Going Back to Nineveh - Part 2

Originally posted by Brenda, Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:32:00 GMT on Pawn to King and is filed under Bible Study Notes ~ Copywrite July15, 2008

To review where we left off in part one...

In the midst of the raging tempest, Jonah was down deep into the belly, or hull, of the ship fast asleep. It is a natural inclination to shrink away from those around us, when we feel guilty about something and to hide out, and Jonah was no different from the rest of us. Pulling the covers over his head probably seemed like a good idea at the time, and it was simply a place to escape and shut off the truth that was no doubt permeating his thoughts. It was a temporary solution to what was going to be a never-ending problem.

Meanwhile, overhead, the fellow shipmates were wildly throwing things overboard in their panic to lighten their load, and avoid sinking into the surging waters. We are not told, but since they were a ship from a major port we could most likely assume they were regular sailors of the sea, and that their terror in the midst of the storm was evidence that things were truly of magnitude proportions.

Now they were all in it together; Jonah was running from fear, of perhaps failure more than anything, (aside from God’s possible wrath), and the men feared their own deaths at sea.

Doing all they could do in their natural circumstances, they were doing the exhaustive heaving of their cargo overboard, and at the same time, their circumstances were causing their own mortality to stare them in the face. They were calling on their gods and nothing was breaking in their situation. And all the while he is down there snoozing. Things were about to get ugly... Is the word “mutiny” ringing any bells with anyone? In all likelihood, it was probably crossing their fleshly minds about then.

The story continues with the captain in charge of the ship coming to the slumbering Jonah...

6 “The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." 7 Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah."

Most likely due to both frustration and fear, they were already deducing that Jonah and his sin was probably the cause of all their problems – and that he was responsible for the mess that they were in.

8 "So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" 9 He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." 10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)"

Did you catch how quick they were to lay blame, and point fingers? They take no responsibility for their own sinful roles of seeing help in the wrong places in this saga, instead they choose to wager as to who is to be blamed for their crisis. The gamble was only a corroboration of what he had already told them. It was also an opportunity for him to confess his guilt with his own words and to absolve themselves of any wrong-doing - they knew he was attempting to hide, but from what? They had to know, so they inquired of him as to the cause of his running.

It would seem to be a strange time to be asking questions, particularly since he had already explained his plight to them. But again, the reiteration that sin effects not only ourselves, but those around us, also causes one to acknowledge that others will also reap those repercussions, particularly when the one who sins is in close proximity to us. As a teacher/preacher/prophet he was going to be held answerable for his actions. He was reflection the state of his own people, and likewise was going to be held responsible for his actions just as Israel would be. The storm was God’s tool of verification and they were not about to mess with Him when they now knew He was in control of all of it.

11 "The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" "

Sure enough, when trouble hits, both the innocent and wicked people will cry out for God, and they asked Jonah to do it on their behalf. The bottom line is that even in their desperation to save themselves, they were not going to touch what they recognized as a “man of God”, and they correctly presumed he would know the solution to their dilemma – the act of appeasing God for the sins that had taken place.

12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."

He was taking responsibility for his actions; and bless him, he was sparing the innocent in this tale, of their possible outcome. It was a true parallel of sparing the nation of Israel.

13 "Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the Lord, "O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased." 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him."

Jonah’s chances, of surviving the storm, were not likely a reality in their minds. The intensity was only worsening as they went along. The idea of shedding innocent blood was also not an avenue that they wanted to pursue either, as there was accountability for that too. So, they tried to head back, but it was clear there was only one option. Finally in their desperation, they pleaded for His mercy, and tossed Jonah overboard.

At the calming nature of the sea, the men actually then started to repent from their past and to worship the One True God. Unfortunately, it had come from fear, and not with a pure heart motive. They promised a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows, most likely to give Him even more of what was due Him, when they landed.

17 "But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights."

This was a dramatic conclusion to the first portion of his journey... being swallowed up into the belly of a fish. Ironically it was another parallel to the earlier time when he opted to hide in the belly of the ship. Once again, he was residing in the deep, dark, place...

The scripture says God prepared a great fish, and much debate exists today as to the type of fish it was, but that is not of true relevance to this actual story. It is the miraculous ability for Jonah to breathe life while in the captivity of that environment. It was a divinely orchestrated miracle that would mirror the effects of not only Jonah’s sin, but also that of both Israel and Nineveh.

A prophet is often marked by experiences that make them empathetic, sympathetic, and compassionate for the people to which they speak.

It truly is always about the heart choosing the right thing...but more often than not, the journey can be about choosing the wrong thing...

Poor old Jonah still may not even have known it at that point, but he was going back to Nineveh.