JONAH 1:4-6 - JONAH SLUMBERS WHILE THE SEA SWIRLS

JONAH 1:4-6

JONAH SLUMBERS

WHILE THE SEA SWIRLS

John 1:4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

Susan: God in His sovereignty controls all forces of nature. In the case of Jonah’s narrative, the focal point was a violent, rushing wind.

Psalm 104:4 Who makes winds His messengers, flames of fire His ministers.

Jeremiah 10:12-13 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

Susie: The Lord hurled that mighty wind to stir up a tempest. We read tempest and think, “Oh, a storm;” but seasoned sailors would not fear a regular storm. This was far more than some rain and slightly larger than normal waves.  We went to our favorite dictionary to get a better understanding of the word “tempest.”

Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language:

Tempest - An extensive current of wind, rushing with great velocity and violence; a storm of extreme violence.

Susan: The sailors were trembling and were terrified the ship would be reduced to a pile of toothpicks, and they would become like Egypt’s army in the Red Sea, overwhelmed and overtaken by the waves, never to see land again as they would become fish food.

John 1:5 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. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

Susie: Each man cried out to whatever deity he believed in or even half-way believed in to save them. They sprang into action throwing all the valuable cargo overboard to lighten the ship in hopes of keeping it afloat.

Susan: Jonah, after his intense sprint to catch a ship at Joppa, was exhausted, physically spent. He felt the stress of running from God. The load of guilt on Jonah’s shoulders felt like something even Atlas could not carry. Jonah’s sound sleep was a result of his disobedience to God. When Jesus stayed sound asleep in the boat despite a sudden storm, it was because He was secure in His Father’s constant care and purpose for Him.

Matthew 8:24-27 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Susie: Therefore, Jonah lay snoring in the hold of the ship while it was all hands on deck and panic filled the air.

Jonah 1:6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

Susie: The captain of the ship realized that Jonah was the only man who was not simultaneously shouting prayers to his God and dumping excess cargo overboard.

Susan: The captain, in great haste, awakened Jonah and entreated him to pray to whatever God he worshipped to spare them. What a wake up call!

Susie: All of these pagan men recognized that this storm was of such magnitude that it must be a supernatural event. Because of the nature of their false gods, their immediate assumption was that a god was punishing someone. As they each examined their own lives and repented to their gods, Jonah had been sleeping through his “wake-up call” from God!

Susan: Jonah knew full well that he was the disobedient party who was fleeing God’s sovereign command.

QUESTIONS

1.        Who controls all of nature?

2. What did God use to literally and figuratively wake up Jonah?

3.        What was the response of the sailors to the tempest?

4.   Has God been giving you a “wake-up call?” Are responding in faith and obedience or are you trying to sleep through what He is going in your life?