“I called, in my distress, to the Lord, and He answered me”
Jonah 2:3
Relationships involve level of emotionality. While love is the one most frequently bantered about with unions, there is another feeling that can exist within bonds. “Fear of God” is an emotion that can exist within a Human-Deity relationship. Commentator Dennis Prager is one of the few individuals who openly discusses this issue.
Fear is a major topic with the Book of Jonah. Jonah the Prophet is asked by God to go to the great foreign city of Nineveh and render prophesy. Jonah, unlike other Prophets, makes a mad dash to avoid this task. He is so determined evade the Lord that he booked himself passage on a boat. The Lord, not happy with Jonah’s choice, placed the ship into a violent storm. The crew bravely and valiantly fought the storm while Jonah slept.
With the casting of lots, Jonah finally confesses to the crew: “I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of the Heavens, Who made the sea and the dry land.” Jonah 1:9. Jonah, knowing that he is the problem, asked the crew to cast him off the boat to save them. The crew was distressed over the request. Eventually, Jonah was tossed off and the waters subsided. After, the men felt great fear for the Lord. Jonah 1:16.
Is fear, fear?
The Book of Jonah brilliantly raises the question as to what is the nature of fear. Jonah’s fear was much different that that of the boat’s crew. Jonah’s fear caused him to flee from his relationship with the Lord. He perhaps dreaded his role as a Prophet. In contrast, the ship crew’s fear- which had generated by a life threatening storm, brought them closer to the Lord.
With Jonah’s request to cast into the sea, one could argue that he was suicidal. As with Elijah, the Prophet’s role can exert an emotional toll.
Jonah’s prayer: “I called, in my distress, to the Lord, and He answered me” was perhaps his realization that his relationship with the diety was inescapable. In the darkest of moments, he knew that the relationship remained. He was not alone.
Why fear?
One may ask what does fear have to do with relationships? The answer is that it has to do with the notion of “getting things done”. Love is not always a motivator. Fear is the great motivator. One need only look to a world full of deadlines, late fees and penalties to appreciate that fear causes things to happen.
As the Decalogue is merely a convenant and not exacting the emotional boundaries of one’s relationship with the Lord, the Book of Jonah offers insights into the spectrum of emotions that believers in God can experience.
Be well!!
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[PS: The image was generated by Jetpack AI]
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