What we do, or fail to do, affects others. Because He remembered Hannah, He remembered the Israelites. That which I have vowed I will pay. III. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice. The men decide to draw lots to see who is responsible for the storm and the lot falls on Jonah. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. He revealed he was a Jew and despite his disobedience, he declared he feared the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.4Jonah retained his testimony and witness. They were aghast at Jonahs behavior in fleeing God (Jonah 1.10). Yet he became angry when God removed it. 2 Chronicles 36.23; Ezra 7.21; Nehemiah 2.20; Daniel 2.18-19, 37, 44). He created a storm to ensure the ship never reached Tarshish and arraigned a great fish to swallow him. at least not as the first recourse. Because if God changed His mind, then theres a big question mark about His all knowing nature. When Jesus told the Twelve not to go to Gentiles it was because Israel had to repent first to comply with the kingdom blessings which were part of the Abrahamic Covenant. God promised that the covenant line, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through whom came the Jews, would bless Gentiles. Three days later, in a figurative rebirth, the fish spits Jonah up onto the land. Solomon wrote, the lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD (Proverbs 16.33). The reason: God destroyed his army. The power of Gods word is revealed by the peoples response. But Jonah received more than a mere mention. The phrase, or like expression, the word of the LORD came governs the books structure and occurs twice (Jonah 1.1, 3.1). Jonah 3 God gave His commission to Jonah a second timeand this time, Jonah was ready to obey. Distance-He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish, away from the LORD. God asked Jonah if he should really be angry about the plant, and Jonah said he should be angry, even to death. That attitude, rather than Jonah's outward disobedience, was what upset God the most. By the way, Do u pastor any congregation? Gods statement to Jonah reminds one of Jesus parable of the laborers of the vineyard (Matthew 20.1-16). God not only plays dice, His dice are loadedand invisible. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the. Jonah did his best to escape one great fish, only to be swallowed by another. Jonah will go finally to Nineveh and there proclaim a message that will be heeded by those who are so lost in sin that they do not know their right hand from their left (see Jonah 4:11). So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. Exodus 25.9; Hebrews 8.5). Note that Jonahs defiance also endangers others. ), king of Assyria, invaded Israel during Hezekiahs reign about 50 years later. Do not let them eat or drink water. Such was the case of Peter who reluctantly went to Cornelius house (Acts 10.28). I wish I were dead! Similarly, in our own culture today a good deal of pain and loss results from the defiant, selfish, and bad behavior of many. Did he fear that their redemption would make a mockery of his prophecy (that the city would be destroyed)? When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. I believe Jonah didnt go, nor was the intent of God that he go to preach the Gospel but rather he was to preach judgement. The sailors wrenched to and fro and the wind howled so that the crew screamed to be heard. Jonah is now beginning to come to his senses, In effect, Jonah says to them, Kill me. They recognized Gods sovereignty: You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased. When Jonah hit the water, the storm ceased. He could feel seaweed wrapping around his head as the waves swept over him. Of all the prophets, Jonah is perhaps the most reluctant; his struggle with sin is not hidden. Implicit in Jonahs message was that God was displeased with their behavior. He had experienced peace, fast asleep in the hold of the ship, pleased with his decision to sail to Tarshish. Jonah is remarkable in that wherever he went, in obedience or disobedience, people were saved. He proclaimed the message that God gave him, " Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown!" (3:4). All Your breakers and billows passed over me. I agree that Christ was the first to be permanently raised from the dead. This familiar expression is found in many books of the Bible, occurring 92x (e.g., Genesis 15.1; 2 Samuel 7.4; 1 Kings 6.11, 16.1, etc.) 4 At this, I said, Jonah doubtless had meantime complied with the captain's request, but, as the sailors saw, without visible effect. When Paul made his defense before the Jews in Jerusalem they listened to him until he uttered the words,And He said to me, Go! Numbers 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. The Bible is replete with examples. God replied to Jonah:Do you have good reason to be angry (Jonah 4.4)? Throughout the telling, Jonahs disobedience and iniquity is highlighted by repeated use of the verb down. Rather than follow Gods instruction, Jonah goes down to the port city of Jaffa, then down onto the ship on the way to Tarshish, then down to a lower deck. Jonahs problem was he could not see beyond his hatred of the Assyrians and his patriotism. 16Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. 3Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.. Rise up, call upon your God! No one is merely an individual;we are also members of the Body, members of the community, whether we want to admit it or not. All the while, they continue to ramble on about their right to do as they please. Sigh. It is a luscious, heartfelt piece depicting the repentance of the Ninevites. 2 I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. The Bible has no shortage of characters who heed divine calls. Rob, Thanks as always for your helpful suggestions. Its another classic example of archaeology confirming the Biblical record. Get up, call on your god. Why did the storm intensify if the men were trying to row to land? Gods will and plan operates within and accommodates human volition. 7Charles Halton. He has declared the first shall be last, and the last first (Matthew 20.16). The point of Jesus parable and the point of Jonah is that grace is greater than law. 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. I have a question about the scripture that reads: for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Since Jesus was not dead and buried for three nights, what does in the heart of the earth mean? God repeated his command to Jonah. No worries. The book of Jonah is short, compassing four brief chapters of 48 verses. No, I am not a pastor. Or whither shall I flee from thy face? Of all the prophets, Jonah is perhaps the most reluctant; his struggle with sin is not hidden. In this sovereignly enacted covenant, He declared His blessings to Gentiles would be mediated through a new race of people, the Jews. Salvation is from the Lord.. the story told by Cicero of Diagoras (de Nat. In the belly of the fish, Jonah finally descends as far as possible and hits (literal) rock bottom the bottom of the sea. The word means fish but the scope of meaning of is unclear. I do not deserve to live.This is not repentance; it is despair. God is aware of all man does. Yet You brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God! So I am trying to gain understanding here. But Jonahs hatred of these people is evident throughout the book even to the end. and a cause of grief to others around him. Here, Jonah a prophet who likely understood what was happening might, indeed should have taken responsibility for the storm and prayed to his God to save the innocent sailors. What is your occupation? K. M. Craig, Jr. stated it was enormously varied, rich, and complex (A Poetics of Jonah: Art in the Service of Ideology). I tend to think that the heart of the earth may have a broader meaning. He knew that God was compassionate and suspected that the city might repent and be spared. Mr. Reade went on to say, "It contains forty-eight verses and 1,328 words. Struck with great fear of the LORD, the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him. In the end, the men must hand Jonah over to the Lord. On account of selfishness and sexual misbehavior, many families have been torn apart. 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. Make a deal with God and He will keep it. Commentators cite the story of Diagoras told by Cicero ('De Nat. God controls and uses nature to achieve His ends. John, Thank you. He said, , nto Your holy temple (Jonah 2.7). In effect, God says to Jonah, Now, where were we?. "Little I wonder if the ship is wreckedWhich carries thee and thy ill-gotten wealth." By Msgr. Charles Reade, the English novelist, wrote, Jonah is the most beautiful story ever written in so small a compass.2The story has a clearly defined structure and is replete with figures of speech: puns, hendiadys, merism, chiasm, parallelism, etc. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; All Your breakers and billows passed over me. On whose account has this calamitystruck us? When spoken, it brings men to salvation. At the opening of his story, God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh, one of the largest cities in ancient Mesopotamia, and the capital of Israels most dangerous enemy, the Assyrian empire. In a remarkable turn in the story, those who are not believers in the God of Israel dress down Jonah,who is to be Gods prophet, unto repentance! The bottom line (if youll pardon the financial pun) is that sinful choices are usually very costly. - Jonah is a book about a man that was facing the exact same issue we are raising this morning. Great work Sir Samdahl! 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