We live in a very mobile world. Everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere.

Throughout Scripture, God often taught people the greatest lessons along the journey.

Today, we continue with Scott Pauli, our study through the great journeys of the Bible.

Our prayer is that you will rediscover the adventure of walking with God.

Do you know what Jonah's name means?

The name Jonah literally means dove.

Now that is very significant for a couple of reasons because first of all, when the book opens,

what is Jonah doing? He is fleeing from the presence of the Lord.

We might say it this way. He's flying away. He's moving in the wrong

direction. He's taking flight running from God. By the time you come to the end of the book,

now he has turned around, that's really a picture of what repentance is, and he's moving in the

right direction. He is obeying God. He's doing what God has given him to do.

And that's most appropriate because, in fact, the first time a dove is ever found in

scripture is in Genesis chapter 8 in verse number 8, where it is a bearer of good news.

He remembers it's connected to Noah and the flood. The dove's a picture of peace. That was the

message that Jonah was sent to deliver. Somebody said,

I thought he was supposed to preach about judgment. Oh, he was, but the bad news was to lead people

to the good news. The message of sin and judgment was to lead people to a place where they could

have peace with God. He was a messenger of mercy. In fact, Jonah is the only Old Testament prophet

to whom Jesus likened himself. Matthew chapter 12 and verse number 41. And Jesus said a greater than

Jonah is here. Jonah was to be a messenger of mercy. The Lord Jesus came as a messenger of mercy. And you

and I are called on to carry a message of mercy. The Lord Jesus came as a messenger of mercy, and you and I are called on to carry a message

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