Sunday, May 7, 2017 Lesson: Jonah 1:7-17; Time of Action: around 780 B.C.; Place of Action: Joppa Golden Text: 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 (Jonah 1:17). I. INTRODUCTION. The word discipline is related to the word disciple. In spiritual matters, the connection between discipline and disciple is the idea that a disciple of the Lord is one who leads a disciplined spiritual life. Throughout Scripture there are many examples of God disciplining His people. But His discipline always has a purpose and it always comes from a loving God. There probably is no greater Old Testament example of God s love demonstrated by discipline than the Prophet Jonah. Although he attempted to run from God, he was never out of reach of God s grace. The account of Jonah in this week s lesson has a great bearing on the lives of Christian s today. It gives us a clearer picture of how God s love combines with His discipline.
II. LESSON BACKGROUND. We are introduced to Jonah in Jonah 1:1 with the statement Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying. The Lord was about to give this prophet a command. Jonah s name means dove and he is mentioned only through this book, one other Old Testament passage (see II Kings 14:25), and by the words of Jesus (see Matthew 12:39-40; 16:4; Luke 11:29-32). Jonah prophesied during the reign of King Jeroboam II of the northern kingdom of Israel, who ruled during the eighth century B.C. Many critics have questioned the validity of this book because a man being swallowed by a fish and then being released unharmed seems so incredible. Some people believe it is a parable instead of factual information. However, we must remember that our Lord Himself spoke of Jonah as a real historical figure whose experiences were an illustration of His own death, burial, and resurrection (see Matthew 12:39-41). The message that God had for Jonah was Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. Nineveh, one of the most ancient cities in the world (see Genesis 10:8-12), in Jonah s day, was the capital of Assyria, a great, but evil empire. The Assyrian Empire was Israel s most dreaded enemy. The Assyrians flaunted their power before God and the world through numerous acts of heartless cruelty. As a result, Jonah was suddenly confronted by the Lord and told to go to Nineveh to deliver an important message. That city was wicked and needed to be told that the Lord was against it. However, Jonah hated the Assyrians and decided to flee from the presence of the Lord. At Joppa,
which was a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea, he boarded a ship sailing for Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3), which was usually identified with a port on the southwest shore of Spain. It was in the opposite direction to Nineveh, and Jonah foolishly believed that going to Tarshish would take him far away from God s presence. However, Jonah did not escape the Lord. It was not the stormy season, but the Lord produced a wild storm that threatened to sink the ship (see Jonah 1:4). The sailors, probably Phoenician, were polytheists (they worshiped many gods) and prayed to their many gods for help. They even threw the goods that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay down, and went fast asleep (see Jonah 1:5). The captain found Jonah hidden below deck sound asleep and he wanted Jonah to pray also. No doubt he believed that if one man s god could not help, maybe some other deity could. So the captain of the boat said to Jonah, Wake up! Why are you sleeping? Pray to your god! Maybe your god will hear your prayer and save us (see Jonah 1:6)! This is where our lesson begins. III. A HUGE PROBLEM (Jonah 1:7-9) A. Jonah is selected (Jonah 1:7). Our first verse says 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. This verse is a continuation of verse 6 where the shipmaster or captain of the ship found Jonah asleep and rebuked him saying What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. Note: How ironic is it that a pagan sailor had to call on a prophet of God to pray. It was also sad that the only one on the ship whose prayer might be answered was so backslidden that he could not be heard any more than the others on the ship. Unfortunately, too often those who should be able to call on God in times of crisis can t because of their own sin (see Psalms 66:18). After having discovered Jonah, this verse says 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. In other words, those on the ship said to each other Let s get together and cast lots, so we may learn who is to blame for this disaster. The desperate seamen resorted to one last measure to save themselves: they cast lots to determine who was responsible for their calamity. The term cast lots referred to a way of making decisions in Bible times, similar to drawing straws or casting a pair of dice to determine what course or direction to follow. Note: The use of lots for deciding issues was common not only among ancient pagans, but also among the Israelites (see Joshua 7:16; 15:1; I Samuel 14:41-42). This method was not infallible especially when used by unbelievers, but God often used it to reveal His will (see Proverbs 16:33). Normally stones were used to cast lots and most of their uses were in the early period when very little of the Bible was
available, and when God apparently approved of this method for determining His will (see Leviticus 16:7-10; Numbers 26:52-56; 33:50, 54; 36:2). Different offices and functions in the Temple were also determined by lot (see I Chronicles 24:1-7, 31; 25:8-9; 26:13-14). The Christian church does not use lots to make decisions. Only once in the New Testament did the casting of lots happen with God s approval. That occurred when Matthias was selected to replace Judas among the apostles (see Acts 1:26). God has many other ways of exposing sinners. Many times He allows them to expose themselves by their behavior or a slip of the tongue. Whatever method God uses to expose one s sins, the truth that your sin will find you out (see Numbers 32:23) is still valid. The sailors then said that the reason for casting lots was so that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. They did it in order to determine who was responsible for their predicament. Then we are told that they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. In other words, on this occasion, God oversaw the lots to indicate Jonah was the guilty one. It s a good thing, when any difficulty comes upon us, to know why it is upon us so that whatever caused it may be corrected, and the offense having been corrected may remove the difficulty. In order to do this we must look up to heaven, and pray as Job did: I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me. That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more (see Job 10:2; 34:2). These mariners wanted to know the person that was the dead weight in their ship.
B. Jonah is guilty (Jonah 1:8-9). 1. (vs. 8). This verse goes on to say 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? At this point, guilty Jonah was now bombarded with questions from these seamen. However, they didn t call him by name, but they identified him as the one whose cause this evil is upon us meaning the one who has brought this calamity on all of us. The lot had already fallen on Jonah revealing that he was the guilty one. They then asked Jonah their first question: What is thine occupation? They probably considered this question important in determining whether he was a disreputable character fleeing punishment for some crime. They also wanted to know whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? In other words, they wanted to know what country he was from, and what was his nationality. They may have thought that divine judgment was upon his entire nation. Note: Although it was discovered by casting lots that Jonah was the person for whose sake the sailors were facing this mighty storm, they did not fly outrageously upon him, as one might think they would have done, but calmly and mildly enquired into his situation. They give him no harsh words, but simply asked him questions to gain information about him in order to determine what he had done to cause the storm that they were in. The
lesson here is that we should always be ready to show compassion to offenders when they are found out and convicted. At that time they don t need to be judged, they need empathy and compassion. 2. (vs. 9). This verse says 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. Jonah answered the questions honestly. He first identified himself saying I am an Hebrew. This was the name by which the Israelites were known to other peoples (see Genesis 14:13; 39:14, 17; 40:15). In spite of his disobedience, Jonah did not hesitate to add and I fear the Lord. He used the divine name Yahweh, which speaks of God s eternal Self-existence and His special covenant relationship with Israel (see Exodus 3:14; 6:2-4). In claiming to fear or reverence Yahweh, Jonah was not declaring himself to be especially righteous; instead he was simply identifying himself as a Yahweh fearer, much like the sailors might have called themselves Baal fearers. However, unlike Baal, Jonah s God was not just another god among many who weren t really gods at all (see Jeremiah 16: 20; Galatians 4:8). Jonah s God was (and is) the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. The Lord or Yahweh was identified with the heavens even by Abraham, the father of the Hebrews (see Genesis 24:3, 7). This description would become especially prominent among the Jews of the Babylonian Exile at a later time (see Ezra 1:2; Nehemiah 2:4; Daniel 2:44). This God, who has His throne in the heavens (see Psalms 103:19) also created and rules the sea and the dry land. In other words, the whole earth is
His (see Genesis 1:1; Psalms 24:1). The Lord is sovereign over every facet of nature, for He created it all. When we are among those that are strangers to us we should do what we can to acquaint them with God, by being ready on all occasions to own our relationship with Him and our reverence for Him. IV. A FRIGHTENING PROSPECT (Jonah 1:10-12) A. Great fear on the ship (Jonah 1:10). This verse says 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. All the sailors on the ship were exceedingly afraid meaning they were horrified when they learned that Jonah had disobeyed the Creator of the seas (see Jonah 1:9). Therefore they asked Jonah Why hast thou done this? They were asking him why he was running away from God s presence. The men on the ship knew this because he (Jonah) had told them. Sometime after they cast lots to determine who was responsible for the terrible storm, Jonah must ve confessed that he fled from the presence of the Lord. Note: The sailors recognized that Jonah had put all of them in danger. They probably reasoned that if the God Jonah feared was sovereign over the seas, He must have been the One who sent the storm. Surely Jonah should have
known that he could not escape the Lord of the universe by land or by sea (see Psalms 139:9-10). Jonah s fight with God was a senseless act that jeopardized others as well as himself. Jonah s experience reminds us that fleeing from the will of God is not only futile, but is also damaging to everyone who are touched by our disobedient lives. When we persist in our sin, we show callousness both to God and to the needy unbelievers among whom we live. B. A drastic solution (Jonah 1:11-12). 1. (vs. 11). This verse goes on to say 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. The sailors had associated the storm with Jonah as a result of casting lots and his confession that he was running from God s presence. Now in desperation, they asked the prophet What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? Ancient pagans assumed that each deity or god had a prescribed procedure by which he could be appeased or satisfied when angered. Since Jonah had identified himself with Yahweh or Jehovah (see Jonah 1:9), they reasoned that he would know what needed to be done to appease or persuade his God so that the sea may be calm unto us. They hoped that Jonah could tell them what to do in order for his God to calm or remove the lifethreatening storm.
2. (vs. 12). This verse says 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. In response to the sailors question of what should they do to Jonah, he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea. The prophet freely acknowledged that he was the cause of the storm, but in proposing this solution he also revealed that he knew his God well. Jonah knew that Yahweh had a quarrel with only him, not with the others on the ship. It appears that Jonah believed that if he was separated from the sailors on the ship, the Lord who is just would not destroy them. He would be free to deal with Jonah alone in a way that did not jeopardize the sailors lives. Note: It took great courage for Jonah to propose that he be sacrificed for the sake of the rest; yet the tragic truth was that they would be better off without him. It is possible for God s children to be so far out of His will that they are not only useless, but even spiritually harmful to others. Unfortunately, those whose lives are intended to bless others sometimes bring a curse on them instead. V. A SHOCKING RESOLUTION (Jonah 1:13-17) A. The sailors desperation (Jonah 1:13-14).
1. (vs. 13). This verse says Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. The term Nevertheless means that although Jonah advised them to throw him overboard, the sailors still attempted to row in hopes of making it to shore without throwing Jonah overboard. They did this because they didn t want to incur God s wrath by being involved in Jonah s death. We are told that to keep from throwing Jonah off the ship, the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not. In essence, they used all of their skills to bring the ship to safety ashore, but they were not successful because the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. This means that the sea was getting more and more stormy the more they rowed. Note: When Jonah told the sailors to cast him out of the ship, they faced an interesting dilemma which revealed a remarkable moral sensitivity in them. Of course, they wanted to save their own lives, but they also hoped to be able to save Jonas lihe as well. They showed more respect for Jonah s life than he did for the Ninevites to whom God commanded him to go and witness (see Jonah 1:1-2). We believers should be ashamed when unbelievers show more concern and compassion for others than we do. God wants us to be concerned about all people, both lost and saved. Jonah s hatred for the Assyrians was so strong that he didn t want them to receive God s mercy. Jonah was actually afraid that the people of Nineveh would repent (see Jonah 4:2-3) as a result of his witness and God would have mercy on them. Jonah s attitude is representative of Israel s reluctance to share God s love and mercy with others, even though
this was their God-given mission (see Isaiah 43:8-12). Like Jonah, the Jews did not want non-jews or Gentiles to obtain God s favor. Trust me, we Christians cannot afford to have this same attitude about sharing God s message of salvation with people who are different from us, or even like us for that matter. We too, have a Great Commission to obey: 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 (see Matthew 28:19-20). 2. (vs. 14). This verse goes on to say 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. When the sailors saw that their efforts to bring the ship safely to land were fruitless, they prepared for the inevitable. Jonah would have to go, but they prayed that their action would not be held against them. 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. These pagan sailors begged a God they didn t know not to punish them for taking the life of an innocent man. There is no evidence that their cry to Jonah s God was an expression of repentance due to changed hearts. When they called Jonah innocent, they were not questioning the Lord s dealings with him. But from their human standpoint, Jonah had not been condemned by any tribunal or court and
was therefore not worthy of death. The plea let us not perish for this man s life expressed their fear that Yahweh might retaliate against them if they killed Jonah be tossing him into the sea. The additional plea, and lay not upon us innocent blood meant that the sailors did not want to be regarded by God as men who would kill an innocent person. The sailors wanted God to understand that they were simply fulfilling Jonah s request. The sailors ended their plea to God with the statement, for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee. In other words, Yahweh had demonstrated His sovereignty from the beginning of this episode. God had led Jonah to their ship, He had made the lot to fall on Jonah, and He had sent the storm. B. The deliverance of the sailors (Jonah 1:15-16). 1. (vs. 15). This verse goes on to say So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Having acknowledged the sovereignty and power of Jonah s God, the sailors took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea. As soon as they threw Jonah overboard the sea ceased from her raging. The result of throwing Jonah off the ship was instantaneous. The waves that were so fierce one moment quickly turned into perfect calm the next moment. Normally it would have taken some time for the waves to die down following a storm of that magnitude. But God miraculously calmed the sea immediately! This was nothing new for God (see Psalms
89:9; 107:29). The same phenomenon happened when Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee (see Matthew 8:26). 2. (vs. 16). This verse says Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows. The sudden calming of the storm was so amazing that the men feared the Lord exceedingly. This fear was reverential awe for Yahweh, Jonah s God, who had done what none of the gods of these sailors could ever do. As a result of their reverential fear of Jehovah, the sailors offered a sacrifice unto the Lord with whatever resources they had on board. They also made vows which refers to voluntary promises made to a deity or god. In this case, the vows were made to the only True God, Yahweh. We are not told what these vows entailed, but they may have been promises to continue to worship after they reached land. Note: The sailors demonstrated a healthy awe or amazement of Yahweh by offering a sacrifice to Him and vowing to worship Him, but this does not mean that they followed through on their promises. Nor does it mean that they now worshiped Yahweh only and cast aside their may gods, like Baal and Ashtoreth. Adding one more god to their list was no problem for the pagan peoples of the ancient world. We can rejoice whenever people are overawed by the power of the one true God, but we must not assume that this reverence always means that they now have saving faith. The Lord Himself demands nothing less than exclusive worship (see Exodus 20:3). He calls Himself a jealous God (see Exodus 20:5) who will not share His glory with any other object of
worship (see Isaiah 42:8). Since we don t know for sure, it would be very interesting to know whether these sailors were willing to make such a commitment to the God of Israel. C. God s preparation for Jonah (Jonah 1:17). Our final verse says 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. The death that both Jonah and the sailors expected did not happen because the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. The word prepared simply means appointed or arranged. It does not necessarily mean that God created this fish for this occasion, although He could have. Prepared simply means that God made sure that the proper fish would be at the proper place at the proper time. Note: Here, God is doing what every good parent does; He is disciplining His child, teaching Jonah what is right. Any parent will tell you that as part of instilling right and wrong, there are times when a child must be disciplined. When it is done correctly, it becomes an opportunity to learn. Because He is the perfect Heavenly Father, God chooses to discipline us at times. As God s children, we are admonished not to despise the Lord s chastening or discipline (see Proverbs 3:12). We know that God is just (see Isaiah 45:21), so we trust that His discipline will be the right thing. However, when we experience no discipline we need to be really worried. Hebrews 12:8 says But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. No truly loving parent would allow his or her child to continue in sinful behavior, knowing how destructive it will be for the child. For sure, it can be very uncomfortable when God disciplines us, but we can take heart knowing that our Heavenly Father does this out of love. This fish was prepared, and lay ready under water close by the ship so that it might keep Jonah from sinking to the bottom, and save him alive. It was because of the Lord s mercies that Jonah was not consumed (see Lamentations 3:22). The fish swallowed Jonah, not to devour him, but to protect him. God had not abandoned Jonah. He graciously spared the prophet s life in such a way so that Jonah would also be brought to his spiritual senses. Note: Few Bible verses have been rejected more rigorously by unbelieving critics than this one. They argue that no sea creature is capable of swallowing a person whole and that even if one did exist, no one could survive such an ordeal. However, scholars have shown that there are indeed sea animals capable of swallowing a human being. For example, sperm whales (reach between 52 and 67 ft. in length) and the whale shark (41.5 ft. Long) are both known to have swallowed unusually large objects including a 15 foot shark. Therefore, there should be no doubt about the story of Jonah being a real historical account. Jesus never would have used it to illustrate His own death, burial and resurrection if it was not historically true. The last statement in this verse says And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Although many claim that it was a miracle for Jonah to be swallowed by a great fish, the real miracle was not getting
him into the fish, but preserving his life in the fish. In doing this, God proved that He controls the elements of nature to accomplish His will. Note: Many scholars believe that in Hebrew the three days and three nights do not necessarily refer to a seventy-two hour period, but rather to one full day and parts of two other days. The problem with this is that if only one of the three days and three nights is a full 24 hour period, why wouldn t the other two days be a 48 hour period equaling 72 total hours? This explanation seems to be an attempt to confirm that Jesus died on Friday and rose on Sunday. Under this reasoning, Jesus would have been in the grave part of the day Friday (He died at 3:00 pm), all night Friday and from 6:00 am until at least 6:00 pm on Saturday since in Jewish time Sunday began at 6:00 pm on Saturday. We don t know what time Jesus rose from the grave, except that it had to be after 6:00 pm on Saturday. He had risen from the grave by the time the women reached the tomb early Sunday morning while it was still dark (see John 20:1). Jonah s experience in the great fish was used by Jesus to illustrate His death, burial and resurrection (see Matthew 12:39-40). Based on Scriptural references, it is my belief that the three days and three nights mentioned here in Jonah as well as by Jesus, refer to three actual days and nights of 72 hours meaning that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, not Friday. (***For more information on how I came to this conclusion, please search for February 7, 2013: The Last Week of Jesus Life on the search engine of our church s web site:www.firstg.org***)
VI. Conclusion. All of us have been disciplined by the Lord at one time or another. Some of us may be experiencing His discipline or chastisement right now. There are many ways in which the Lord can discipline us, including difficult circumstances in life, health problems, or even death. However, not every instance of these situations is discipline from the Lord. When we are faced with God s discipline, we can respond in one of three ways: (1) we can ignore it (2) we can act angrily against the Lord and continue to be disobedient, or (3) we can submit to His discipline so that we can grow in our Christian character and become spiritually stronger (see Galatians 5:22-23). When we consider what happened to Jonah, there should be no question about how we should respond to God s discipline. Whenever you are facing discipline, please recognize it as God s love for you and respond in obedience. ***The Bible Expositor and Illuminator, Union Gospel Press***