Jonah 1:1-10 “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.”

Have you ever been exposed for what you really are? It is easy to get caught up in the world of pretend and think no one will ever know. That’s exactly what Jonah thought until God pulled the covers off! Jonah was an embarrassment to God and God would now embarrass Jonah. Stripped of his self-righteous religion Jonah was interrogated by the sailors. They have but one question, “Why?” Within the text, there are three basic whys! Why are you sleeping, “What means thou, O sleeper” (vs.6)? When everyone else is aware of the trials and adversities of life, how can you remain at ease? Do you not see the countless lives that are in danger of perishing? Why are you silent, “tell us, we pray thee” (vs.8)? Tell us about the cause, the Creator, and the cure for the adverse storms of life. If there is any one that should have a word from God, surely it would be you, Jonah. Break your silence and give us a word from heaven. Why are you sinning, “Why hast thou done this” (vs.10)? Why would you rebel against the True and Living God? If He is the True God why would you be found in opposition to His Word, His Will, and His Ways? During these perilous times there is one thing the world wants to know; “Why aren’t Christians acting like Christians?” God embarrassed Jonah and He is not above embarrassing you. Are you ready to be exposed?