Jonah 2
OGCEXAMINATION
CONSIDERATIONS
Why would God send a prophet of Israel to a great heathen city like Nineveh?
Do you think the literal meaning of Jonah’s name, dove, has any symbolical significance concerning his mission?
Is there sufficient evidence to establish the historicity of the experience of Jonah? What is the evidence?
ASSOCIATIONS
Associate the persons or events of column one with the correct person or event of column two.
1
2
Jeroboam II
capital of Assyria
Jonah
where Jonah was headed
Nineveh
coastal city of Palestine
Gath-hepher
the Pit
Tarshish
Jonah’s home town
Joppa
king of Israel
Amittai
dove
Sheol
father of Jonah
MEMORIZATIONS
Arise, go to _____, that great city, and _____ against it; for their _____ is come up before me. And God saw their _____, that they turned from their _____ way; and God _____ of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not.
CONTEMPLATIONS
Why would God be concerned with the wickedness of Nineveh?
Did Jonah really think he could get away from Jehovah by going to Tarshish?
Why did God cause the storm?
Were the heathen sailors really converted to God?
Is it possible for a man to survive being swallowed by a fish?
How did the fish transport Jonah to Nineveh, an inland city?
Why did Jonah attempt to run away? How did he explain it himself?
Why was Jonah angry when God did not destroy Nineveh?
How is Jonah a type of Christ?
IN EVERY NATION SERMON ON JONAH
Truly I perceive that God shows not partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Acts 10:34-35
INTRODUCTION
I.
WHO WAS JONAH?
A.
His name means, literally, a dove. He preached God’s peace to the Ninevites
B.
Jonah was a citizen of the northern kingdom, Israel, He lived in Gath-heper in the days of Jeroboam II
C.
Israel was, in spite of its affluence, corrupt and decadent and ripe for the judgment of God
D.
Jonah was a prophet of God; sent by God to preach to Israel (2 Kings 14:25); a contemporary perhaps of Elisha, Joel and Amos
II.
WHAT WAS JONAH’S MISSION?
A.
Jonah was, we believe, to preach God’s judgment upon the wickedness of Nineveh, and upon Nineveh’s repentance and God’s salvation, they became an object lesson for Israel, that, … in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.
B.
THIS IS THE MESSAGE JONAH BRINGS TO US TODAY
God is no respecter of person
He hates and will punish wickedness wherever it is found
He loves and will reward righteousness wherever it is found
This three-fold message is to be delivered to the whole world through preachers
C.
Jonah’s experience became a prophetic type of the work of the Messiah in suffering death for sinraised from the dead to bring salvation to the world
III.
JONAH’S EXPERIENCE HAS ANOTHER LESSON FOR US
A.
God says Go!
B.
Man says No!
C.
The World, His Word can know
DISCUSSION
I.
GOD SAYS, GO!
A.
Through His word (Revealed Commands)
God’s word came to Jonah, how, we know not, probably directly
a.
God’s word had come to the Jews as a nation, earlier, that they were to be witnesses to the nations round about them of the one true God (cf. Deuteronomy 26:19; Deuteronomy 28:1; Deuteronomy 28:9-10)
b.
But in Jonah’s day the Israelites were so much like their heathen neighbors God commanded Jonah to go bring the nations to repentance as a lesson for Israel
c.
Jonah was commanded to go into urban evangelism in a foreign country! Nineveh was about the size of St. Louis (600,000 pop.; approx. 18 sq. miles in size); its inhabitants noted for their cruelty against enemies, culturally sophisticated.
d.
There was no doubt in Jonah’s mind that God had called him. It was not an emotional experience Jonah had to wonder about.
e.
GOD DID NOT LEAVE ANY PROPHET IN DOUBT WHEN HE CALLED THEM THROUGH HIS WORD! GOD’S COMMAND TO GO IS UNEQUIVOCALLY PLAIN AND IMPERATIVE!
God’s word comes to every Christian whose heart is sensitive and fully surrendered to His will, saying, Go!
a.
Go. and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28:19-20
b.
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, Mark 16:16 ff.
c.
… what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2
d.
GOD’S COMMAND TO GO IS UNEQUIVOCALLY PLAIN AND IMPERATIVE IN THE N.T. Men today are called through the gospel. God does not single out individuals today and speak to them audibly as He did to Moses, Isaiah, etc. BUT ALL CHRISTIANS ARE ENTREATED TO GO SOMEWHERE WITH THE GOSPEL!
B.
God says, Go Through His Ways
God said Go to Jonah through the storm, the testimony of the heathen sailors, the 3 days and nights in the belly of the great fish.
Sometimes God does not get our attention until He hits us between the eyes with the proverbial two-by-four of trial and tribulation.
It was Paul’s blindness on the Damascus road that called him to hear God’s voice; it was Paul despairing of life that made him trust in God (2 Corinthians 1:3-11), and his thorn in the flesh that kept him from boasting (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Alexander Campbell and other great Restoration preachers were called by God through trying experiences
Wes Tuttle and wife directed to God’s call to evangelize through tragedy in the family; Roy Rogers and his wife
When such a call comes through providential working of God in our lives, whether we answer correctly or not depends upon whether we know, understand and are willing to acknowledge that God does call in such a way!
Some recruits to specialized service find many trials in their way before they finally get to the place they have chosen to serve. BUT DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, THIS IS GOD CALLING YOU IN HIS OWN WAY!
C.
God says, Go Through His Whispers to your Conscience
In a report by W. A. Cunningham, Eastern Christian College a few years ago, listing a report from every country in the world, there are 35 countries which would welcome U.S. missionaries, many of them where no missionaries have yet gone!
The longer we wait the more difficult it will be. Did you know that 19 of every 20 who become Christians do so before they reach the age of 25; after 55, only one in 300,000! YOUTH MUST BE WON!
Did you know 40 million people die each yearHOW MANY ARE LOST TO AN ETERNAL HELL?! Will God require their blood at your hands? 80 people die every 60 seconds! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO SAVE THEM! ABOUT ONE HALF OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION HAVE NEVER HEARD OF JESUS!
1,000,000 Christians serve 100,000 churches of the 180,-000,000 people in the U.S.; 27,000 missionaries work among the other 2.5 billion in the world; 91% of the population of the world has only 6% of the full-time workers for the Lord!
WHAT DOES YOUR CONSCIENCE TELL YOU NOW! LISTEN TO IT! IT IS SAYING, WOE IS ME IF I PREACH NOT THE GOSPEL!
II.
MEN SAY, NO!
A.
Men say, Send someone elsenot me! Whether Jonah said, Why me? or not, we can only guess.
But whom else would God have sent in Jonah’s dayJeroboam II? the heathen sailors? THERE WAS ONLY ONE MAN FOR THE JOB, JONAH! JONAH PUT HIMSELF ON GOD’S LIST OF AVAILABLES WHEN HE ACCEPTED THE LORD AS HIS SAVIOUR!
Who else will God send today? The bartender? other non-Christians? nominal, worldly-minded Christians? JUST AS HE ASKED IN ISAIAH’S DAY, GOD ASKS TODAY, WHOM SHALL I SEND, WHO WILL GO FOR ME? The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are so few!
Even so, my friend, THERE IS ONLY ONE MAN FOR THE JOB, YOU! YOU PUT YOURSELF ON GOD’S AVAILABILITY LIST WHEN YOU ACCEPTED HIS SON AS YOUR LORD! Do not say, Send someone else, YOU DECIDED TO GO FOR HIM WHEN YOU CAME UNTO HIM!
Young people who have had all the opportunities of Christian training in their homes are the ones who cannot say, Send someone else!
Parents, whose children want to go, dare not say, Send someone else.
B.
Men say, Don-’t send me there, send me somewhere else! One thing is certain about Jonah, he did not want to go to Nineveh!
But God knew bestGod knew Jonah and God knew Nineveh, and God knew that Nineveh would repent at the preaching of Jonah
It was a case of running away from God.
Men, even Christian men, want to do everything else under the sun, but preach the gospel.
Men, even Christian men, want to go everywhere except the place they are best suited for and where God is evidently leading them
Why? Selfishness! Laziness! MANY WILL NEVER HEAR THE GOSPEL BECAUSE MEN DECIDE AGAINST GOING TO THEM WHEN THE TASK APPEARS TOO DIFFICULT. THERE ARE NO CONVENIENCES THERE. THE PEOPLE WOULD BE UNRECEPTIVE
Peter said, Don-’t send me to the Gentiles, but God sent him and a great victory was won!
Paul said, Don-’t send me to Troas, but God did and a great victory was won!
God sent St, Patrick to Ireland as a slave-boy to prepare him for later missionary work there
Christ said Don-’t send me to the Cross, but God did, and your salvation was wrought
C.
Men say, Don-’t send me now, send me some other time Perhaps Jonah rationalized with himself, If God would only wait, I would go to Nineveh some day! BUT GOD SAID, NOW!
Moses said, Wait, God, I-’m not eloquent But God said, NOW, MOSES!
Jeremiah said, Wait, God, I am but a youth, But God said, NOW, JEREMIAH!
Esther said, Wait, God, for a more opportune time, But God said, NOW, ESTHER!
GOD’S TIME IS ALWAYS NOW. GOD’S DAY IS ALWAYS TODAY
This does not mean that we should forget preparation to preach the gospel. it does mean that we must go somewhere, everywhere opportunity permits, even while preparing for some particular field. WE CAN PREPARE AS WE GO AND WE CAN GO AS WE PREPARE!
God will not waitif you resist and refuse His call, you will be lost, like king Saul, or like Baalam, or the rich young ruler.
SAY NO! TO THE WORLD; SAY NO! TO SATAN’S ENTICING WHISPERS; SAY NO! TO SELF; BUT FOR THE SAKE OF MILLIONS OF LOST SOULS, DON-‘T SAY NO! TO GOD!
III.
THE WORLD, HIS WORD CAN KNOW
A.
Many will be Receptive:
Jonah probably reasoned on the docks of Joppa: I have preached for years in Israel with no success in getting my own countrymen to repent, how does God expect me to reach foreigners!
But Jonah was in for a big surprise! The whole city received his message from the king down to the lowliest slave.
Why? Probably two reasons: First, they were probably thoroughly disillusioned with their own sinful lives and ready for a message of hope; second, there was evidence in the person of Jonah himself of the truth of his message!
Thousands upon thousands received the gospel in the first century for the same two basic reasons
Thousands upon thousands are ready to receive the gospel today, I am convinced, because of the first reason, but they have not accepted it yet, because it has not yet been evidentially presented to them. Jonah did not play upon the emotions of the Nineviteshe appealed to the evidences available! Jonah knew why he believed and was able to tell the Ninevites why they should believe!
Campus ministers are finding many disillusioned young people who want something solid, true, abiding, factual. This has been the experience of Roy Weece at University of Missouri; of Alan Bemo with Chinese students on Taiwan; of Gordon Souder in Canadaall over the world.
There is a constant barrage of requests coming to Ozark Bible College, and of other Bible Colleges I-’m sure, for trained young people, both men and women, to go to the far-flung limits of our globe. Requests from other missionaries; requests from the peoples of other nations.
B.
Many will Repent
. the king arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. and decreed that the whole city should do likewise
When God saw. how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.
Almost whole cities repented when Paul preached
Millions were saved from the apostate Roman church by the courageous preaching of Martin Luther
Millions have been brought back to Biblical Christianity as a result of the faithful, sacrificial work of Restoration pioneers
Thousands have been won to Christ just recently by dedicated young people; Joe Garman, graduate of OBC in Korean evangelistic crusades won thousands to Christ; the Reggie Thomas team in Africa including 4 OBC students) won thousands to Christ in just the summer months of school vacation.
Ted Hurlburt, in a very candid article about Bible College training, entitled What About the Preacher Shortage? Christian Standard, Feb. 3, 1968, writes: Young people, the fields are white unto the harvest! The message of Christ will still be valid after the last -hippie-’ has had his long hair cut and after any other new fad has lost its momentary popularity. Bible Colleges need more studentsstudents longing to have their convictions of a saving Christ developed so as to effectively communicate His salvation to a dead, doomed, and damned world.
The Lord says to you as he did to Paul at Corinth: Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, for I am with you,. for I have many people in this city. Acts 18:9-10
Yes, even the intelligentsia, the sophisticated-set, need the gospel and are willing to hear and repent Joplin Globe, Dec. 2, 1967, Pastor Preaches Gospel to Moonport Congregation. After extensive intimate talks with members of his -moonport-’ congregation. he concluded, -from what they told me that they needed basic, simple-’ exposition of Christian doctrine. While they were highly educated in electronics, etc.,. they were -biblically and theologically illiterate.-’ They wanted help in understanding the -person and nature of God-’ and in relating -His teachings and purpose to their own daily lives. -’ After five years at the Cocoa Beach church. he says he has found that the gist of his message needs to be the straight -good news of the gospel.-’
C.
Many will reject
The Bible is a book of history. It is candid, frank, accurate and realistic. It is not a philosophical-idealistic book of theories
Nineveh repented, but Jonah’s own people, Israel, went stupidly, blindly, rebelliously on its merry way to destruction.
This is what discouraged Jonah. Jonah was not a sadistic cold-blooded, monster whose consuming passion was to see innocent women and children slain by God. Fairbairn says, Jonah was downcast because the example of severity had been withheld, which he thought would operate so beneficially upon the minds of his countrymen and without which he seemed to have no means to attaining the great end and object of his life.
All of God’s efforts to bring Israel had failed thus far. Now God sought once more to move them from their downward plunge by working upon them through jealousy and shame while at the same time giving them an example of His mercy and love when repentance is shown. Jonah, like Elijah of old, was waiting for God to speak out of a whirlwind or with fire, but God spoke in a still small voice of forgiveness. The Jews expected Jesus to speak with judgment upon the Gentiles if He were the Messiah. PREACHERS HAVE A REPUTATION OF THINKING THEY KNOW BETTER HOW TO DO THINGS THAN GOD DOES!
So God teaches Jonah a lesson with the gourd. Jonah was distressed when it died because he needed it for shade. So, God needed to save Nineveh as an example of what He would do for Israel if she repented. God’s cause would suffer if Nineveh should be destroyed. SO, IN SPITE OF ALL MAN CAN DO AND IN SPITE OF ALL GOD DOES, MANY WILL REJECT. Many are called, but few are chosen.
Isaiah was told, when he had asked, How long, O Lord, Until cities lie waste and without inhabitant. Very few paid attention to Isaiah.
Jeremiah was so discouraged, he wished he had never been born, but there was a fire in his bones and he could not quit.
Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Peter and Paul. all had their moments of discouragement, their failures, their enemies, BUT THEIR VICTORIES FAR OUTWEIGHED THEIR DEFEATS, AND THEY KNEW THAT ULTIMATE VICTORY WAS ASSURED! They may lose a battle here and there but the war would be won!
Bill Junkins, former President of Midwest Christian College, writing about having left the ministry from discouragement and returning to the ministry wrote, Love your calling as a ministry sent to you by the Lord himself. It is the highest calling on earth. It is an invitation and challenge to walk with God where God walked when he visited our planet as our loving, serving, suffering Savior.
CONCLUSION
I.
JONAH, THE RELUCTANT PROPHET, TEACHES US:
A.
God Says, Go!
B.
Men say, No!
C.
The World, His Word Can Know
II.
LET THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAK TO YOU THROUGH THESE WORDS OF HIS:
A.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:14)
B.
For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. (1 Corinthians 1:21)
C.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men. For the love of Christ constrains us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 5:14; 2 Corinthians 5:20)
MY FRIEND, THERE SIMPLY IS NO WAY FOR THE BILLIONS DOOMED TO AN ETERNAL HELL TO KNOW GOD AND BE SAVED, EXCEPT YOU BECOME A PREACHER AND TELL AS MANY AS YOU CAN!
THE WHITE MAN’S BOOK OF HEAVEN
In the fall of 1832 five Indians traveled to St. Louisin search of the White Man’s Book of Heaven. They had heard about it from explorers and traders. It took them seven months to reach their destination.
When they arrived they were received by General Clark and entertained for the winter. However, two others died during the winter months, leaving only two of the original five. In the spring, when they were ready to leave, General Clark gave them a banquet. During the banquet one of them gave a farewell address. Finally, the two survivors started back to their tribe, but one perished on the way and only one of the five ever saw his tribe again. Following is the touching speech that was made at the banquet by the Indian who had traveled so far in search of the White Man’s Book of Heaven, *only to be shown images and burning candles and never once a copy of the Bible.
I came to you over the trail of many moons, from the setting sun. You were the friends of my fathers, who have all gone the long way. I came with an eye partly open for my people who sit in darkness. I go back blind to my blind people. I made my way to you with strong arms through many enemies and strange lands that I might carry much back to them. I go with both arms broken and empty. Two fathers came with us. They were the braves of many winters and wars. We leave them asleep here by your great water and wigwams. My people sent me for -The White Man’s Book of Heaven.-’ You took me to where they worship the great Spirit with candles, but the Book was not there. You showed me the images of the Great Spirit and the pictures of the good lands beyond, but the Book was not among them to tell us the way. I am going back to my people in the dark land. You make my feet heavy with gifts, and my moccasins will grow old with carrying them, and yet the Book is not among them. When I tell my poor, blind people, after the more snow, in the Big Council that I did not bring the Book, no word will be spoken by our old men or by our young braves. One by one they will rise up and go out in darkness and they will go a long path to other hunting grounds. No white man will go with them and no White Man’s Book of Heaven will make the way plain. I have no more words.*
What a fearful catastrophe! What a terrible denunciation! Would to God there had been a Christian with a copy of the Bible, who could have met the need of the Indians, sent as they were by the Spirit of God. What, I wonder, will the people of St. Louis of that day have to say when they stand before God? But now may God speak to our hearts, lest we, too, fail Him. May we do what we can to give The Book of Heaven to those who do not have it. Remember, a thousand tribes still wait in darkness and midnight gloom for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. How will we excuse ourselves if we, too, fail Him in this dark day and hour?
But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel. and they shall afflict you (Amos 6:14).
With the Assyrian campaigns into the west under their king, Shalmaneser III (859-824 B. C.)whose commanding figure we see heredisaster loomed ahead for Israel and Judah. I set out from Nineveh and crossed the Tigris is how this monarch begins his account of his first campaign against Damascus. In the fighting which led up to the Battle of Karkar in 853 B. C. King Ahab of Israel, who took part in the Syrian coalition against Assyria, had his first encounter with Assyrian troops. FROM: THE BIBLE AS HISTORY IN PICTURES
By Werner Keller - Wm. Morrow Co.
Jonah 2:1-6
GOD’S MESSENGER RUNNING TO GODTHE PRAYER OF JONAH
TEXT: Jonah 2:1-6
1
Then Jonah prayed unto Jehovah his God out of the fish’s belly.
2
And he said, I called by reason of mine affliction unto Jehovah, And he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I, And thou heardest my voice.
3
For thou didst cast me into the depth, in the heart of the seas, And the flood was round about me; All thy waves and thy billows passed over me.
4
And I said, I am cast out from before thine eyes; Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
5
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; The deep was round about me; The weeds were wrapped about my head.
6
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed upon me for ever; Yet hast thou brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my God.
QUERIES
a.
How could Jonah pray while in the belly of the fish?
b.
Where is Sheol?
c.
What does Jonah mean by the bottoms of the mountains?
PARAPHRASE
Then Jonah turned his heart and mind to the Lord his God and prayed from his heart in the belly of this great fish. He prayed, It was my affliction which caused me to call upon the Lord, and the Lord heard me! When I was in the embrace of death and the very grave itself I cried unto the Lord and You, O Lord, heard my plea. You cast me down into the very depths of the sea and I was surrounded by the waters. The raging waves and billows you sent to arrest me, Lord, passed over me. Then I realized that I had been banished from Your protecting love and care because of my sin; yet in faith I look forward to the hope that I would once again come into Your presence to worship You in Your holy temple. Yes, I was so sure that the sea was my grave that I despaired even in my soul. I sank beneath the waves and death was very near. The waters closed above me; the seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank to the very bottom of the sea where the foundations of the mountains are found. The way back to the earth was barred to me as a door of escape is bolted; yes, O Lord, My God, you rescued my life and brought me up from the very grave itself!
SUMMARY
Jonah’s soul was sorrowful even unto death (cf. Matthew 26:38) and he despaired even of life itself (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:8). He was so close to death that he considered himself actually dead. Yet the Lord delivered him back to life.
COMMENT
According to the destructive higher critics of the Old Testament this book we know as the book of Jonah was written by an unknown composer who took legends and mythological fairy-tales and formed it into the present book of Jonah. In the course of time this composition is supposed to have received certain changes, the most notable of which was the inclusion of the thanksgiving song (Jonah 2:3-10) with Jonah 2:2 as an introduction to this song. Those who believe that chapter 2 contains a psalm from a different source than the rest of the book of Jonah give the following arguments:
a.
In Jonah 2:1 it is said that Jonah prayed, but what actually follows is not a prayer but a psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance. And furthermore, they say, this psalm which suggests its connection with Jonah’s experiences. One critic was sure that Jonah 2:5 excluded the idea that Jonah was in the fish’s belly, because weeds do not grow in a whale’s belly.
b.
The critics say, lastly, that the text reads smoothly without this psalm, if Jonah 2:10 be placed immediately after Jonah 2:1, this proves it is not a part of the original.
Dr. Edward J. Young, in Introduction To The Old Testament, pp. 280-282, gives a conclusive defense of the unity of the book of Jonah. We include here his defense of chapter 2:
a.
In the first place, if Jonah 2:2-9 be removed from the book of Jonah, the symmetry of the book is most certainly destroyed.
b.
There is no conflict between the statement that Jonah prayed, and a psalm of thanksgivingfor is not thanksgiving of the very essence of prayer??
c.
Of course weeds do not grow in whale’s bellies, but this is not a psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance from a whale’s belly, but of deliverance from drowning in the depths of the sea.
d.
The prayer does not take place before the deliverance when we realize Jonah was saved when he was swallowed by the great fish and that his prayer was made then.
e.
That there is nothing in the psalm which connects it with Jonah’s experience is so absurd as to merit no answer!
There are some who explain the prayer as simply a fragmented collection of the book of Psalms interpolated here in Jonah’s book by an unknown redactor (editor). Moeller makes the following comparisons:
Psalm*
Psalms 18:17; Psalms 30:4; Psalms 103:4
Psalms 142:4; Psalms 143:4; Psalms 18:7; Psalms 5:8
Psalms 88:3; Psalms 31:7; Psalms 26:7; Psalms 50:14; Psalms 50:23; Psalms 42:5; Psalms 116:17
This is no evidence, whatsoever, for an unknown redactor interpolating excerpts from the book of Psalms into the book of Jonah. It is evidence that Jonah, the prophet of God, was a student of the Hebrew Scriptures and had written the word of God upon his heart and when in extreme circumstances was able to lift himself up by having hidden this Word of God in his heart.
Jonah 2:1-2 THEN JONAH PRAYED. I CALLED BY REASON OF MINE APPLICATION UNTO JEHOVAH. AND HE ANSWERED ME. It was because of his affliction that Jonah was led to cry unto God. This is the purpose of chastening. Our Heavenly Father knows that we have need of chastening and of endurance (cf. Hebrews 10:32-39; Hebrews 12:3-11). We should rejoice when it comes (cf. James 1:2-4). It is a school wherein we are trained (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11). It is only when we see our own helplessness and hopelessness that we are able to turn to God (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). It is when we are made weak that we become strong (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). The salvation of Jonah was the affliction the Lord placed upon him.
Prayer is an act of worship which covers all the attitudes of the soul in its approach to God. Some think there are certain postures necessary for prayer but the Bible shows by example that men may pray in any posture; kneeling (1 Kings 8:54; Ezra 9:5); standing (Nehemiah 9:5; Luke 18:13); bowing down upon the earth with face between the knees (1 Kings 18:42); lying in a sick bed and turning the face to the wall (2 Kings 20:2); falling prostrate upon the ground (Matthew 26:39); walking along or standing in public (John 11:41-42; John 12:28-28). Prayer is more an attitude than it is a formula or a ritual. Jonah could easily have prayed in the belly of the great fish without even opening his mouth. We are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and the only way this can be done is to be in an attitude of praise, thanksgiving, supplication and dependence upon God at all times whether, silent or aloud, whether lying down, sitting up or standing, wherever we may be.
Sheol is the Hebrew word usually translated in the Old Testament hell. It is also translated pit or grave. The context helps to determine the best translation. The etymology is uncertain. It may have been derived from a root word meaning a hollow place, Sheol means underworld, or nether-world, and is equivalent to Hades in the New Testament. In fact, the Septuagint, or Greek Old Testament, uses the word Hades in Jonah 2:2. Jonah cried out from the very grave!
Jonah 2:3-4. THOU DIDST CAST ME INTO THE DEPTH. THE FLOOD WAS ROUND ABOUT ME. I AM CAST OUT FROM BEFORE THINE EYES; YET I WILL LOOK AGAIN TOWARD THY HOLY TEMPLE. Jonah was as good as dead! He had resigned himself to it! As far as he was concerned there was no possibility of saving himself. And this is exactly where God wanted him! One of the great paradoxes of God is that we must die before we can live (cf. John 12:20-26).
Jonah had first to realize his estrangement from the Father before he could in all humility and dependent faith turn to the Father for help. Jonah, the Prodigal, recognized this when he said, I am cast out from before thine eyes. But then Jonah’s heart turned to God’s Word for its great and exceeding precious promises and in faith cried out that he would, God willing, be restored to the presence of Jehovah.
Jonah 2:5-6 THE WATERS COMPASSED ME ABOUT, EVEN TO THE SOUL. THE WEEDS WERE WRAPPED ABOUT MY HEAD. BOTTOMS OF THE MOUNTAINS. EARTH. BARS CLOSED UPON ME. YET HAST THOU BROUGHT UP MY LIFE FROM THE PIT. The weeds are probably the reeds and grass, the vegetation on the very bottom of the sea. Jonah was down as far as one could go! The word translated bottoms is from a verb which means to cut off, or to shear. It signifies the extreme end. Jonah was at the very bottom of the sea where it seems as if the very foundations of the earth are to be found. That he lived through this experience is indeed a miracle when one considers the short time it takes to drown and the death that can come from extreme pressures of the oceanic depths. The bars of the earth had clanged into place and he would not be permitted access there now. Jonah thought of the earth as a walled city with its gate shut and locked with a bar, preventing him from ever again entering. From all outward appearances, and as far as he could determine, he would never again see the earth.
Yet the Lord did bring up his life. He was resurrected from the gravesaved out from death, Thus he became a sign to his generation and a type of the Messiah Who was a Sign to His generation and all generations. We shall deal more with Jonah’s typical relation to the Messiah later.
QUIZ
Show that chapter 2 is not an interpolation by an unknown editor.
Why is it possible that Jonah’s words may be quotations of the Psalms?
What purpose does affliction serve?
What is Sheol?
How extreme was the condition of Jonah in the sea?
Jonah 2:7-9
GOD’S MESSENGER RUNNING TO GODTHE PROMISE OF JONAH
TEXT: Jonah 2:7-9
7
When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah; And my prayer came in unto thee, into thy holy temple.
8
They that regard lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
9
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is of Jehovah.
QUERIES
a.
What does Jonah mean by his soul fainting within him?
b.
Who are the they of Jon 2:8?
c.
What had Jonah vowed that he felt obligated to pay?
PARAPHRASE
When I found no strength in myself to save myself, I remembered the promises and power of the Lord to save. Then I turned to God in prayer and my earnest prayer went to You, Lord, in Your holy temple. Salvation and deliverance are found only in Jehovah and those who worship false gods have turned their backs on the only hope they have for mercy. As for me, I will worship only You, O God! I will give thanks to you with my lips and by obediently keeping the vows and commitments I have determined in my heart to do. The only salvation is to be found in such a relationship to Jehovah!
SUMMARY
Jonah’s experience leaves him with only one place to turn for salvationthe merciful promises of God. To Him Jonah turns pledging himself to keep the vows he made to God.
COMMENT
Jonah 2:7. MY SOUL FAINTED WITHIN ME, I REMEMBERED JEHOVAH;. As we pointed out earlier, only when a man is convinced that he cannot save himselfthat all other ways, systems and helps are insufficient for his needsonly then will he turn to God. It is the authoritative statement of God’s Word that all men are lost and condemned in sin unless they believe and obey God’s Word. The primary objective of Christians then is to convince men of the authority of God’s Word, the Bible. This has to be done by presenting the empirical, historical evidences that the Bible is the Word of God. God, by providential acts upon the course of events, oftentimes brings men and women to know their impotency and insufficiency. Then they are ready to turn to Him, but if they do not accept the Bible as His word, how can they trust in the promises of it? Jonah knew the Lordhe knew the Word of the Lord was true. Now he realizes his insufficiency so he turns back to the promise of the Lord. He prays in his most extreme hour of need and finds the peace which passes understanding. Christians have an even surer confidence and are commanded to come boldly to the throne of grace (cf. Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 10:19-25).
Jonah 2:8 THEY THAT REGARD LYING VANITIES FORSAKE THEIR OWN MERCY, Jonah is here referring to the heathen who worship idols. When men refuse to have God in their knowledge they become vain in their reasoning (cf. Romans 1:18 ff; Ephesians 2:1 ff). The Bible speaks of the gods and idols of man’s invention as vain, (cf. Isaiah 40:18-23; Isaiah 41:21-24; Isaiah 44:6-20; Acts 17:22-29, etc.). The word translated lying means, literally, a vapor or a breath. Vanity means empty, void, worthless, useless. The gods men invent are dumb, speechless, powerless, useless, false and deceitful! This is also true of religious, theological, philosophical systems invented by men which do not conform to the revealed will of God in the Bible. When men worship or put their hope in such gods and systems they cut off their noses to spite their faces. They willingly turn their backs on the only hope of mercy which is found exclusively in Jehovah God. We do not believe Jonah had specific reference to the heathen sailors with whom he had just parted company. The statement of Jon 2:8 forms what is known in Hebrew poetry as an antithetical parallelism. That is, Jonah is stating his praise for Jehovah God in the negative. Jonah’s reference to the nothingness of dead idols was calculated to heighten his praise of the living God! In Jonah 2:9 he makes the positive statement of his parallelism of praise.
Jonah 2:9. SACRIFICE UNTO THEE WITH THE VOICE OF THANKSGIVING. PAY THAT WHICH I HAVE VOWED. SALVATION IS OF JEHOVAH, The sacrifices with which God is most pleased, offered by Jonah here, are, the fruit of lips given to praise Him and a life surrendered, committed to His service, (cf. Psalms 51:15-17; Hebrews 13:15-16). Jonah’s vow was not extraordinary or peculiar; it was common for Jews to make vows in time of need, with the expectation of keeping the promise after relief was granted. Vows were never regarded as a religious duty even in the O.T. (cf. Deuteronomy 23:22). But when a vow was made God considered it binding (cf. Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Judges 11:35; Ecclesiastes 5:4; Psalms 66:13). Vows as such are not required in the N.T. neither are they prohibited. Jesus mentions vows only to condemn the abuse of them (Matthew 15:4-6; Mark 7:10-13; Matthew 23:16-22). But we most certainly must surrender and commit our entire being to the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 12:1-2) and we must confess with the mouth that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father (cf. Romans 10:9-10). If this is vowing then vow we must! The Hebrew word for salvation is the same word which we translated Joshua for it is a contraction of Jehoshua which means Jehovah is salvation. The Greek rendering of Joshua is Jesus. Jonah now knew by experience that the help he needed could come only from the Lord!
QUIZ
What two things are necessary, oftentimes, before men will turn to the Lord?
Why are gods and systems of men vain?
With what type of sacrifices is God most pleased?
Should Christians make religious vows?
Jonah 2:10
GOD’S MESSENGER RUNNING TO GODTHE PRESERVATION OF JONAH
TEXT: Jonah 2:10
10
And Jehovah spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
QUERIES
a.
How does God communicate with fish?
b.
Where did Jonah land?
PARAPHRASE
And the Lord commanded the fish to spit up Jonah on the beach and the fish obeyed the command of the Lord,
SUMMARY
Jonah is delivered with a second opportunity to carry out his commission from the Lord.
COMMENT
Jonah 2:10. JEHOVAH SPAKE UNTO THE FISH, AND IT VOMITED OUT JONAH. God has set the whole creation, except man, to function through orderly laws and instincts imposed upon it by His will. Man He created in His own spiritual image with a will free to make moral choice. But God, impels by a certain divine and secret power, as Cyril says, animal and inanimate creation to do His will in a miraculous way when it serves His purpose to do so, (cf. Balaam’s ass, Numbers 22:21-30; the star of Bethlehem, Matthew 2:2; Matthew 2:9). The land upon which Jonah was spewed out is not known for certain but we assume it to be the coast of Palestine or Syria (K & D think it was near Joppa where he boarded the ship to run away).
QUIZ
Cite other incidents where God has imposed His will on animals to use them miraculously.
How long was Jonah’s life preserved by God in the belly of this fish?