Pictures Of Christ Series

As we begin looking toward our mission conference in a couple of months, I want to share some thoughts with you from the book of Jonah – a prophet who ran from God to avoid carrying a divine warning to the people of Nineveh.

Jonah undoubtedly feared the bloodthirsty Ninevites, but in Jonah 4:2 he plainly tells God that he didn’t want to go because he didn’t want them to repent and find mercy – he wanted God to zap them and eliminate Israel’s enemies.

So he boarded a ship and fled in the opposite direction. But he didn’t get far before God sent a storm to intercept him.

We left off last week with Jonah sleeping through the storm when the shipmaster found him, woke him up, and called on him to pray for God to rescue them. It’s a sad thing when a servant of God is rebuked by pagans. Jonah should have been the one calling on them to pray, not the other way around.

So Jonah joins the Ecumenical prayer meeting up on deck. And you know, the first right thing that any disobedient person ever does is pray. Now let’s pick up the story today in verses 7-17.

7 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.

8 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?

9 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.

10 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.

11 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.

12 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.

13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

14 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.

15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased

from her raging.

16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

17 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.

Heavenly Father, we know that all of Your children are called to be pictures of Your Son, seen and read by a watching world. And, like Jonah, we’re too often “underexposed” images of Him.

But the heart’s desire of us all is that the world may see Him in us – and come to know Him through us. We pray that today you will use Your word to give us a perfect vision of Christ – even through the imperfect witness of a backslidden prophet.

And we ask You to work through us, despite our imperfections, to be reflections of Your perfect glory – in Jesus’ name, Amen!

After Jonah joins the prayer meeting, the mariners appear to sense there’s something “freaky” about this storm. They’re spooked by it – how sudden it was – how fierce – how obviously targeted at them. Something seems supernatural about it – like a judgment from God upon someone among them. So, in verse 7 they try to figure out who has hexed their journey:

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.

Do you think Jonah was surprised when the lot revealed that he was the culprit? I think he’d have been surprised if it hadn’t!

To cast lots, each man puts some personal token into a clay jar. It could be anything – a coin, a cheap jewel or even a stone with the man’s mark on it. Then the jar would be shaken until a token fell out, and whoever it belonged to was “it”.