JONAH 2:7-10 - JONAH IS GRATEFUL BUT FISHY FEELS SICKY

JONAH 2:7-10

JONAH IS GRATEFUL

BUT FISHY FEELS SICKY

Jonah 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

Susan: It took a near death experience for Jonah to realize that needing God and talking to Him, prayer, was vitally necessary, and exceedingly excellent.

Susie: Jonah realized that even though God manifested His presence in the temple at Jerusalem, He was able to hear and respond to Jonah’s heart cries from inside a fantastic fish in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

Jonah 2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

Susie: When the sailors prayed to their pagan idols, there was no response. The sea still raged. The ship was still tossed about. There was no mercy.

Susan: When Jonah inquired of the one and only true God, the sea instantaneously quieted as the sailors flung Jonah overboard in obedience to God’s will.

Susie: Pagan deities were not known for mercy. They were vengeful narcissists and needed constantly to be appeased. But our God is a God of mercy and grace, willing to receive the repentant sinner unto Himself.

Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.

Susan: Jonah lifted his voice in gratitude for the saving grace of His God.

Susie: Notice that all this praying is while Jonah is still embraced by the claustrophobic tomb of the gargantuan fish. This reminds me of Paul’s admonition to us.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Susan: Jonah says he will make good on what he has promised to the Lord.

Susie: The Bible does not specify what Jonah had vowed to do, but it would seem logical that he is saying he will obey the Lord and preach in Nineveh.

Susan: I would think Jonah would want to travel to Nineveh and give them God’s message after this tumultuous ordeal he had been through and having to confess, repent, and get back in God’s favor. I would want to go and see what the end result of obedience would be.

Susie: As we will see later, Jonah had an inkling what the end result would be when he prophesied in Nineveh. It is part of the reason he ran.

Jonah 2:10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Jonah 2:10 (VOICE)   Then the Eternal One directed the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto the shore.

Susie: The Lord showed the fish where to swim in order to deposit the prophet on dry land in a good place to begin his journey to Nineveh.

Susan: I find it ironic that we as people of God fail to remember that God orchestrates all things for His purposes and His pleasure.

Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Susie: When the Lord had the fish in the perfect position, He caused it to become violently ill and spew Jonah onto the shore. Pretty gross, but I’m sure Jonah was grateful to be on dry land even if he was in dire need of a bath.

Note from The Reformation Study Bible:

The fish, which might have been God’s weapon of death, by grace became God’s tool of deliverance.

QUESTIONS

1.        What did it take for Jonah to remember to pray?

2.        Has God ever had to take you to the lowest place before you looked up to Him? Describe that encounter.

3.        What did the temple symbolize for Jonah?

4.        Contrast pagan gods with the One True God.

5.        What did Jonah promise God in his prayer?

6.        What do you think Jonah vowed to the Lord?

7.        Why did the fish suddenly spit Jonah out?

JONAH 2:4-6 - EYES COVERED WITH SEAWEED, JONAH SEES HOPE

JONAH 2:4-6

EYES COVERED WITH SEAWEED,

JONAH SEES HOPE

Jonah 2:4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

Susan: Jonah, who had try to flee from God’s presence, had been banished from that presence temporarily and almost extinguished by the ravaging violence of the sea.

Susie: Once again, Jonah acknowledged that it was not the sailors who had sentenced him to what he thought would become a watery grave. Rather, God had orchestrated his being cast down nearly to oblivion as judgment for his sin of rebellion.

Susan: Jonah was confident that he would once again go to the temple in Jerusalem and experience the awesome wonderment of the manifest presence of the Lord.

Susie: He knew his prayer was being answered by the all-powerful God who was able to deliver him out of the fish when He saw fit to do so.

Jonah 2:5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

Susie: Jonah gave a graphic description of his descent into the depths of the sea—the water engulfing him, the slimy sea weed choking him, the pressure closing in to his inmost being.

Susan: He was entangled in seaweed even up to his face, perhaps immobilizing him, preventing his futile attempts to swim to the surface.

Jonah 2:6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

Susan: Jonah was caught up in what my former pastor, LaDonna Osborn Nickerson, described as the “current of divine destiny.” Jonah felt he was being buried alive and the bars of death were closing him off forever. God had to bring him to the brink of death in order to save him from himself, from his own rebellion. Anyone or anything other than God could not have delivered Jonah at this point.

Susie: Jonah praised God for his deliverance, for bringing him up from the death grip of the sea. God could have called another prophet to go to Nineveh in Jonah’s place; but even in His judgment of Jonah’s sin, the Lord displayed mercy and grace to rescue him and allow him to continue in His service.

QUESTIONS

1.        By faith, Jonah says he will once again see the temple. Why would that be important to Jonah?

2.        Why do you think Jonah recounted the details of his near drowning in his prayer?

3.        God gave Jonah a second chance to obey Him. Has God ever given you a second chance? Describe that occasion and your reaction.

JONAH 2:1-3 - JONAH PRAYS FROM THE BELLY OF HELL

JONAH 2:1-3

JONAH PRAYS

FROM THE BELLY OF HELL

Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly,

Susie: Jonah’s private prayer closet was inside the fish’s belly—wet, slimy, and most definitely smelly.

Susan: Now Jonah’s attention has finally turned to his God, to the Person and place you would think the prophet of God would look all along. God had to bring Jonah to the point of being at the end of himself where he had no resource except for the Lord to deliver him.

Susie: This is true for many people who have rebelled against God. It is only when they have sunk to the lowest level possible that they look up and see God. The hardest thing as a parent, a sibling, a friend is to cease trying to rescue them ourselves and let them hit rock bottom in order to learn to depend upon God.

Jonah 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

Susie: When Jonah hit that place of rock bottom or in his case the darkness of the mammoth fish’s belly, he cried out to the Lord God. He remembered the Lord was sovereign over all of nature and every creature He created. He remembered that God was in control.

Susan: Jonah compared being in the fish to being in hell, complete separation from his Source who is the One True God, the God of Israel. In this place of pitch black horror, Jonah was assured that God heard his cries.

Susie: In our darkest moments, we can rest assured that our Master, Savior, Father hears us as well. The night my husband left me, I was at the lowest point I had ever been. I cried out or actually screamed at God, and I found Him to be my loving Father, full of grace and comfort.

Susan: One of the darkest moments of my life was, like Jonah, a time when I had disobeyed the Lord. God had impressed upon me that I needed to end a relationship that I had thought would result in marriage and return to being just friends or I would be heart broken. I refused to act on that  immediately and argued with God. Because I didn’t obey and kept pursuing the relationship, I ended up with a shattered heart when he said he wanted to date other people. When I cried out to God, He provided one of my professors and his wife to help put my pieces back together. In so doing, God graciously gave me two life-long friends, prayer warriors, familyship who continue to encourage me today.

Jonah 2:3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

Susie: Something Susan and I noticed about this verse that had never jumped out at us before is that Jonah says GOD cast him into the deep. Not the sailors, but the Lord! We knew that was ultimately true but had never noticed that Jonah acknowledge that truth.

Susan: Wow! I’m 50 years young and have graduated seminary, and I had never seen that before.

Susie: Ultimately, God was responsible for the sailors’ actions because He made it clear it was necessary in order to save the ship and themselves. This is an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty, His absolute rule and control, as He controlled the circumstances.

Susan: Jonah had sunk to the depths of the deep, perhaps nearly to the bottom of the sea before the fish gulped him down.

Susie: Not sure whether Jonah had the presence of mind to be thankful for the fish at the moment he was swallowed; but in retrospect, he realized the Lord sent it to save him from drowning.

QUESTIONS

1.        Jonah prayed from inside a fish. Have you ever found yourself in the lowest, darkest place and cried out to God? Write about that experience.

2.        Jonah had confidence God heard his prayer. Do you have a relationship with God as Father that assures you that He will hear your prayer? If so, explain how you have that confidence. If not, please talk with a Christian friend, pastor, or Bible study leader to find out how you can have that confidence.

3.        Jonah realized that God had orchestrated his dire circumstances. Do you take comfort in knowing God has allowed you to be in an uncomfortable situation or does that make you question Him? Explain. 

Jonah 1:14-17 - JONAH BECOMES FISH FOOD

Jonah 1:14-17

JONAH BECOMES FISH FOOD

Jonah 1:14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.

Susie: The crew’s attempt to row to the nearest shore had failed, and they saw that there was no other alternative than to do what Jonah had told them, to cast him into the sea.

Susan: They entreated the Lord, Jonah’s God, not to visit punishment upon them for causing Jonah’s death. They fell upon God’s benevolent nature.

Susie: Their words indicate that they believed this was what God wanted, that He was doing as He pleased by causing the storm and having them throw Jonah overboard.

Jonah 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

Susie: As soon as Jonah hit the water, God caused the sea to be calm once more.

Susan: The sailors saw the veracity of the sovereignty of God. They had seen the consequences of Jonah’s disobedience.

Susie: Both the storm and the timing of its ceasing proved to these pagan men that Jonah’s God had complete power over nature. They saw God’s sovereignty, His might, and His grace in sparing their lives. Another group of men in a boat were witnesses to the power of God over the sea:

Matthew 8:23–27 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 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: The disciples were familiar with the prophet Jonah and should have recognized that Jesus was confirming His deity by calming the sea. After all, the pagan sailors on the ship with Jonah recognized the power of God immediately!

Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.

Susan: The sailors were experiencing complete, abject terror. There are no words to describe the paralyzing fear of being extinguished by and almighty, all-powerful God.

Susie: Jonah may have taught them more about God than what is recorded here. The men knew that offering a sacrifice and making vows to the Lord were the proper responses to thank Him for sparing them. We are not told what kind of sacrifice they made. I suppose they had animals on board.

Susan: These pagan, Gentile men followed proper protocol for showing an attitude of gratitude.

Susie: The Bible does not tell us what their vows were, but I am confident they were careful to fulfill them!

Jonah 1:17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Susie: The Lord was already preparing this fish long before Jonah was thrown into the sea.

Susan: A fish that large probably had to be growing even before Jonah was born! I wonder if the Lord hand fed the fish? Perhaps the fish was friends with God like Flipper the dolphin.

Susie: At any rate, God orchestrated the circumstances that would produce a fish large enough to swallow a man whole.

Susan: Seriously . . . that kind of meal could not go down easily.

Susie: And most man-eaters, like sharks, have plenty of teeth and chew their food. God miraculously provided a gargantuan fish and miraculously caused it to swallow Jonah without chewing. Then there is the miracle of Jonah not being harmed by the fish’s gastric juices.

Susan: Yuck, yuck, yuck!

Susie: I know. GROSS! Wait until the next chapter. But this was not just a “fish tale.”

Susan: Jesus identified Jonah’s story not as fiction, fable, or parable, but as fact.

Susie: He used Jonah’s sojourn inside the fish as an illustration of the time He would spend in the tomb.

Matt. 12:40 (VOICE) Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, as the Son of Man will spend three days and three nights in the belly of the earth.

QUESTIONS

1.        What did the sailors beg of God?

2.        What happened when the crew threw Jonah overboard?

3.        What was Jesus showing the disciples when He calmed the storm?

4.        What reaction did the sailors have when God calmed the sea as Jonah hit the water?

5.        How did the disciples react in a similar situation?

6.        How did the Lord rescue Jonah from drowning? Do you think Jonah recognized this as God’s provision in that moment? Why or why not?

JONAH 1:10-13 - INTERROGATION OF JONAH

JONAH 1:10-13

INTERROGATION OF JONAH

Jonah 1:10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

Susan: As the sailors interrogated Jonah, he told them he was running from the Lord.

Susie: They were terrified and asked Jonah why he would bring this punishment not only on himself but them as well.

Jonah 1:11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

Susan: The sea was disturbed, God’s anger displayed in the violent storm. Since Jonah was the guilty culprit, the sailors asked what they needed to do to punish him in order to appease Jonah’s God.

Susie: The sailors made the connection that if they pleased Jonah’s God, He would calm the sea.

Jonah 1:12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

Susie: I see three perspectives on Jonah’s response. First, since he was a prophet, He knew they must get him off the ship if they desired smooth sailing. Second, Jonah did not want the crew to die because of his sin and was willing to sacrifice himself for them. Third, Jonah would rather die than go to Nineveh and warn them of God’s wrath, giving them a chance to repent.

Susan: I believe it is a combo platter of these three ideas. Since Jonah was a prophet, he knew that if he remained on board, he would have even more to answer for then just his disobedience of fleeing God. He did not want the blood of the sailors on His hands. Even though he knew, as one of God’s prophets, that obedience was better than sacrifice, in this instance he thought sacrificing himself for the good of the crew was the answer. Jonah was still unwilling to obey God’s command to prophesy in Nineveh. Jonah was a true osmium-head (denser than lead) since he still was not responding correctly to God’s attention getter.

Susie: Jonah’s response was, “Toss me overboard and let me die. The pagan sailors were shocked by this idea.

Jonah 1:13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

Susan: The sailors were reluctant to kill God’s prophet. Think about it: pagan sailors knew better than be party to what they saw as a miscarriage of justice.

Susie: They did not want to be guilty of deliberately causing another’s death. These Gentile pagans showed more concern for Jonah, a Jew, than Jonah had for the Ninevites. Therefore, they rowed for all they were worth to try to bring the ship to land before the storm sank it.

QUESTIONS

1.        The sailors had determined that Jonah was to blame for the tempest. What two questions did they ask him?

2.        How did Jonah respond to the sailors?

3.        Why do you think Jonah responded in that way? Explain your answer.

4.        What did the sailors do next? Do you think you would have done what the sailors did? Why or why not?

JONAH 1:7-9 - JONAH'S THE CULPRIT

God gave Jonah clear instructions 

to go one way, 

but he was determined 

to run the other way. 

But God would have

the final say!

Jonah 1:7-9

JONAH’S THE CULPRIT

Jonah 1:7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Susie: These pagan sailors did not believe in happenstance. They believed a catastrophe of this magnitude must be because someone’s god was punishing them.

Susan: Casting lots was a common way of discerning the truth of a matter. The Jews strongly believed God controlled the outcome.

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. (Proverbs 16:33)

Susie: Jonah was shown to be at the center of their calamity.

Susan: So the sailors began interrogating Jonah.

Jonah 1:8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

Susie: These questions may have been shouted by several of them at once. They bombarded Jonah with these questions because they were puzzled about why his God was causing the storm.

Susan: It was almost as if Jonah stood before a verbal firing squad!

Jonah 1:9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

Susie: Jonah answered truthfully that he was a Hebrew, a Jew. But wait! NOW he fears the Lord? Why did that fear, that reverence, not keep him from trying to escape from an all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful, everywhere-present God?

Susan: Jonah was comfortable back in Israel, and God was asking him not only to leave his comfort zone but to go from home base directly into the enemies’ camp. In his humanity, his actions were out of self-preservation, or so he thought.

Susie: He had a lapse of faith, forgetting that we are never safer than when we are in the center of God’s will. He struggled with the notion that the Ninevites did not deserve the opportunity to repent as well.

Susan: God keeps us safe as we are cooperating with His divine design for our lives.

Susie: However, we must remember that “safe” may mean that He delivers us to the safety of heaven. Martyrdom does not mean that God lost control for a moment. I remember reading in The Cross and the Switchblade that when confronted by a knife wielding Nicky Cruz, minister David Wilkerson said something like, “If you cut me into a thousand tiny pieces, each piece will cry out ‘Jesus loves you!’” If the Lord had allowed his death, David would have still been preserved by the Lord.

Susan: The stormy sea was Jonah’s first light-bulb moment that the Lord was in control of all of nature—the wind, the sea, the land, and me. Even as a fleeing prophet, he declared this truth to the pagan sailors.

QUESTIONS

1.        Did the sailors believe that the storm was just an unfortunate circumstance?

2.        What did the sailor’s do to determine who was the cause of the problem?

3.        How did Jonah respond when he was determined to be the one being punished?

4.        What truth did Jonah proclaim about God in his answers to the sailors’ questions?

5.        Does this truth impact how you face trials? Explain.

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?