Weekly Devotion August 19 2024

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission

Bible Study Verse: MT 12:38-40, HCSB Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, Rabbi, we want to see a sign from you. But He answered them, An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign. But, no sign shall be given unto it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, even so the Son of Man shall be in the heart of the Earth three days and three nights. 

Thoughts: The two Northern Pike in the picture above reminded me of JONAH 1:17--Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. [NKJV] Dad and I were fishing in W PA on a lake that was loaded with Northern. The legal-size limit was minimum 36". We were catching many in the 18-24" range, but no keepers until Dad hooked and I netted this 39.5" monster [above]. Once the catch was safely on shore, we opened his mouth to remove the hook, and discovered that the tail of another fish was protruding up into his mouth--an 18" Northern! When we removed the smaller Pike, his head was partly digested from being down inside the big boy's stomach! And that big boy had hit the 6" chub that my Dad was using for bait, all while being filled with an 18"er. No one at that lake had ever seen such a sight! [Boy, am I glad we had that old Kodak Brownie camera!] No fisherman that I've told the story to since then has ever seen nor heard of such a thing. 

Action Point: Jonah's three-day underwater cruise was surely one of the most amazing, miraculous deliverances in the OT--and a prophetic sign! From the beginning of Jesus' Earthly ministry, His Father had shown signs regarding His Son's identity. Jesus was walking among the crowds and offering Himself to them as the Word...made flesh [literally who enfleshed Himself]. John said, He dwelt among us, and we observed His glory. [JN 1:14--HCSB] When the religious leaders demanded a sign, they weren't really seeking the Truth. So, His answer was to point them to a 600 year-old prophetic picture that He would fulfill--As Jonah was 3 days and nights...even so shall the Son of Man be. You see, Jesus pointed to a sign--Jonah. But He also WAS the sign-- everything about Him, all that He said, did and would do. But their problem was, having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? [MK 8:18--ESV] No fishermen had ever seen such a thing as an 18" Northern inside a 39.5" Northern. But they believed their eyes that day. Since then, fishermen have heard my story, and seen and believed my picture. What about you? Do you see, hear and believe what Jesus says and who He is? Without faith it is impossible to please Him. 

Sportsmen's Tip of the Day: A fishing unhooking mat makes handling big pike so much easier and protects the pike’s vulnerable skin and slime layer.