Jonah 2: William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1

Transcription

1 Jonah 2:9-10 Jonah 2:9-Jonah Vows To Fulfill His Promise To Offer A Sacrifice To The Lord With A Song Of Thanksgiving And Affirms That Salvation Belongs To Him We will complete our study of Jonah s prayer of thanksgiving that began in verse 2 by noting verse 9. This verse is a continuation of the third scene of the narrative that began in Jonah 1:17 marks a transition in the narrative from the second scene which ends with the crew of the ship worshipping the Lord to the third scene, which begins with a statement stating that the Lord commissioned a large fish to swallow Jonah in order to deliver him from drowning. Jonah 1:17, Now, the Lord commissioned an enormous fish in order to swallow Jonah. Consequently, Jonah lived in the stomach of this fish three days and three nights. (My translation) This verse is composed of a declarative statement that is followed by a result clause, which records that Jonah spent three days and three nights in the stomach of this enormous fish. Jonah 1:17 records the fifth stage of Jonah s spiritual descent away from God. In verse 3, Jonah went down to Joppa and went down into the ship. Verse 5 says that he went down into the inner most recesses of the merchant bound for Tarshish. Then, in verse 15, the crew threw him into the sea. Now, in verse 17, he goes down into the stomach of this great fish. Jonah 2:6 presents the sixth stage in that he gets to the point of death by drowning and Jonah 2:2 presents the seventh and final stage when he finally cries out to the Lord to deliver him from death. Jonah realizes that he has been delivered by the Lord from drowning after being swallowed by this great fish and that this great fish was not sent to execute Jonah. Therefore, this great fish was an instrument of God s grace and mercy for Jonah. Though he was guilty of insubordination, he was not executed by the Lord but instead was delivered from death. Then, in Jonah 2:1, the disobedient prophet prays to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish. Jonah 2:1, Then, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of this fish. (My translation) Jonah 2:1 refers to Jonah s prayer of thanksgiving to the Father from the stomach of the great fish for the Father delivering him from death by drowning. It is not a prayer of deliverance as indicated by the content of the prayer in verses 2-9. It was written down after being vomited by the fish onto dry land. It marks the turning point of the narrative. While in the stomach of this great fish, he realized that the Lord had saved him from drowning by using this great fish and then 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1

2 offered up this prayer of thanksgiving while still in the stomach of this great fish. So in Jonah 2:2-9, the prophet is reflecting back upon his near death experience in the Mediterranean Sea and how the Lord delivered him from certain death. In Jonah 2:2, we read of Jonah reflecting back on his deliverance from drowning and acknowledging that the Lord his God answered his prayer for deliverance from death by drowning. Jonah 2:2, Specifically, he prayed, I call out to the Lord because of my distress and as a result He answers me. I cry out for help from the belly of Sheol. He hears my voice. (My translation) This verse contains the first line in Jonah s thanksgiving psalm, which concludes in Jonah 2:10. It is a summary of the prophet s answered prayer or in other words, it presents the reason for his thanksgiving. The two statements in this verse parallel each other and is thus writing rhetorically emphasizing the Lord delivering the prophet from certain death. This solves the problem that some commentators have with this statement because the logical sequence is reversed in this verse where we have God answering Jonah s plea and then hearing the prophet s voice when we expect the reverse. Both statements are saying the same thing because the poet is writing rhetorically and with parallel statements. So in this verse Jonah reflects back on his deliverance from drowning and acknowledges that the Lord his God answered his prayer for deliverance from death by drowning. Next, in Jonah 2:3, the prophet acknowledges in his prayer of thanksgiving to Yahweh that He was responsible for his being thrown into the sea. Then, he follows this up by beginning to recount his drowning experience. Jonah 2:3, Indeed, You cause me to be cast into the ocean depths, into the midst of the seas so that the ocean current engulfs me. All Your waves, yes, your violent waves pass over me. (My translation) This passage is composed of an emphatic clause followed by a result clause and a declarative statement. Indeed, You cause me to be cast into the ocean depths, into the midst of the seas is the emphatic clause. It emphatically affirms the events and circumstances that led to Jonah crying out to the Lord in prayer to deliver him from death. This statement is an acknowledgement on the part of Jonah that Yahweh was responsible for his being thrown into the sea. Not only is Jonah acknowledging God s sovereignty over Jonah and His providence but also that he is being disciplined by God, which expressed God s love for Jonah. In Jonah 2:3, the phrase so that the ocean current engulfs me is the result clause that presents result of the Lord causing the crew to cast Jonah into the sea. It begins to describe Jonah experience of drowning. All Your waves, yes, your violent waves pass over me is a declarative statement that describes in further detail Jonah s experience in drowning. It is 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2

3 taken verbatim from Psalm 42:7 indicating that Jonah was recalling Scripture to express himself in this psalm. Psalm 42:7, One deep stream calls out to another at the sound of your waterfalls; all your billows and waves overwhelm me. (NET Bible) In Jonah 2:4, the disobedient prophet reveals that he thought he was banished from the Lord s sight and that he would never again see the Lord s holy temple. Jonah 2:4; So that I myself conclude I am expelled from Your sight. How will I continue to look towards Your holy temple? (My translation) The statement I am expelled from Your sight expresses Jonah s conclusion as a result of drowning that his death would prevent him from worshipping the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem. The rhetorical question How will I continue to look towards Your holy temple? expresses Jonah s despair that he will never again worship the Lord in Solomon s temple in Jerusalem. He is in effect saying that he will never again see the temple of Solomon. In Jonah 2:5-6, the disobedient prophet reflects back on his drowning experience and his Lord and God delivering him. Jonah 2:5, The waves encompass me up to the neck. The raging ocean depths enshroud me. Seaweed is wrapped around my head. 6 I descended to the foundations of the mountains. The earth s bars are behind me forever. However, You caused my life to be brought up out from the pit O Lord my God. (My translation) This passage contains the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh descriptions of Jonah s experience in drowning. The statement the waves encompass me up to the neck is the third description of Jonah s drowning experience. The first two appear in verse 2. This statement describes the prophet as struggling against the swirling waters of the Mediterranean Sea with water up to his neck. The statement the raging ocean depths enshroud me is the fourth description of drowning and describes Jonah as submerged in the raging ocean depths. The statement seaweed is wrapped around my head is the fifth description of Jonah drowning describing him as having seaweed wrapped around his head like a shroud. It describes the rebellious prophet at this point as submerged in the Mediterranean Sea and loosing oxygen and at the brink of death. The statement I descended to the foundations of the mountains is Jonah s sixth description of what it was like to drown. It expresses the hopelessness he felt and the utter impossibility of his being delivered. He was totally helpless and hopeless at this point. The statement the earth bar s are behind me forever is the seventh and final description that the prophet Jonah employs to describe his experience of 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3

4 drowning in the Mediterranean. It expresses the fact that at this point Jonah had no hope of surviving and considered himself as good as dead. It echoes Jonah 2:2 and the expression belly of Sheol, which does not refer to any of the four compartments of Hades but rather that Jonah was near death or in a life threatening situation. The adversative clause However, You caused my life to be brought up out from the pit O Lord my God refers to the immanent and transcendent God delivering Jonah from drowning to death. It is an expression of praise and is recognition of God s sovereign power. It speaks of the fact that God was gracious to him and compassionate even though he was deserving of death for his disobedience. It speaks of the Lord as a God of deliverance. Then, in Jonah 2:7, the prophet reflects back upon the Lord responding to his prayer for deliverance from death and sparing his life. Jonah 2:7, As I myself, my life slips away, I petition You Lord and as a result my prayer comes to You, into Your holy temple. (My translation) The temporal clause as I myself, my life slips away I petition You Lord informs the reader that as Jonah was losing consciousness due to lack of oxygen from drowning, he petition the Lord in prayer to deliver him from death. The temporal clause as I myself, my life slips away speaks of Jonah s hopeless and helplessness. It speaks of his desperate circumstances and need. The declarative statement I petition You Lord expresses Jonah s faith in the Lord to deliver him from these life threatening circumstances and provide him in his greatest our of need since it demonstrates the prophet s confidence that the Lord was able to deliver him thus acknowledging the Lord s omnipotence.. The result clause and as a result my prayer comes to You refers to the Lord answering Jonah s prayer. Psalm 18:6, In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried out to my God. From his heavenly temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help. (NET Bible) The prepositional phrase into Your holy temple speaks of the location of the Lord s presence and the geographical location in which Jonah s prayer arrived at. Jonah 2:7 speaks of the grace of God in that the disobedient, rebellious prophet deserved death for disobeying a holy God but instead God treats him better than he deserves and spares his life. Yahweh is a God of the second chance. This passage also speaks of the fact that Yahweh is a God of deliverance. It also speaks of the fact that what is impossible for man is possible for God. There seem to be no humanly possible way for Jonah to survive, yet he did because of the Lord s sovereign grace and omnipotence. Next, we noted Jonah 2:8 and in this verse, Jonah declares that those who worship idols forfeit God s mercy available to them William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 4

5 Jonah 2:8, Those who, as a lifestyle worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy available to them. (My translation) This verse looks back at the mercy God made available to Jonah and which the rebellious prophet appropriated by faith in the Lord resulting in his deliverance from drowning even though he was insubordinate to the Lord. It also looks back at the crew s deliverance from death as well. It also serves precursor for the mercy God exercised towards the Ninevites when they believed in Him and repented from their evil conduct. Jonah 2:8 continues Jonah prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for delivering him from drowning. In this verse, the prophet is expressing his thanks to the Lord for His mercy that was extended to him even though he was disobedient to the Lord. It would serve as a warning to those in Israel who were in apostasy to forsake their idols otherwise they would forfeit the mercy that was available to them and would be disciplined severely by the Lord. It also prepares us for the hypocrisy of Jonah in that he did not want God to exercise His mercy towards the Ninevites when they repented even though he received it in the face of his disobedience. Like the Ninevites, Jonah was involved in idolatry. However unlike the Ninevites, he did not worship figurines or idols made of wood and metal. Rather, his idolatry was expressed by the fact that his hatred of the Ninevites was greater than his obedience to the Lord. His hatred was above his obedience to the Lord. This verse as well as the entire prayer of thanksgiving implies that Jonah has confessed his sin of rebelling against the Lord and fleeing from his service commission to the Lord and not going to Nineveh to proclaim judgment against it. This is further indicated in that in Jonah 3, we have Jonah obeying the Lord s command. Jonah confessed his disobedience to the Lord and repented, i.e. changed his attitude and went to Nineveh. However, Jonah 4:1-2 reveals he did not confess his hatred of the Ninevites and did not repent of his attitude towards them. Next, we will note Jonah 2:9 and in this verse, Jonah vows to fulfill his promise to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and publicly praise him and affirms that salvation belongs to Him. Jonah 2:1, Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said, I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. 3 For You had cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. 4 So I said, I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple. 5 Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, weeds were wrapped around my head. 6 I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, but You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 While I was 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 5

6 fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple. 8 Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, 9 but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord. 10 Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. (NASU) Let s look at verse 9 in detail. Jonah 2:9, But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord. (NASU) But I will sacrifice to You is composed of the conjunction wa ( (ו (wa), but and the first person singular pronomial suffix ǎ nî (א נ י) (an-ee), I and the first person singular qal cohortative active imperfect form of the verb zā ḇǎḥ (ז ב ח) (zawbakh), sacrifice and the preposition l e (,(ל to and the second person masculine singular form of the pronomial suffix ʾǎt tā(h) (א תּ ה) (aw-thaw), You. The conjunction wa, but and the first person singular pronomial suffix ǎ nî, I and the first person singular qal cohortative active imperfect form of the verb zā ḇǎḥ, sacrifice form a disjunctive clause, which refers to the conjunction wa followed by a non-verb (the pronomial suffix ǎ nî (א נ י) (an-ee), I ). This disjunctive clause contrasts those who as a lifestyle worship worthless idols and as a result forfeit the mercy of God that is available to them with Jonah who worships the Lord by offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord. Thus, the conjunction wa is correctly translated but. The first person singular pronomial suffix ǎ nî, I refers of course to Jonah. When this pronomial suffix is attached to a finite verb as it is here in Jonah 2:9, it lends emphasis and should be translated I myself to reflect this. So the word is setting Jonah himself in contrast to idolaters by emphasizing that he offers a sacrifice to the Lord with thanksgiving. The verb zā ḇǎḥ means to offer a sacrifice by killing an animal as an act of worship. Here it is used with Jonah offering Yahweh a sacrifice by killing an animal as an act of worshipping Him. This verb was used in Jonah 1:16 of the crew vowing to Yahweh to offer Him a sacrifice for sparing their lives as a collective act of worship. Jonah 1:15: So then, they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea and as a result the sea ceased from its rage. 16 Consequently, the men worshipped the Lord with a worship of great intensity. Also, they earnestly vowed to offer a sacrifice on behalf of the Lord. (My translation) So the use of the verb in Jonah 2:9 echoes its usage in Jonah 1:16. In both instances, both the crew and Jonah offer sacrifices to Yahweh in response to His saving their lives. It is a response to the mercy and grace that Yahweh bestowed upon them for sparing their lives William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 6

7 This worship of the Lord by the Phoenician crew and Jonah through offering animal sacrifices was the appropriate response by them to the manifestation of the Lord s grace and mercy as well as His omnipotence and sovereign rulership over creation. There are four English words, reverence, respect, awe, and wonder, which express the concept of worshipping God. Webster s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun reverence : A feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration. Therefore, paraphrasing this definition we would say that Jonah s response to delivering him from drowning by designating a great fish to swallow him was to possess an attitude of deep respect and awe for Him. Webster s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun respect : esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or trait, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or trait. Jonah s response to the Lord for delivering him from drowning by designating a great fish to swallow him was to esteem the excellence of the Person of God as manifested through His personal qualities or attributes such as love, faithfulness, mercy, compassion, justice, righteousness, truth, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, immutability, and sovereignty. Webster s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun awe : an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc. produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful or the like. Jonah s response to the Lord for delivering him from drowning by designating a great fish to swallow him was to possess an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration for the Lord. Webster s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun wonder : to be filled with admiration, amazement or awe; marvel. Jonah s response to the Lord for delivering him from drowning by designating a great fish to swallow him was one of being filled with admiration, amazement and awe. Warren Wiersbe writes, True wonder reaches right into your heart and mind and shakes you up. It not only has depth, it has value; it enriches your life. Wonder is not cheap amusement that brings a smile to your face. It is an encounter with reality, with God, which brings awe to your heart. You re overwhelmed with an emotion that is a mixture of gratitude, adoration, reverence, fear-and love. You re not looking for explanations; you re lost in the wonder of God (Real Worship, page 43, Baker Books). Therefore, paraphrasing this comment by Wiersbe on wonder we would say that Jonah s response to the Lord for delivering him from drowning by designating a 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 7

8 great fish to swallow him reached right into his heart and shook him up and enriched his life. The Lord saving him from drowning by designating a great fish to swallow him overwhelmed him with an emotion that was a mixture of gratitude, adoration, reverence, fear and love for the Lord. Jonah wasn t looking for explanations since he was lost in the wonder of God. Therefore, Jonah offered a sacrifice to the Lord in order to approach Him to worship Him in the sense that he was manifesting an attitude of deep reverence, respect and awe of the Lord for saving his life with such a magnificent display of His power and sovereign rulership over creation. Psalm 68:35, O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God! Therefore, when Jonah offered a sacrifice to the Lord, he was worshipping Him and expressing his thanks to Him for saving his life by designating a great fish to swallow him. Worship is adoring contemplation of God as He has been revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Person of Christ and in the Scriptures and is also the loving ascription of praise to God for what He is, both in Himself and in His ways and is the bowing of the soul and spirit in deep humility and reverence before Him. Warren Wiersbe defines worship, Worship is the believer s response of all that they are mind, emotions, will and body-to what God is and says and does. This response has its mystical side in subjective experience and its practical side in objective obedience to God s revealed will. Worship is a loving response that s balanced by the fear of the Lord, and it is a deepening response as the believer comes to know God better (Real Worship, 26). If we paraphrase Wiersbe s definition, we could say the following: Jonah is worshipping the Lord in that he is responding in his mind, emotion, and body to what the Lord is and did by designating a great fish to swallow him and save him from drowning. Psalm 2:11, Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Psalm 95:6-7, Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Worship is adoring contemplation of the Lord and is the act of paying honor and reverence to Him and affection for Him and flows from love and where there is little love, there is little worship. It is the loving ascription of praise to the Lord in gratitude and appreciation for who and what He is, both in Himself and in His ways and in His work on the Cross for us. It is the bowing of the soul and spirit in deep humility and reverence before the Lord William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 8

9 Psalm 29:2, Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array. Worshipping the Lord is adoring contemplation of Him as He has been revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures and is also the loving ascription of praise to Him for what He is, both in Himself, His Work on the Cross and in His ways and is the bowing of the soul and spirit in deep humility and reverence before Him. The believer is to worship the Father spiritually by means of truth, i.e. the Word of God. John 4:23-24, But an hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers, will worship the Father spiritually, yes, by means of truth. In fact, the Father intensely desires such worshippers of Himself. God, as to His nature, is spirit and those worshipping Him must worship spiritually, yes, by means of truth. The Church s destiny is to worship the Lord, as revealed in Revelation 4-5. Revelation 4:8-11, And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME. And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created. Revelation 5:11-14, Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. And the four living creatures kept saying, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped. In Jonah 2:9, the second person masculine singular form of the pronomial suffix ʾǎt tā(h), You refers of course to the Lord. It is the direct object of the verb zā ḇǎḥ. We will translate the expression,א ל י ך to You. The cohortative is a first person form of the verb zā ḇǎḥ that stresses strong intention. It is specifically a direct volitive expressing Jonah s strong desire and 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 9

10 intention to offer a sacrifice to Yahweh with the voice of thanksgiving is making a request in prayer to Yahweh. The qal stem of the verb is fientive expressing an intended act on the part of Jonah. The active voice indicates that Jonah as the subject intends to perform the action of the verb. We will translate this verb will offer a sacrifice. Corrected translation thus far of Jonah 2:9: But in direct contrast, I myself will offer a sacrifice In Old Testament Israel, blood animal sacrifices served several purposes. The first is that they are related to solving the problem of ceremonial uncleanness. This will be the case during the millennium (Ezekiel 43:20, 26; 45:15, 17, 20). To be clean meant that one was qualified to worship the Lord while to be unclean implied the opposite. The Levitical sacrifices offered by the citizens of Israel during the dispensation of Israel solved the problem of ceremonial uncleanness enabling a person when they became impure to be restored to the presence of the Lord. In Old Testament Israel, the Lord was in the presence of the Israelites in the Tabernacle and the Temple. Now, an Israelite could become ceremonially unclean or impure by eating unclean animals (Leviticus 11), childbirth (Leviticus 12), swellings and eruptions (Leviticus 13-14), sexual misdeeds (Leviticus 18) or by touching a corpse (Leviticus 21). The solution the Lord provided someone ceremonially unclean or impure were the blood animal sacrifices offered by the Levitical priests. The offering of these sacrifices made the impure Israelite ceremonially clean again and thus enabled him or her to continue to reside in the presence of the Lord. This too will be the purpose for the blood animal sacrifices during the millennial reign of Christ in that these sacrifices like the sacrifices in Old Testament Israel will make an impure person clean so that they can continue to live in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the blood animal sacrifices of the Old Testament and in the millennial reign of Christ protect the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ who is holy. Those who are in resurrection bodies during the millennial reign of Christ such as church age believers and Old Testament saints will not offer the blood animal sacrifices to make them ceremonially clean since they already will be clean. However, those individuals during the millennium who have not yet received their resurrection bodies, namely those believers who survive the tribulation and are still alive on the earth at the time of Christ s Second Advent will have to offer these animal sacrifices to be ceremonially clean and their offspring will have to as well. Now we must remember that the purpose of the blood animal sacrifices in Old Testament Israel and during the millennial reign of Christ was not to provide eternal salvation since they can never cleanse the conscience of the sinner. Christ s sacrificial death on the cross is superior to these blood animal sacrifices in that our 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 10

11 Lord s death cleanses the sinner s conscience and provides eternal salvation for the sinner whereas the blood animal sacrifices only dealt with ceremonial uncleanness and could never provide eternal salvation. Hebrews 10:1-18, For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God. After saying above, Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them (which are offered according to the Law). Then He said, Behold, I have come to do Your will. He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God. Waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them, He then says, And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Another purpose for the blood animal sacrifices in Old Testament Israel is that they served to point to Christ s superior sacrifice on the cross and serve as a continual message to the unsaved of their need for a Savior. Lastly, the animal sacrifices in Old Testament Israel and this will be the case during the millennium will offer the regenerate person to demonstrate outwardly his or her love for and obedience to the Lord (Isaiah 56:6-7). This is the reason why Jonah is offering his sacrifice to Yahweh. Jonah 2:9, But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord. (NASU) 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 11

12 With the voice of thanksgiving is composed of the preposition b e ( (בּ (beth), with and the masculine singular construct form of the noun qôl (ק ול) (kole), the voice of and the feminine singular form of the noun tô ḏā(h) (תּ וד ה) (to-daw), thanksgiving. The noun tô ḏā(h) means thanksgiving or gratitude specifying the type of public declaration that will accompany Jonah s sacrifice. The noun qôl means song since the word functions as a metonymy of cause for effect meaning that the content of what the voice produces, i.e. hymns of praise or declarative praise testifying to God s deliverance. The preposition b e is a marker of accompaniment indicating that Jonah s sacrifice of an animal would be accompanied by a song of thanksgiving to the Lord for sparing his life. Therefore, we will translate this prepositional phrase with a song of thanksgiving. Corrected translation thus far of Jonah 2:9: But in direct contrast, I myself will offer a sacrifice with a song of thanksgiving In Old Testament Israel, formal expressions of thanks which Jonah speaks about were made at the Temple and prior to this structure, the Tabernacle. As a thank offering, tô ḏā(h) was one of the fellowship offerings mentioned in Leviticus 7:12-15 and 22:29. Along with the words of the thank offering, the worshiper was to bring food in the form of cakes of both leavened and unleavened bread, unleavened wafers, cakes of fine flour and meat. These would be eaten with the priest in the presence of the Lord and all of the meat was to be eaten on the day it was offered (see 2 Chronicles 29:31; 33:16; Psalm 50:14, 23; 107:22; 116:17). The tô ḏā(h) was more than an offering in that it was also a song of praise (2 Chronicles 29:31; Nehemiah 12:27; Psalm 42:4; 69:30; 95:2; 100:4; 147:7; Isaiah 51:3; Jeremiah 30:19). According to its superscription, Psalm 100 was composed specifically for the purpose of giving thanks. Amos 4:5 indicates that God however was not pleased with this offering if it was offered in a hypocritical manner in that the offer was living in disobedience when he offered the sacrifice. The tô ḏā(h) was also used to refer to the Levitical choir that offered the song of praise to the Lord (Nehemiah 12:31, 38, 40). Stuart has the following comment, he writes, Worshipers in ancient Israel may well have recited the praise/sacrifice portions of thanksgiving psalms as they presented to the priest their offerings for the worship sacrifices (here, v 10a [9a]). But they also could promise not to make their thanksgiving sacrifice a single event (v 10b [9b]). By vowing to continue to return thanks to God on future occasions of temple sacrifice ( that which I have vowed I will carry out ), they extended the period of their gratefulness. They gave willingly in the present, and then pledged to give again in the future. Thus the sacrifices of thanksgiving for deliverance could be made on an installment basis, as it were, thereby multiplying the magnitude of 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 12

13 the total thanksgiving gift in parallel to the magnitude of the gratefulness for Yahweh s merciful rescue. (Word Biblical Commentary, volume 31, page 478) Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary writes, Gratitude directed towards God (except Luke 17:9; Acts 24:3; Rom. 16:4), generally in response to God s concrete acts in history. Thanksgiving was central to OT worship. Sacrifice and offerings were to be made not grudgingly but with thanksgiving (Ps. 54:6; Jon. 2:9). The psalmist valued a song of thanksgiving more than sacrifice (Ps. 69:30 31). David employed Levites to commemorate the Lord God of Israel, and to give Him thanks and praise. (1 Chron. 16:4 HCSB; 23:30; Neh. 12:46). Pilgrimage to the temple and temple worship were characterized by thanksgiving (Pss. 42:4; 95:2; 100:4; 122:4). Thankfulness was expressed: for personal (Ps. 35:18) and national deliverance (Ps. 44:7 8); for God s faithfulness to the covenant (Ps. 100:5); and for forgiveness (Ps. 30:4 5; Isa. 12:1). All creation joins in offering thanks to God (Ps. 145:10). Thanksgiving is a natural element of Christian worship (1 Cor. 14:16 17) and is to characterize all of Christian life (Col. 2:7; 4:2). Early Christians expressed thanks: for Christ s healing ministry (Luke 17:16); for Christ s deliverance of the believer from sin (Rom. 6:17 18; 7:25); for God s indescribable gift of grace in Christ (2 Cor. 9:14 15; p Cor. 15:57; cp. Rom. 1:21); and for the faith of fellow Christians (Rom. 1:8). Not only is thanksgiving a characteristic of a productive prayer life, but it is also an essential element of a prayer. Thanking the Father in prayer means that we express gratitude towards Him for revealing His perfect character and integrity, His will, provisions to execute His will, His grace policy, and for bringing other believers into our lives (John 6:11; Rom. 1:8; 6:17; 7:25; 1 Cor. 1:4; 11:24; 15:57; 2 Co 2:14; 4:15; 8:16; 9:11; Eph. 1:15-16; 5:4; 5:20; Phlp. 1:3; Col. 2:7; 3:15; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2:13; Phlm. 4). 1 Thessalonians 5:18, In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Colossians 1:3, We continue giving thanks to the God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, habitually praying for all of you. Colossians 4:2, Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6, At this very moment, all of you stop continuing to be anxious about absolutely anything, but rather, concerning anything at all by means of reverential prayer in the presence of the Father and by means of petition accompanied by the giving of thanks, let your specific detailed requests be repeatedly made known in the presence of the Father. Thanksgiving to God is the response in the believer s soul, which expresses itself in love and appreciation for who and what God is, what He has done for us, and what He has done for others. It is the direct result of the believer s obedience 2010 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 13

14 to the Word of God, which permits the Holy Spirit to produce an attitude of gratitude in the believer. A Danish proverb states, A thankless person never does a thankful deed. Likewise, a Jewish proverb says, If men thanked God for good things, they wouldn t have time to complain about the bad. Worshipping God leads to thanking God. A perfect example, for us, on how we can thank God in prayer is illustrated in Psalm 136, which starts with, Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting, and goes on, in a beautiful rendition of gratitude to God. Erwin Lutzer says, You can learn to give thanks even if you don t particularly feel thankful. If God gives a command, he expects obedience, whether you are in the mood or not. Thankfulness, like forgiveness, is not an emotion. Thankfulness is an intelligent response of gratitude to God. We, therefore, should give thanks to the Father for the adversities in life just as much as the prosperity in life. Adversity deepens our intimacy with Him and produces more of the character of Christ in our lives. Only when we choose to give praise for the adversity in life do we begin to see the situation from God s perspective. If we do not give thanks in all things, we are living in unbelief, for we are assuming that a God who loves us does not control our circumstances! Even with sin, thank God for how He will use that sin to teach, rebuke, or challenge us. Charles R. Swindoll writes, The marathons-the relentless, incessant, persistent, continual tests that won t go away-ah, these are the ones that bruise but build character. No matter what our circumstances may be, we should offer up thanksgiving, as a sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15-16, Therefore, through Him [Jesus Christ] we should continue offering up a sacrifice of praise continually throughout all circumstances to God [the Father], that is the fruit of the lips, acknowledging His Person. In fact, you yourselves do not forget the unselfish performance of divine good of intrinsic value for with such sacrifices God the Father is greatly pleased. So, when you pray, thank the Father for everything, whether adversity or prosperity, and, like the Psalmist in Psalm 118, say, His lovingkindness is everlasting. We should never forget to thank God in prayer. Our gratitude demonstrates our respect and appreciation for God s grace policy, which blesses us without us ever earning or deserving blessings. Psalm 9:1, I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 14

15 Also, the believer should always give thanks to the Father for His gift of salvation, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man Savior. 2 Corinthians 9:15, Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Psalm 50:23 teaches that the believer who offers thanksgiving to God the Father in prayer honors Him. Psalm 50:23, He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God. We are to give thanks with other believers in our congregation. This too glorifies God, if done with the proper motivation, which is to worship God in prayer, not to make ourselves look holy. Psalm 35:18, I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty throng. Psalm 100:4-5, Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. We are to give thanks to God for both adversity and prosperity, since both come from Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, In all circumstances give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Ecclesiastes 7:14, In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider God has made the one as well as the other so that man will not discover anything that will be after him. Isaiah 45:7, The One forming light and creating darkness, causing wellbeing and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these. The humanity of Christ employed thanksgiving to God in prayer when performing miracles (Mat 14:19; 15:36; Mark 6:41; 8:6; Luke 9:16; John 6:11). One particular account was when Christ resuscitated Lazarus. The Lord Jesus Christ, in His humanity, showed immense gratitude towards His Father for hearing His prayer. John 11:41, So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. The Lord Jesus Christ also offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Father when instituting the Lord s Supper for the Church (Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17, 19; 1 Co 11:23-26). Matthew 26:26-27, While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. Songs of thanksgiving to God are a part of the believer s worship of God (Neh. 12:8, 27, 46; Ps. 33:2; 69:30; 147:7) William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 15

16 Psalm 7:17, I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. Psalm 18:49, Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, O LORD, and I will sing praises to your name. Psalm 30:4, Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name. Psalm 33:1-5, Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD. Psalm 69:30, I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving. Ps. 147:7, Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre. The humanity of Christ employed thanksgiving to God in prayer when performing miracles (Matt. 14:19; 15:36; Mark 6:41; 8:6; Luke 9:16; John 6:11). The humanity of Christ thanked the Father for hearing His prayer to resuscitate Lazarus (John 11:41). John 11:41, So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. Jewish believers in the Millennium will render songs of thanksgiving to God (Isa. 51:3). Isaiah 51:2-3, Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody. In the Old Testament, the peace offering, which portrayed reconciliation, was to be offered by way of thanksgiving (Lev. 3 cf. Lev. 7:10-15). Nehemiah and the returning exiles offered thanksgiving up to God at the dedication of the rebuilt wall in Jerusalem, which was accomplished under tremendous adversity. Nehemiah 12:27, Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. Giving produces thanksgiving to God among the recipients of giving (2 Cor. 9:10-12) William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 16

17 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have abundance for every good deed; as it is written, HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER. Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Jonah 2:9, But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord. (NASU) That which I have vowed I will pay is composed of the relative particle ʾǎšěr (ash-er), that which and the first person singular qal active perfect (א שׁ ר) form of the verb nā ḏǎr (נ ד ר) (naw-dar), I have vowed and the first person singular piel active cohortative form of the verb šā lēm (שׁ ל ם) (shaw-lam), I will pay. The relative particle ʾǎšěr nominalizes the verb nā ḏǎr, I have vowed that functions as the direct object of the verb šā lēm, I will pay. This particle serves as a marker of content and as the marker of a direct object. We will translate this relative particle what. The verb nā ḏǎr means to make a vow referring to making a binding promise to the Lord. It refers to the act of voluntarily and verbally dedicating and devoting oneself to the service of the Lord. It appeared in Jonah 1:16 for the crew earnestly vowing to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Here in Jonah 2:9, it is used of course of Jonah making a vow. The question arises as to what is Jonah vowing to do? The context indicates that it would be offering a sacrifice in the Temple accompanied by a song of thanksgiving for his deliverance. This relative clause is actually epexegetical indicating the sacrifices to be offered are the ones Jonah vowed in the first clause that appears in Jonah 2:9, But in direct contrast, I myself will offer a sacrifice with a song of thanksgiving William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 17

18 Waltke-O Connor write that the cohortative is rendered I will indeed repay, matching the cohortative,א ז בּ ח ה I will indeed sacrifice, in the first line of the verse. See Waltke-O Connor, b. In Jonah 1:16, the crew earnestly vowed to offer a sacrifice on behalf of the Lord, which corresponds to Jonah who vowed to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Jonah 1:16, Consequently, the men worshipped the Lord with a worship of great intensity. Also, they earnestly vowed to offer a sacrifice on behalf of the Lord. (My translation) In Jonah 2:9, the qal stem of the verb is fientive expressing an action on the part of Jonah. The active voice indicates that Jonah as the subject is to perform the action of the verb. The perfect tense is an instantaneous perfect representing a situation occurring at the very instant the expression is being uttered. As we have been noting throughout this psalm, we will use the English present when translating the perfect forms of the verb in this psalm since in Hebrew poetry the poet may use the perfect when in fact he is alluding to an event that either is taking place as he speaks or is meant to occur in the future. Consequently, we will translate this verb I promise. Vows were not contracts or limited agreements but rather they were verbal and voluntary acts of submission to the Lord and the reorientation of one s life to meet the Lord s standards. Therefore, we see that this Phoenician crew will reorient their lives as a result of this encounter with the true and living God. The crew left home as heathens worshipping vain idols and now after this encounter with the Lord their lives have taken on a whole new different meaning since the Lord has revealed Himself to them in a mighty way. Since the Lord has revealed Himself to this crew by exercising His omnipotence and sovereign rulership over creation and the storm the crew has committed themselves to living according to the standards of the living God. Therefore, we see that the crew collectively has had a life changing experience. Vows are a commonly employed means to repay Yahweh for divine help in a time of crisis, such as Jacob s vow for Yahweh s protection while journeying (Gen 28:20 22; 31:13) or Hannah s vow for the birth of her son Samuel (1 Sam 1:11). The verb,נ ד ר to vow, and its cognate accusative,,נ ד ר a vow occur together, making an emphatic statement of devotion, in other verses, including Gen 28:20; 31:13; Num 6:2; 2 Sam 15:7 8; Is 19:21. In Jonah 2:9, the verb šā lēm means I will fulfill and referring to performing that which Jonah promised to do, which was to offer a sacrifice in the Temple accompanied by a public declaration in the form of a song of thanksgiving to Yahweh for delivering him from drowning. It speaks of the act of a worshipper of the Lord paying or fulfilling what they have vowed to the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:21; Ecclesiastes 5:4) William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 18