Jonah Flees From the Lord. Jonah 1:1-17

Transcription

1 1 Jonah Flees From the Lord Jonah 1:1-17

2 2 Text: Jonah Flees From the Lord Jonah 1:1-17, 1. Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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? 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. 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.

3 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. 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. 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. 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. 15. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 16. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows. 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. Introduction: I. Coffman lists the events discussed in this chapter as follows: A. God commanded Jonah to preach to wicked Ninevah. B. Jonah flees from God in sinful disobedience going in the opposite direction from Ninevah. C. God brings a great storm against Jonah and the ship on which he was a passenger. D. The sailors throw Jonah overboard and a great calm followed.

4 4 E. The sailors worship Jehovah God. F. Jonah was swallowed by a great sea creature and remained there for three days and nights. Commentary: Jonah 1:1, Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, I. The word of Jehovah came unto Jonah... A. The word of the Lord specifically is said to have come to other prominent personages. B. Scriptures: 1. Joshua 1:1, Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses minister, saying, 2. Judges 1:1, 2, Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the Lord said Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. 3. Hebrews 1:1, 2, God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds: 4. God s will was made known to Jonah through his word.

5 Remember: God has spoken unto us through his Son! II. Jonah means dove, a symbol of Israel, while Ammittai means truth. (Coffman) A. Coffman pointed out that the phrase can be rendered, dove, son of truth. B. All that is known of Jonah is revealed in the book of Jonah and in 2 Kings 14:25. (Coffman) 1. 2 Kings 14:25, He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Geth-hepher. III. The word of Jehovah came to Jonah about the year 755 B.C. when he was popular and in the midst of his prophetic career. (Smith) Jonah 1:2, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. I. Arise, go... A. 1 Kings 17:8, And the word of the Lord came unto him saying, 1. This verse addresses Elijah. 2. Arise, go... is a common Biblical injunction. II. to Ninevah that great city, and...

6 6 A. Ninevah, founded by Nimrod, was the capital of the Assyrian empire and was the world s greatest city of that day. B. Ninevah s population was 600,000 and was 80 miles in circumference, requiring three days journey to walk from one side of the city straight through town center to the other side. (Buller via Coffman) 1. Genesis 10:8-12, And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; wherefore it is said, Even s Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Baabel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah. And Resen between Nineveh and Calab: the same is a great city. III. cry against it, for their wickedness is come up before me. A. Myers via Coffman observed that Jehovah is here presented as the Ruler and Controller of all history, who had power over Ninevah just as he had (power) over Jerusalem. B. Jehovah is here shown to hate wickedness and will destroy the unrepentant just as he destroyed the sinners in the flood of Noah s day. 1. God is loving and merciful, but he is also severe! 2. He will cast the unrepentant into an eternal lake of fire and brimstone known as hell! 3. Human wickedness ascends as a stench to God.

7 7 C. Ninevah was unspeakably brutal and morally bankrupt! D. Ninevah survived Jonah by only about 200 years at which time it was, in 612 B.C., utterly destroyed by the Babylonians and Medo-Persians. E. Ninevah s repentance was a transient thing; when Ninevah returned to its wicked ways, God true, to his word, obliterated the city permanently! F. Scriptures: 1. Isaiah 10:5-12, O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have

8 8 I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therwith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat one leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth Kings 15:29, In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbeth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria Kings 17:6, In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 4. Isaiah 36:16, 17, Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one

9 9 the waters of his own cistern: Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. G. Smith noted that Nineveh was a second Sodom. Ninevah was great, but God was greater. Jehovah is the Lord of all nations. Jonah 1:3, But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. I. Jonah, as a prophet of God, surely knew God was in Tarshish as well as in Israel. (Coffman) A. Jonah sought to escape his duty, his responsibility. B. Adam and Eve tried to hide from God among the trees of the garden. C. Perhaps, as Clark suggested, Jonah may have thought that, if he were long gone, God would give the job of preaching to Ninevah to someone else. D. Genesis 4:16, And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. E. Psalm 139:7-10, Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

10 10 F. Jeremiah 23:24, Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. G. Genesis 3:8, 9, And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? II. While the exact location of Tarshish is not known with certainty, some place it on the southern coast of Spain just west of Gibraltar, others (Josephus) identify it with Tarsus of Cilicia, still others (Myers) place it on the island of Sardinia. (Coffman) III. Joppa, in the region of Dan, was one of few Israelite seaports until King Herod built Caesarea Philippi hundreds of years later. (Coffman) A. The devil had a boat ready for Jonah! B. From Gath-hepher to Joppa was about 60 miles. (Smith) IV. Jonah paid the fare, boarded the ship. A. Every soul that turns from God pays the price. 1. Judas paid the price. a. Acts 1:19, And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

11 The prodigal son paid the price. a. Luke 15:15-17, And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father s have bread, enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! B. The Phoenicians carried on a considerable trade with Tartessus, and it was probably in one of their ships that Jonah embarked. (Clark) 1. Ezekiel 27:12, Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. C. Jonah paid the full fare, as all sinners must. 1. Jonah s purse was better off than his soul. (Smith) V. Jonah, a successful prophet, rebelled against the Lord s command and became a deserter from the army of the Lord. (Smith) A. Smith wrote, Thus the text intends to relate that Jonah was resigning his prophetic office. He no longer wished to serve as God s messenger. B. Jonah found it was not all that easy to resign from the Lord s army. VI. Smith wrote, Believers today are under a commission to carry God s word to distant lands as much as was Jonah.

12 12 A. How are you responding to the Great Commission? B. Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Jonah 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. I. God has complete control over all nature including the weather. A. Sometimes God uses his intervention in nature to accomplish his will. II. This was a sudden, severe out of season great wind, storm which threatened to destroy the ship. A. Had this been the season for storms, experienced mariners would never have set sail. B. The mariners realized this was the work of an angry god. Jonah 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. I. The mariners were afraid.

13 13 A. Mariners means salts; that is, sailors of the salt seas, perhaps Phoenicians (Coffman) who were sea-faring people. II. Each man cried unto his god. A. That several gods are referenced may indicate the sailors came from a variety of geographical locations. B. Freedom of religion is clearly evident among these mariners. C. Prayers to heathen gods then and now are totally ineffectual. III. They lightened the ships by casting some of its cargo, wares, lading overboard. A. What a contrast! Heathens were praying earnestly and working hard to save the ship while Jonah was fast asleep! IV. Jonah lay fast asleep in the hold, inner recesses, of the ship. A. Jonah may have been exhausted and he may have thought, once he had boarded the ship, that he had escaped from having to preach to Ninevah. B. Compare and contrast this with Mark 4:38, And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carrest thou not that we perish? C. Mark 14:37, 40, 41, And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest; it is enough, the hour is

14 14 come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. D. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown wrote, Sleep is no necessary proof of innocence; it may be the fruit of carnal security and a seared conscience. 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. I. The captain of the ship (shipmaster, pilot) awoke Jonah and demanded why he was sleeping during this severe, life threatening storm. A. Coffman wrote that the word shipmaster literally implies the chief of the ropeman. II. The captain demanded that Jonah pray to his God in hope that God would deliver them from death in the storm. A. The shipmaster clearly believed the gods could intervene and still the storm. B. God succours and defends those who call upon him. Coffman) 1. Psalm 40:17, But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. 2. Psalm 107:27-32, They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit s end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the

15 15 storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 3. Exodus 2:25, And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. 4. Exodus 3:7, 9, And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows: Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. C. When do we call upon our God, all time or only when we are in big trouble? D. Smith surmised that the captain saw that praying to other gods had not lessened the storm s severity and that he may have thought that one more prayer to one more god might help their situation. E. Smith further asked and responded, Did Jonah pray? Not likely. Prayer and other religious exercises cannot cancel the effects of deliberate disobedience. 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.

16 16 I. Lots were cast to determine who was responsible for the trouble they faced. A. Evidently the mariners believed divine providence would determine the result of the casting of the lots. B. However, they followed the casting of lots with interrogation of Jonah and his confession of responsibility. C. Casting of lots was instrumental in the selection of Matthias to succeed Judas Iscariot. (Coffman) 1. Acts 1:26, And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. 2. Proverbs 16:33, The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord Chronicles 24:5, 7, 31, Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar. Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, These likewise cast lots over against their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites, even the principal fathers over against their younger brethren. II. Coffman wrote, There is in the verse a strong example of the almost universal conviction that sin is connected with all human disasters.

17 17 A. Acts 28:4, And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. B. John 9:2, And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? C. Sin brings trouble and it often affects the innocent. D. One way or another we do for sure reap what we sow. III. The lot fell on Jonah! A. Whether by chance or providence, the lot indeed fell on 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? I. The mariners asked Jonah, A. Tell us for whose cause this evil is upon us. 1. This was a respectful gentle interrogation. 2. Joshua 7:19-21, And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done; When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred

18 18 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I covered them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. B. What is your occupation? 1. Prophet of the most high God. C. From where do you come? What is your country? 1. Gath-hepher, Zebulun, Israel. 2. Smith observed that, in those days most nations had their own set of deities. D. Of what people are you? 1. Hebrews. 2. This is a term used by descents of Jacob to identify themselves to foreigners. 3. To each other they were Israelites. II. This interrogation led to confirmation of the casting of lots identification. 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. I. I am a Hebrew.

19 19 A. Genesis 14:13, and there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; B. Genesis 40:15, For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. C. Exodus 3:18, And they shall hearken to thy voice; and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. II. I fear (respect, worship) Jehovah the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. A. Genesis 24:7, The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. B. This certainly would have aroused great anxiety on the part of the mariners. C. Jonah worshipped the God that made the sea which was now threatening the very lives of the mariners and on which they depended for their livelihood. D. Jonah here gave a faithful testimony. 1. He professed to serve Jehovah, but he had not been doing a very good job of it lately.

20 20 E. Heathens had one god for the land, another for the dry land, etc., but Jehovah is God of everything everywhere. 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. I. The mariners were exceedingly afraid. II. What have you done, Jonah? A. Coffman remarked that this is not really a question, but an expression of horror. B. Smith declared, The greatest humiliation in the life of any believer is to experience a justly deserved spiritual rebuke from those who have made no commitment to the Lord. III. Jonah had told them he was fleeing from the presence of Yahweh, Jehovah. A. Jonah did not lie, blame others, but confessed his sin. B. Jonah was but the reflection of Israel s backsliding from God, and so must bear the righteous punishment. (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown) 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. I. The sailors asked Jonah, What shall we do unto you that the sea may be calm unto us?

21 21 A. Coffman and Clarke wrote that these pagan sailors humanity, tender feeling, concern and reserve are truly commendable. B. Instead of dispatching Jonah overboard forthwith, they asked Jonah for his advice as to what should be done. C. They ask this, as Jonah himself must best know as a prophet how his God is to be appeased. (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown) II. The sea was growing more and more tempestuous, boisterous. A. The urgency of the situation was growing more severe by the moment. B. Something had to be done NOW! 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. I. Jonah advised the sailors, A. Cast me into the sea. 1. Jonah, like Christ, was willing to sacrifice himself that others might live. 2. John 11:50, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 3. Does it surprise you that Jonah was willing to sacrifice himself for heathen sailors? (see Smith)

22 22 B. It s all my fault! 1. Do you ever feel this way? Have you ever felt this way? 2. Would you have blamed it all on the sailors? After all good sailors ought to be able to steer a ship out of a storm or, better yet, should have avoided the storm altogether. 3. God was punishing Jonah for his sins. Contrariwise, Christ had no sins. II. Jonah had hated foreigners, but these pagan sailors are shown to be most honorable men, more honorable than Jonah had been! A. Can you give examples of the misbehavior of Christians causing grief to non-christians? B. Does it surprise you that the heathen sailors hesitated throwing Jonah overboard? 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. I. Still the heathen sailors did not want to throw Jonah overboard and tried hard to row back to land. A. This again shows how really good people these heathens were. B. This indicates they were not far from land. C. God wasted no time in sending the storm.

23 23 II. The sailors did all they could to save everyone aboard short of sacrificing Jonah. A. Proverbs 21:30, There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. III. The sailors could not row back to land because the sea grew more and more tempestuous, tumultuous against them. A. God was about to teach Jonah a big lesson. B. Give examples of God s teaching you big lessons. 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. I. The heathen mariners cried, prayed to Jehovah regarding what they were about to do. A. Did God hear these heathen s prayers? II. We beg, beseech you... III. Let us not perish for this man s life. A. The mariners thought they had no choice, no other way out. B. These were certainly not wicked men and they had no ill will toward Jonah although his actions had caused them life threatening grief. IV.... lay not upon us innocent blood;

24 24 A. This expression reminds us of Matthew 27:24, When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. B. Deuteronomy 21:8, 9, Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. V. For you, O Jehovah, have done as it pleased thee. A. You brought this storm on us, we ve tried everything else we know to do, you leave us no alternative to throwing you (Jonah) overboard. B. That Jonah has embarked in this ship, that a tempest has arisen that he has been detected by casting of lots, that he has passed sentence on himself is all thy doing. We reluctantly put him to death, but it is thy pleasure it should be so. (Jamieson, Foussett and Brown) VI. Smith observed: A. First, they prayed that they might not perish in the storm. B. Second, they asked that they might not be held guilty of shedding innocent blood. C. Third, they acknowledged that all that had befallen them had been the will of God that God had the right and privilege of doing as he pleased.

25 25 VII. Smith concluded: The very thing that Jonah did not want to happen at Nineveh was starting to happen on board that ship. Jonah 1:15. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. I. When Jonah had been cast overboard, the storm ceased from its raging. A. Matthew 8:24-26, 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. B. Smith noted that the mariners regarded themselves as agents of divine justice. II. In this book, God saved Jonah, heathen sailors and Ninevah! Jonah 1:16, Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows. I. The sudden end of the storm caused the sailors to fear Jehovah exceedingly. A. The sudden end of the storm at the opportune moment was miraculous and showed that God s hand was in it all. II. The sailors offered a sacrifice and made vows to Jehovah. A. They offered a sacrifice of what remained on board the ship and vowed to do more and better things in the future.

26 26 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. I. Jonah was swallowed by a great fish which Jehovah had prepared, commissioned, appointed, ordained. (Coffman) A. Matthew 12:38-40, Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. B. This verse does not necessarily demand that God created miraculously a special fish to swallow Jonah. C. God may have ordered a great fish already in existence to swallow Jonah. D. Whale in Matthew 12:38-40 in the AKJV is regarded as less than fully accurate. II. Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. A. Luke 24:21, But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. B. Both Jonah s and Christ s experiences are totally through and through miraculous.

27 27 C. There were/are great fish that could swallow a man, but only a miracle could have kept Jonah alive in the fish s stomach for three days and nights. Conclusion: I. At least three miracles are described in this chapter; viz., A. The great sudden tempest at the right time and place. B. The sudden end to this monstrous storm. C. Jonah is being swallowed by a great fish and surviving the experience.

28 28 References Clarke s Commentary, Volume IV, Isaiah Malachi, Abington- Cokesbury Press, New York Nashville. Commentary on the Whole Bible, Robert Jamieson, A. R. Faussett and David Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version, The Gideons International, 1979 Edition. Holy Bible, NIV, Zonderan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, Holy Bible, NRSV, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN 37214, James Burton Coffman Commentaries, The Minor Prophets, Joel, Amos and Jonah, ACU Press, Abilene, Texas, 1981, The Minor Prophets, James E. Smith, College Press Publishing Company, Joplin, Missouri, 1994.

29 29 Questions Jonah 1:1-7 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. The of the came to son of : Go to the great city of and against it, because its has come up before me. 2. What made Nineveh great? 3. What cities (name at least 5) are particularly wicked. What are they doing that is so evil? 4. What did Jonah then do?

30 Where is Tarshish? Why would this ship go there? Why did Jonah take a ship to Tarshish? 6. What happened next? Why did this happen? 7. What two things did the frightened sailors do and why? 8. Can guilty people sleep soundly? Explain your answer. 9. What did the captain demand of Jonah? Why did he make these demands?

31 Did/does God make his will known by casting lots? Give reasons for your answer. 11. How are lots cast? What are lots? 12. When the lot fell on Jonah, what five questions did the mariners ask Jonah? What are the answers to these questions? 13. What effect did Jonah s answers have on the mariners? What did they then ask Jonah? 14. What would your answer be if you were asked this same question?

32 What question did the mariners then ask Jonah? 16. At this time what was the weather report? 17. What miracles are found in this chapter? 18. What surprises are found in this chapter? 19. What advice did Jonah give the mariners? See verse 12.

33 Jonah accepted responsibility for the trouble he had caused. What does this say about Jonah s character? What would most people in today s society have done? 21. What did the heathen mariners then do? What does this say about the mariners character? What would most people in today s society have done? 22. What did the mariners say to God in their prayers? 23. Then they took and him, and the.

34 Compare Jonah with Achan. See Joshua 7: What response did the mariners make to the calming of the sea? Were they converted? 26. Jonah had a sinful disposition. List his despositional sins. 27. Do you have dispositional problems? If so, list them. 28. Was Jonah swallowed by a whale? Explain.

35 How did Jonah manage to stay alive in the belly of the fish three days and three nights? 30. In what ways are Jonah and Jesus alike? How are they different? 31. Was Jonah actually swallowed by a great fish or is verse 17 parabolic? Give reasons for your answer.