Which Is The Right Course To Pursue?
God told Jonah what to preach and where to preach it. He commanded him to "go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee"—"Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." (Jonah 3:2-4.)
Jonah could have chosen any one of three possible courses:
1. He could try to flee to Tarshish and land in the belly of a big fish.
2. He could turn philosopher and reason himself right out of obedience on this wise: "Now Jehovah has used the mathematical terms 'forty days.' That proves to every one with a logical mind that the teaching of mathematics is included or 'contemplated' in the preaching that I am commissioned to preach. Therefore, I shall go to Nineveh and first organize an arithmetic class. Surely any proper survey of the field would show that this is the most sensible approach to my subject, YET FORTY DAYS AND NINEVEH SHALL BE OVERTHROWN."
3. He could go to Nineveh and preach the preaching he was bidden to preach.
Which of the three was the right course? Which was the way of obedience? Which was the infallibly safe way?
The Lord has commanded the church "as such" what to preach and where to preach it—the "gospel" in "all the world." What course should the church "as such" pursue?