The truth of God

The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai:
Jonah 1:1, New Living Translation

Johah's father's name was Amittai, which means, "the truth of God". The Hebrew word Amittai comes from the Hebrew word Emeth, wich in English means veracious, which means, "speaking or representing the truth".

I wrote earlier that Jonah means dove, which symbolizes peace. I would add that dove also sometimes symbolizes mourning- "mourning dove", which holds the idea of processing grief. Prophets are heartbroken people who are interceding for people who are disconnected from God.

Jonah's father's name is also prophetic or foretelling of Jonah's commission to speak God's truth. Perhaps this name befell him because it said, "this man is telling the truth of God." It also speaks of Jonah's message just being the simple truth. It's not some complicated plan or program. God's ways may be hard and challenging if you've been going another way, but they are not complex or sophisticated. Untangling lies and deceits is complicated, but God's love and repentance are simple.

"All I am offering is the truth", is the side note to the prophetic message. You have believed in lies perhaps and built yourself upon them and invested in them. The truth might be astonishing. The messenger is only responsible for delivering the message, not adding to it. One person called adding to God's words, "hamburger helper". If you are called to speak for God, it may seem outlandish or too good to be true or out of this world. Our job is not to edit the word or spin it or put in caveats. Our assignment is just to give what we get. We may get in the way if we try to immediately interpret the word if it comes in a parabolic or dark speech type of package. It's ok to say, "I don't know or I'm not sure what this means, but this is what I heard or saw."

I watched the beginning of the film, "The Trip To Bountiful", this past week; and the opening titles contain a portion of the song, "Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling". Jesus is still calling.



Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.

O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

Will L. Thompson, 1880