1 The Lord is a God who avenges.
O God who avenges, shine forth.
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth
9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
11 The Lord knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
12 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law
Jonah 1:1-2:2
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil [evil or disaster] has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
4 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. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.
6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah (Proverbs 16)
. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”
9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard [the men dug in their oars] to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
14 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.”
15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
17 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.
Jonah – Chapter 2:1-2
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
Jonah was not having fun with the whale. However we have all overlooked important aspects of the Jonah Story.
1. Jonah appears to be the only one where God demanded His Way, Truth and Life.
In His Capacity: Daniel was enslaved. Moses had leprosy for a minute and a half. Zechariah went mute and Elizabeth was found pregnant - no angel had asked her. Joshua lived in the desert for 40 years. Samson went into prison. Joseph went into slavery and prison. God has way with His Good Will and Plan. God always - wins. We win when we say sincerely God is my Hope and my Future.
Is Jonah True? The Bible is True. Jonah is True. We also see this:
3. The Assyrians allowed Judah to continue. They had a fondness for this Jehovah and His Capabilities. Hezekiah had the most impressive reign. And in my opinion, Hezekiah far exceeded Solomon. The People were on the side of God and King Hezekiah had to ask them to stop donating. They worked hard for the Lord and their tunnels with water are visible today.
2. The Babylonian Exile was 3 vast, violent sweeps by Nebuchadnezzar who believed himself to be blessed and mentioned by Isaiah 14:12-15. He reign took over the Assyrian culture. Isaiah 14 did indeed tell of the rise and fall of Nebuchadnezzar, conqueror of Judah. Without Jonah, Nebuchadnezzar would not have granted the slaves the renaming and calling them "exiles". They would not have had the freedom to worship the Sabbath together. Ezekiel, as a priest, would not have been given a house by the Kebar River. Centuries apart, Jonah laid the path for Jeremiah's prophecy of 70 years in captivity to be True.
3. Many of the aspects of Jonah are recognizable in ourselves. The desire to love God and fulfill our own plans. Our selfishness. Johan continues to be mighty in God as he flees. He tells the Truth. A noble thing. Very admirable. And in the Truth - this life comes to be useful to God and to us through the millenniums.
4. Jonah is not a fish tale of one who got away. Jonah begins to tell us about Jesus. Jonah felt his life was in God's hands and Jonah is brave and mighty to save - others. Jonah, like Jesus, will be calm during the storm and see what unfolds. Jonah is ready to put down his own life to save them. Jonah - is like us - he had no idea God was going to step in and Save so Mightily.
Father God,
Today - We call out to the Lord in our distress and He will heal us.
In the Lord Father God Almighty we see many grow in their God for Loving Kindness and Maturity
We give You Thanks, that was distress and problematic - terrifying was meant for Good.
All things work for good for those who Love the Lord God and work according to His Purpose.
Psalm 94
17 Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
Thank Jesus Christ the Lord for hearing our Prayer. We Trust in You.
Amen, Abba, Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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