As we continue our journey through the book of Jonah, actually making it passed the third verse, many of you are probably thankful that we’ve finally begun to get somewhere in the unfolding of this narrative. You’re thankful because we’re finally getting to the point in the narrative that you’re more familiar with and that comes to mind when you think about the book of Jonah. However, don’t forget the things that we’ve dealt with the last two weeks in preparation for our really diving into the events contained in this book. And I’ll do my best to recap all of that in as few words as possible. First, remember that Jonah is a prophet of God. Remember that he is someone who has a pretty vast knowledge about God and about Scripture, and that he’s seen God work before. Also, he was a man who had audibly heard the voice of God, yet was still seeking to run away from Him. And as we said last Sunday, remember that God allowed Jonah to get on that ship. Had God not wanted Jonah to get on that ship or if Jonah’s getting on that ship bound for Tarshish would have been in any way in opposition to God’s ultimate plan then Jonah wouldn’t have had any success in his efforts to run from God. Now, as we read in our text just a moment ago, Jonah didn’t really have success in his attempt at fleeing, but only the momentarily illusion that he had somehow gotten his wish without any repercussions. It’s kind of like when I catch one of my kids doing something they’re not supposed to; how they think that they have gotten away with it until they turn around and see that I’ve been watching them the entire time.
In our text for today, we see that after the ship that Jonah boarded in Joppa was in open waters that a violent storm came about. We’re told in our text that this storm isn’t just some natural occurrence, but that it came directly from God. “But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” Now, for those of you who don’t know what a tempest is, it is a violent wind storm. This tempest, or storm, was apparently so severe that the people on board were tossing cargo over the sides, praying (crying out) to their gods, and thinking that this was the end. Mind you, these weren’t some inexperienced sailors. These were men who spent most of their lives on ships sailing across the Mediterranean. They were used to storms, but this was something unlike anything they had ever seen or experienced before. Think if you will about how it’s one thing to experience a violent windstorm, but a totally different thing to be present in the midst of a tornado or hurricane. These sailors, despite their experience with storms out on the sea, were terrified.
So, as these hardened sailors, men of the sea, were above deck frantically doing all they could to save their ship and their lives, what was Jonah doing? Well, Jonah had gone below the deck and was taking a nap. Now, at first glance we may think that his being able to sleep was because of his trust that God would deliver him through this storm. However, remember that Jonah was running from God. God doesn’t bless us for our disobedience. He wasn’t going to reward Jonah for his denial of God’s command by granting him safe travels. So, how could Jonah sleep? Well, it’s commonly thought that after the mental and emotional strain that Jonah was under in his efforts to run from God that he just simply couldn’t keep going. I don’t know if you’ve ever stayed awake for so long that you literally passed out, but if you have then you understand the physical state of exhaustion that Jonah was in here. It is yet another example of why our attempts at running away from God and fleeing His presence are useless; we can’t do it. We will simply wear down while God won’t. We’re told in verse 6 that the captain of the ship “came and said to him, ‘What do you mean, you sleeper?’” It’s commonly thought (and I don’t really know why this is so) that the captain found Jonah in the midst of this chaos because his snoring was even louder than the crashing of the waves and the driving winds. Whatever caused the captain to stumble upon Jonah, he told him to “arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” The captain calls on Jonah to cry out to his god just as the other men aboard the ship were doing. Now, something that I’m going to mention here and then address in just a moment; don’t you think that it’s a little odd for all of these folks to be asking each other to cry out to their gods? Doesn’t it show a complete lack of faith and conviction on their part that they would worship someone whom they don’t 100% trust is in control. As I said, we’ll deal with that fact in just a few moments.
So, moving along in our text, we see that the next idea that the sailors had was to cast lots as a means of identifying the reason for the storm. In other words, they knew that this wasn’t some common storm and they were certain that it was happening because of someone that was onboard that ship. Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the practice of casting lots, let’s just say that it’s very similar to drawing straws. On first thought, this wouldn’t seem like a very trustworthy way of getting to the truth, but we do see that at times the casting of lots was used to decide God’s will. Most famously is the casting of lots in Acts 1 when it comes to replacing Judas as one of the twelve. However, there are other examples in Scripture, and we must remember that God is in control of lots as well. Would it be any surprise that with God’s causing of the storm and all the other events that had and would take place that God acted to have the lot fall on Jonah? Of course not!
Now, as the lot fell on Jonah, the men onboard that ship just unloaded a barrage of questions on him. “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? What is your country? And of what people are you from?” They were trying to find out all that they could about Jonah and what he might have done so that they could work at correcting it so that their lives might be saved. Jonah responded to their questions by saying, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” I love what O. Palmer Robertson says about this statement made by Jonah. “Talk about a shocker to the sailors! They were trying to find out which local deity they had offended. But Jonah tells them it is the big One, one true God of gods that every man knows by the testimony of his heart. Heaven, sea and land Jonah mentions. See that howling heavens swirling about you? My God made them, he says. Feel the sea heaving under your feet? My God made it. Sense the presence of the rocky coast ahead, where you soon may crash? My God made it.” Now, while I will credit Jonah for his expounding upon who God was, so as to leave no doubt about which god he was referring to; did you notice anything missing from his answer? One of the first questions asked of Jonah was about his occupation, yet we find nowhere in his answer does he tell them that he was a prophet. It’s as if he’s hiding that fact from them or that he’s ashamed and thinks that they won’t believe him. Again, we see in this omission that even the most dedicated and devout men of God can be driven from Him by the power of sin. Well, at least temporarily driven away that is.
Notice the reaction of the sailors upon hearing Jonah identify who he was running from. “Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, ‘What is this that you have done!’” They were afraid. They couldn’t believe that Jonah had put them in this position of being punished for something that he had done. What wonderful news, what delightful words coming from these sailors. You see, in order to be afraid of God, there has to be some understanding of who He is. You’re not afraid of something you know nothing about. For those of you who have kids, think back to when your kids were around the ages of mine: 2, 5, or 6. Basically, your entire job as a parent feels like it is simply to keep them from hurting or killing themselves until they’re able to assume that responsibility for themselves. They’ll play with fire and snakes and anything else because they don’t have any clue about the danger that can come from them. It’s only once there is an understanding of the danger that exists that there is even the slightest reason to fear those things. While it may not feel like a celebratory moment in the life of these sailors as they were feeling the urgency of the situation, it is the most celebratory moment that they could ever have. We’ll see a little later on that it doesn’t take long for this sliver of understanding of God to turn into a full out profession of faith.
However, there is still the issue of the aforementioned urgency of the situation and the jagged rocks upon the shore. As the sailors are looking around and trying to figure out what to do, Jonah realizes and acknowledges that this was all happening because of his running from God. He told the men to throw him overboard and that that would cause the winds and waves to subdue. Now, instead of taking this opportunity to cast Jonah off of the ship in the hopes of saving themselves, the men don’t give up on Jonah. They try with all their might to row the boat ashore without having to fulfill Jonah’s instructions. Alas, it is no use. With each thrust and pull of the ores, the strength of the winds and waves seems to combat their efforts. Then, and this is the most amazing part of this whole series of events, the sailors call out to God. Verse 14 says, “Therefore they called out to the Lord, ‘O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.’” Did you see what happened there? These men went from each having their own gods that they looked to, to all acknowledging the one true God who is and was and forever will be. They profess that God Almighty is the God who rules over all of creation. Before these events there in the midst of the storm out on the waters of the Mediterranean the name of God was foreign to them and now they are professing faith in Him. Even in Jonah’s waywardness, God used his life to bring others into a saving knowledge of Him (a theme that will continue throughout the rest of this book).
Finally, our text concludes, “So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Now, we’re going to look at Jonah’s time spent in the stomach of the great fish next Sunday. So, I’m not going to get into any of that this morning, but instead, I want to use the little remaining time that we have and just reflect upon the transformation that we see in these previously heathen sailors.
Not only did they move from a simple acknowledgement of God to professing Him as the one true God, but they became obedient as well. They didn’t want to toss Jonah into the sea, but they wanted to be obedient to God. Even though Jonah might have been in the midst of running from God, he was still His prophet. God’s prophet, Jonah, had told them that they needed to toss him overboard, so they did. The argument could be made that these men who had only in that last several minutes come to know God were actually more obedient to God’s commands than His prophet was. They also seem to have an even more appropriate fear of God than Jonah does at this point in time. Now, that’s not to say that Jonah didn’t fear God; in fact he did. What I’m talking about here is more along the lines of why we spent the first few weeks dealing with sin’s effects upon Jonah’s heart, blinding him to a truth that he already knew. Had Jonah’s fear of the Lord been properly aligned in his life, then he never would have considered running from God regardless of what people group or nation God called him to.
Getting back to these sailors, not only do they believe, profess, obey, and fear, but they offered sacrifices and made vows. You know, it’s funny when you think about it. Jonah had tried to run to the opposite end of the earth in order to not work at converting sinners to believers. Yet, as I said a second ago, that’s exactly what happened in his fleeing. You see, God’s will is going to be accomplished. His commands are always going to be fulfilled. The question simply remains as to whether we’re going to willingly be an instrument used by God or not. You see, there isn’t a person who can resist the call of God upon their life. In theology we call it the Irresistible Grace of God. It’s one of the five major points of Calvinism. Basically, and this is in overly simple terms, it means exactly what you would think it means. God’s grace, His calling out to someone and drawing them into a relationship with Him, is ultimately irresistible for anyone. Sure, we may run from it for a while. We may have success for years and years; even a majority of our life. However, eventually, we will be confronted with the power of God. We will be like those sailors on that ship. We will be left with no other options but to cry out to God and profess Him as Lord. Even those of us who are Christians already aren’t immune to this running and straying. However, God draws us back to Him too, this is what is known as perseverance of the saints. Once we’re in God then we will never fall away. So, whether we’re Jonah or the sailors, whether we’re already in a relationship with God or not, when God wants to claim us then we’re as good as His, and we’re His forever. In a world where there’s bad news and tragedy seemingly lurking around every corner. Let us take comfort and relief in knowing that our God is a god who is in control of all things, and that His will never goes unfulfilled.
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