JONAH 1: 6
PREOCCUPIED PASSENGER PROVOKES PILOT
I. PERIL:
A. Perishing.
B. Punishment.
C. Pariahs.
II. PIOUS:
A. Predicament.
B. Prayer-less.
C. Provoked.
III. PILOT:
A. Pattern.
B. Piousness.
C. Pleadings.
The scene on board the ship carrying Jonah is not a serene scene. The storm has hit with a vengeance. The sailors have abandoned their tasks of trying to steer the ship and have gone to praying for help. In place of an expected easy sail to Tarshish, the ship, sailors and captain are now fighting for their lives. Amid the screaming howls of wind, rain and squalling water, the scene is bedlam. How could this have happened? Certainly storms did arise on the Sea when the ship had been sailing before, but usually, there were always warning signs that an experienced captain would have read and would have heeded, but not this time. Everyone was at the mercy of an Unseen God and His power was at work this day against the ship.
Amidst the storm while the sailors were praying to their own gods, the captain notices that someone is missing and that someone was not praying to God. That someone was a Hebrew and it was known in that area that the Hebrews believed in a God that was not represented by idols or visible items. The ship had docked at an Israelite port, and the captain certainly knew what the general belief was of the Jews of his day. Yet, this Jewish man was not on board calling for help from God and this disturbed the captain. All else were praying but their prayers were going unheeded and this Jewish man was asleep in a very critical time. That just would not do and the captain paid a visit to Jonah to rouse him to join with the rest of the people in a prayer meeting for their personal welfare.
Here was a Gentile going to call on a Jewish man to get up and pray for them and the ship-how ironic. Jonah was to be the Jewish man who was to go to pray for the Gentiles at Nineveh for their salvation when the Gentile came looking to the Jew for safety. This is a type of what will be in the latter days when Israel is completely restored. The Bible says that in the future, the Gentiles will go to the Jews and ask them for prayer for their survival.
As I look at the sermon as is found in verse six of Jonah, chapter One, I see three things. I first see the PERIL of the storm and some applications for then and for now. I then notice the PIOUS one, Jonah, as he moves from his lethargy to an opportunity to do something for God. I also see that Jonah serves as a type of the Church in so many places of the world today. Finally, I note the PILOT: the captain.. The captain proved in this verse that he had a knowledge of God and maybe he was a believer in Him after all.
I. PERIL: I have spoken about the storm before, but I need to add a bit more. This storm was a ferocious one that struck from out of nowhere and was of such a magnitude that it drove the sailors to their knees in dire straights and in earnest prayer. Besides all else it is important to remember the times in which these sailors were sailing and to look at the PERIL they were facing and why they were so desperate.
One of the raw facts that presented itself to these sailors was the fact that they were in danger of Perishing. The storm was so ferocious that they were in actual fear of losing their lives. There is something in the human psyche that values life. Humans and all creatures will do anything to hold onto the life they have. Not knowing what death is really like, all creatures fear the closing of the eyes in eternal sleep. Yet, it is at this very point that Christ comes to carry His child through the dreaded locks of desperate death and to deliver us onto the golden shore of Heaven itself. Time after time, the Holy Writ encourages the believer not to fear death, but to remember that Christ conquered it all and we who believe in Him can simply fall asleep in His arms to awake in His Presence forever. However, to those who do not believe in God nor His Son, death is the ultimate fear as it was for these mariners. They were truly convinced that they would Perish at this grave PERIL in which they were enveloped.
Besides the fear of their final demise, these mariners were also afraid of any Punishment that might come their way should they survive. Labor was cheap in the days of these sailors and for them to lose all and to survive meant that they might be punished severely for the loss of the ship, the cargo or both. To simply return to port and to announce that the storm hit and they had to jettison all goods on board for no reason, meant that these sailors were in debt to the owners of the ship. This might entail servitude for them, their family and/or all that they had for themselves to pay the debt which happened upon the Sea. It can be assumed with most certainty, that there was no type of insurance for the goods nor for the handlers of the goods. These sailors would no doubt have to pay dearly as a Punishment for the expense of the ship’s goods. Their only salvation would be that they could prove that they were not responsible for this storm and the danger was due to someone else. Hence, they prayed for their lives and for a solution to their impending doom upon reaching port-should they be so fortunate.
Lastly, this PERIL was so real to them that if the worse happened they might be shipwrecked and made to dwell as outcasts on an island or a foreign land and be a Pariah for months, or years or maybe a lifetime. It is worth remembering that in that time, there were many nation states and cities which were an “island” to themselves and not always hospitable to strangers coming in among them. That was one of Jonah’s fears about going to Nineveh and here these sailors were facing the same thing. If they were shipwrecked and had to dwell in a foreign port or land they probably would not be accepted and maybe killed, They would certainly be treated as a Pariah for a very long time.
It is no wonder that these sailors were praying so hard and calling upon their own gods. They were facing a future that held little or no hope for them where they were or at any other place in the foreseeable future. We do not know what happened to them after Jonah was cast overboard, but we hope that God in His mercy had compassion upon these sailors because they all turned to Him in the end and became believers in the God of the Hebrews.
II. PIOUS: I find it amazing that our God knows how to deal with each person. For every one who calls upon His name and to those whom He calls and they refuse-He knows just what to do to get one’s attention. Such was the case with Jonah.
The first thing I note about this one who I termed “PIOUS” is that he found himself in quite a Predicament. He was cornered and there was no where to run. God waited until Jonah was safely on board the ship and He waited until the vessel was out on the Sea, too far for the ship to turn around and head for land thus outrunning the storm. God knew just what He needed to do to put Jonah in a straight where he could not run and he had to listen to God. Sometimes God has to get us in a spot or two so we can take the time to listen to what He has to say to us. Sometimes that “spot” is flat on our back, too sick or too immobile to move away from His voice and there He can talk to us. Sometimes it is through disaster; sometimes it is through reverses in life; and sometimes it is through another person who brings us God’s message. Regardless of the method He chooses to get our attention, let us remember that He does all things for our betterment and because He loves us. Just because Jonah was running away from Him, it does not mean that God stopped loving him. Just the opposite, He loved Jonah so much that He purposely placed His errant prophet in a situation wherein Jonah had to listen: God is good.
Yet, in spite of this, Jonah can be viewed as a type of the modern Church-asleep while the pagans pray. We seem to be so busy with building fine churches, big fellowship halls, attending seminars, seeking the latest sales gimmicks for our churches that while we are doing this-basically asleep-many of the pagans pray and call upon their gods for our demise. When will the modern Church wake up and realize that we are being surrounded by dedicated people who are avid about their beliefs and who call upon their gods day and night while we seek so much self-pleasure. Jonah was asleep while the sailors were praying. He who knew the real God of the Universe, was asleep, satisfying his own self will and luxury while the pagans prayed and acted. When will we as a Christian body return to call upon Him for our salvation and the salvation of the world? “Jonah, why sleepiest?” The same call can be said for we who claim the name of Jesus. If there is ever a time when we need to shake ourselves out of our lethargy-it is now before it is too late. Jonah was Prayer-less, when he should have been praying.
Besides this “PIOUS” one being in a Predicament where God placed him and besides him being self centered and Prayer-less, Jonah had to be Provoked or prodded into praying-what a shame on him and what a commentary on the modern Church when we are urged to pray instead of seeking self gratification.
The captain of the boat looked around and saw that there was one who was not praying and he went to Jonah, roused him out of his sleep and called on him to pray. This captain thought more of Jonah than Jonah thought of himself. This captain had higher expectations of Jonah than Jonah had of himself. I find the parallel here to be too tempting to pass. The world has a higher expectation of the Church than the Church has of itself. The world can tell what a Christian should be-that is often more than what we Christians can say of ourselves. Regardless of the liberal biasness of our secular society, the world still wants the Church to stand for the right and the truth. The liberals may huff and puff but the man on the street, Old Joe Six-pack, can tell the Church what the world’s wants from the Church and these desires are more biblical than what many ministers preach today.
The sinners in our society, by and large, want the Church to say, “Thus sayeth the Lord” and not to water down that doctrine. The world is saying today, “Wake up Church-do you not care that we perish. Pray to your God lest we all die.” The world has higher expectations of us than we have of ourselves-it is time we measure up to those guidelines. The captain came and forcefully Provoked Jonah to do something in the name of the Lord for everyone’s safety. Let us learn from this captain and do the same to ourselves while there is still time.
III. PILOT: I have studied the PERILS of the sailors as they faced almost certain death. And, if by chance they would survive, their future lives were no doubt going to be adversely affected due to the circumstances at sea.
Then, I studied the “PIOUS” one, Jonah himself as he was in a situation where there was no way to escape. He had run out his string of running from God and God waited until His man would have to listen to Him, I also noticed how this man serves as a type of the Church of today-asleep while the ungodly pray constantly for their wicked schemes to be enacted.
The first thing I note about this captain is how much he resembles the good shepherd when He went looking for that lost sheep. Coming on deck and seeing his men crying out to their gods for help moved this captain. Not only did he see his men in a prayer meeting for their very safety, but he also saw the fear in the eyes and on the faces of his crew. Sizing up the situation, he realized that there was one person who was not present at that prayer meeting, and turning his back on the storm and his frightened crew, he went looking for one more soul-Jonah. Yes he was concerned that Jonah was not praying, and he took it upon himself to go and look for the one who was not there and he believed that just maybe this absent person was of some value to the ship and the crew. How like the Saviour this captain was at this time. Jesus could have passed us by and gone on to someone else, but He really believed that we were important to Him and His cause and He believed that we could make a positive contribution to the whole, so He came looking for us. It was not what we had, or who we were, but He thought we were of value and He came looking for us. When He found us, He told us to get up and call on God, for salvation and help. This captain might have been a hardened man, or a sinner, a clear and avowed pagan in the eyes of the Jews, but He was a type of Christ who was to come centuries later, riding the rough seas of life-looking for us, because He believed in us.
I also note another point about this captain, One of these points has to do with his Piousness. I do not know what type of faith he possessed, but I do know what I read as he came looking for Jonah; he stated a truth that was true then and still is today. He told Jonah to arise and call upon God so that just maybe He would save the lot of them. Jonah herd these words from God, now he hears them again from a desperate captain. This was a big step of faith for this man who was not a Hebrew nor one who did not profess to serve God. Yet, he recognized God’s ultimate power and viewed God as the One who controlled everything. This was a giant leap of faith for this man as he publicly upbraided Jonah for his lack of calling upon the one God who could help them. The captain realized that there was no other deities who could help them now and he begged Jonah to pray for him and his ship as soon as possible.
Finally, I come to the last part of my sermon: I see where the captain’s Pleadings for the man of God to pray for the whole lot. What a plea! The captain begged Jonah to plead to God lest they perish. The world is still making that same plea to the Church. In the midst of our comfort, our big and bigger buildings, in our well run organizations, the world-in a desperate situation-pleads with the Church to pray unto God lest it be destroyed. As the world spins out of control regarding all types of sin and debauchery, the plea is still heard from the remotest corners of this globe to the most accessible spots on this planet, “Pray for us lest we perish.” How can we sleep while the call goes out from lost souls, “Pray for us, lest we perish?” If we do not pray for them, we condemn them to their continued life of lost ness without God. We may not all go to be missionaries; we all may not be called to be ministers, but we all can pray for a lost world and that was all the captain was asking of Jonah.
Amidst the PERIL while the PIOUS one slept, the PILOT came looking for the man of God to pray for him and his crew. What an opportunity Jonah faced that day.
