“And the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17
When Jonah the prophet of God was in the belly of the fish for three days and nights, there was no light there. Physically speaking, there was complete darkness due to a lack of light. This is a picture of the heart of Jonah with respect to his walk with God. He was in the darkness, for he had chosen to turn away from the light of God’s countenance and blessing. He had deliberately turned towards the dark and away from the light. In fact, when he decided to not obey the word of the Lord to go and preach to the Ninevites, so that they could be saved, he embraced a lie, the lie that he could flee from the presence of the Lord. And though he chose to rather die than obey the Lord in this matter, he did exactly as did Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God, seeking to hide from the presence of the Lord. To turn away from God, to not choose to walk in the light of His presence and countenance, is to turn to delusion, deception, and darkness. Were it not for the mercy of God towards Jonah, and the one hundred and twenty lost souls in Nineveh that God sought to save, Jonah would have become not only the victim of his foolishness, but a casualty in the great work of the eternal salvation of souls. Because of God’s intervention, not only would Jonah be saved from himself, and the wayward course of action that he had chosen, but God would save the mariners on the ship that he had boarded to flee from the Lord. God would then, after dealing with Jonah for three days in his darkness, speak a second time to Jonah to go and deliver the life-giving message to the people of Nineveh, so that they would be moved to repent of their wickedness, and be saved from destruction. So, what does it mean to walk in the light with God?
In the first letter of the Apostle John, he begins with the first and great truth of walking in the light, and it is this: “God IS light and in Him is NO darkness at all.” (1:5) In every consideration of every subject dealing with man’s relationship with God, one must always begin with Christ, who is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Christ summed it up in this manner: “I AM the way, the truth and the Life…” (Jn. 14:6) The standard for our understanding of what it means to walk with God in the light begins with the One who IS light. He sets the standard, for He is not only the one who reveals the truth of that standard but provides the power to live according to it.
This is why John, in speaking of walking in the light, speaks of fellowship with God, communion with the Father and Christ by the Spirit of God. So, John writes: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him (God), and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (1:6) Jonah’s fellowship with God was broken, interrupted by his choice to walk in darkness, turning aside from the truth of God’s word. Believing a lie and choosing to obey a false “idol” of his devising, Jonah sought to flee and hide from the presence of the Lord. The honest transparency that God requires of every believer was rejected by Jonah. Instead of coming to the Light, he fled from it.
To walk in the light is to be in action and attitude, wholly open to the light of Christ’s presence, willing to hear what He says, and to do what He commands. The objective, which is also the blessing, is true fellowship with God. This oneness of fellowship with Christ is possible by choosing to “walk” by faith and obedience, ever seeking to be honestly transparent.
Dear Father, Keep us ever clean. In Jesus’ name, Amen.