanfala man? Or mekem datfala fish for toroaotem datfala man moa? Kaen samting olsem hem isi nomoa for God wea garem bigfala paoa.​—⁠Isaiah 40:⁠26.

Samfala taem man savve sapraes long samfala samting wea happen. Datwan no minim God nao mekem datwan kamap. Iu savve, olketa talem hao long 1758, wanfala shark hem swallowim wanfala man wea gogo long wanfala ship long Mediterranean Sea. Bat olketa long ship sutim nao datfala shark. Then nomoa, datfala shark toroaotem nao datfala man and olketa sevem datfala man wea hem garekil lelebet. Nomata datfala story hem tru, and maet iumi barava sapraes long hem, datwan no minim hem wanfala mirakol. Tru nao, God hem fit for iusim paoa bilong hem for duim eni samting winim datwan.

Olketa man wea no bilivim datfala story abaotem Jonah, daotem sapos man savve brith insaed bele bilong fish for thrifala day and stap laef or nomoa. Bat olketa man savve tumas for mekem wei for man savve brith lelebet longtaem insaed long wata. Dastawe, God fit for iusim bigfala paoa and bigfala savve bilong hem for mekem Jonah brith and stap laef for thrifala day. Olsem angel bilong Jehovah talem long Mary wea hem mami bilong Jesus, “eni samting wea God talem bae hem mas kamap tru.”​—⁠Luke 1:​37.

Wanem moa showimaot buk wea Jonah raetem hem trufala story? Hem wei wea Jonah storyim evri samting abaotem datfala ship and olketa crew bilong hem, datwan nao mekem iumi for bilivim. Jonah 1:5 storyim hao olketa man wea waka long ship torowem samfala samting from ship mekem hem laetfala lelebet. Olketa man for raet long taem bifor and olketa law bilong Jew agree hao hem samting wea olketa savve duim taem sea hem barava raf. Wei wea Jonah storyim Nineveh hem semsem olsem story bilong olketa man for raet long taem bifor and olketa wea studyim olketa oldfala samting insaed long graon. Main samting nao, thrifala day wea Jonah stap insaed bele bilong fish, hem wanfala profesi wea Jesus Christ fulfillim long taem wea hem bae stap long grev for thrifala day. (Matthew 12:​38-​40) Samting wea Jesus talem pruvim hao story bilong Jonah hem tru.

“Eni samting wea God talem bae hem mas kamap tru.”​—⁠LUKE 1:​37

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From Jonah barava askem olketa, olketa torowem hem nao insaed sea