Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (27.4)

The Book of Jonah

Jonah Chapter 1:8-12 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

v8.  When the mariners resorted to casting lot to find the guilty party, they put themselves under the control of God, who alone can guide the outcome of the lot.  Now that the lot had identified Jonah, the mariners asked Jonah to confirm that he was the guilty person.  Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us.  Nobody knew who Jonah was, and hence the cross-examination was aimed at ascertaining that Jonah was indeed the person whom God was dealing with.  The purpose of this cross-examination is to elicit a verbal, personal confession from Jonah.  The first question put to Jonah was, “Are thou the one?”  Then the second question, “What is the reason that God is dealing so harshly with you?”  Of course the mariners did not put the second question that way, but that was the thrust of the series of questions that followed: What is thine occupation?  The implication here is, are you a sorcerer and did your witchcraft caused this tempest? And whence comest thou?  What is thy country?  Perhaps Jonah was from a country whose people practise divination? And of what people art thou? From the answer to that last question, they would know which god that country has.

v9.  Jonah replied to their questions.  He started off by identifying himself as a Hebrew.  I am an Hebrew.  This is in response to their questions: Whence comest thou?  What is thy country?   By saying he is a Hebrew, he thereby identified that he came from the nation of Israel.  And therefore his crime is all the more serious, for his God is the living God. 

By saying that he was a Hebrew, he was in fact making a distinction between the God of Abraham and the idols of the Gentiles.  The history of Israel was well known to the Gentiles.  They knew about God appearing to Abraham, that covenant that God made with him, and the Law that was given through Moses by the true God.  So by making this firm assertion that he was a Hebrew, Jonah was drawing the line, declaring that he had nothing to do with any of the gods of the mariners as his God is the true and living God.

Then he said, I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.  By fear, he meant reverential worship.  This is in answer to their question: What is thine occupation?  He is a prophet of God, and a prophet’s occupation is to reverently worship God.  Did they want to know who his God is?  Well, Jonah introduced his God as the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.  In other words, Jonah worships a creator God, who is the God of all universe.  This is very different from the many gods of the mariners.

From this introductory remark, Jonah was in fact telling the mariners that the reason God is pursuing him with such intensity and severity is because his offence is not small, but is actually a very serious sin.

v10.  The way back to God after we have sinned is through confession.  Jonah had obviously made a full confession before these mariners, although this was not clearly stated.  But we can infer that Jonah did make that confession because this verse says that the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.  Because of this, the men were exceedingly afraid.   Note that they were not just afraid, but exceedingly afraid.  Why?  Because they recognised the hand of the almighty God through the strong wind and mighty tempest directed at Jonah, and through Jonah, at their ship.  They knew that God was angry with Jonah, and if God can be angry to such a severe extent against his own prophet, then how can they who are not worshippers of God be saved? 

Now the mariners delivered another rebuke to Jonah: Why hast thou done this?   Since Jonah claimed to be a Hebrew, a race that is God’s chosen people, and Jonah was a prophet of the God of Abraham, creator of heaven and Earth, then why did Jonah attempt to flee from the presence of God knowing that he can’t actually flee at all?  Isn’t that what we do as well?  Although we know that God is omnipresent, yet there are times when we commit sins and we excuse ourselves that these are “small” sins, and that God is not concerned with them.  Indirectly we are saying that these “small” sins can be “hidden” from God.  If that has been your experience, then this rebuke -Why hast thou done this? - is meant for you as well.  Think about it.

v11.  The mariners had cast the lot, and Jonah was identified as the cause of their problem.  Jonah was interrogated, and he confessed to what he had done against God.  The simple and most logical thing for the mariners to do then would be to toss him out of the ship.  But this they did not do, for they recognized that God was angry with Jonah, and since Jonah was a Hebrew prophet, it would be wise to let God deal with Jonah without hindrance.  Hence they asked Jonah, in his capacity as prophet, this question: What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.   Now the last part of this verse, for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous, means that the storm was getting from bad to worse.  Hence learn that if we discover sins in our lives and we do not stop to deal with such sins, we only make matters worse.

Now the mariners asked a simple question:  Jonah, tell us how the sea may become calm again?  As stated earlier, the easiest way would be to get rid of Jonah, but then again, maybe Jonah can think of another way out?  Learn therefore that when God is displeased with us because of our sins, that displeasure is like a storm in the sea, and we must then diligently enquire what needs to be done to calm that tempest.  We should pray and seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance to know that particular sin that caused God’s displeasure, and when that is discovered then we must confess it, and thereafter absolutely forsake it, or as Paul would say, crucify it. 

v12. While the mariners were hesitant to cast Jonah into the sea, Jonah himself was resigned to such punishment from his God.  They had asked him what they should do to calm the sea.  Jonah told them: Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you.  Then he added: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.   How did he know?  Jonah was not saying that he knew from the outcome of the casting of the lot, because if that were the case, there was nothing new, as the mariners also knew from the result of the lot.  What he meant here is that the Holy Spirit had convicted him so that he knew for sure that God was punishing him.  And since that is the case, there is no way to escape.  Thus Jonah was willing to put himself into the hands of his angry God and accept the punishment, including death, which he knew he deserved for rebelling against God.  There was no arguing with God, no disputing with God, because Jonah knew that God is a just judge.  That is humbling of oneself before God.  Does this not remind us of that great promise of 2Chron 7:14, If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Jonah is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ in one respect – he willingly gave himself up so that the sea can become calm.  Our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life willingly a ransom for many so that the sea of God’s wrath can become calm as His precious blood shed on Calvary Cross cleanses away the sins of His people.  The only difference is that in the case of Jonah, the tempest was of his own doing while in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, the wrath of God is of our sinful doing.