Message
Jonah 1:4-17
Our Identity Before A Merciful God
Last week we ended with Jonah in the town of Joppa paying the fare to sail for Tarshish.
Jonah did this because he found the mercy which God was extending to the town of Nineveh too disturbing.
A succinct visual summary of the actions of Jonah can be seen by looking at a map.
Jonah’s hometown is Gath Hepher.
Nineveh, is the location God called Jonah to proclaim to.
The port town of Joppa is where Jonah went to get the boat.
The most likely location of Tarshish is where Jonah was headed.
Jonah is literally going in the opposite direction … as far as he can.
So what does the Lord do about this? Let’s read Jonah 1:4-17
The Lord send a storm.
The moment the storm hits Jonah knows exactly what is going on.
Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart. In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
Jeremiah 23:19-20
On the deck of the ship the sailors are praying. Everyone worshipped a god in those days. And everyone knew, in this situation, that this is no ordinary storm. There is something about this storm that the seasoned sailors know it is one which requires calling out to the gods. The problem however was that it was difficult to know which god to call out too.
Each nation had their own gods, and there were different gods for different circumstances. Is it the god of the sea who has been offended? Or the god of the sailors? Or the god of relationships? Was it your god and not my god?
Everyone is scrambling for help and hope.
Praying. Calling out.
But also throwing the cargo overboard as well – it was a desperate move because safe delivery of the cargo was how they were paid. But they needed to lighten the ship so it would sit higher in the water so there is less chance of waves swamping it.
Where is Jonah?
The prophet who hears God’s voice. The one who knows exactly which God is the one to pray to? Where is he? In the process of throwing the cargo overboard Jonah is discovered by the captain, below deck fast asleep.
If Jonah had been a monkey in a pick tutu playing an accordion the captain would not have been more surprised.
It is absolutely inconceivable in the circumstances that someone would be asleep in the middle of the storm, instead of praying. It is an act of absolute selfishness and complete disregard for everyone else on the ship that Jonah is not even trying. Trying to call on the name of his gods in order to bring a reprieve and end to the wrath of the “gods”. But here is Jonah, fast asleep, doing nothing.
I’m going to put two verses in Hebrew up on the screen.
(get hebrew of Jonah 1:2)
get-up go to-Nineveh the city the great and-speak against-her
(get hebrew of Jonah 1:6)
The calling of the captain is echoing the calling of God.
Speaking … it is so essential in the journey of our relationship with God.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Romans 10:14
The word needs to be heard as a testimony of the work of God. Unless this testimony, the proclamation of the Gospel, happens people will not call on the Lord and believe. Speaking.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
In the journey of relationship with Jesus we speak out his name – Jesus is Lord. It is a declaration of identity that we stand in the kingdom with Jesus and we want to be his. Speaking.
Once God speaks to us through His Word, and we speak to Him in confession. Then we can keep speaking to Him in prayer … about anything and everything.
In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6
Here is a situation that needs prayer. Get up and speak to your god!
Jonah does get up and go onto the deck. But there is no record of Jonah speaking to God.
Nothing changes when we don’t speak to God.
Jonah is silent. The storm keeps going. So a new strategy is implemented.
To cast lots
There is a whole other message right here about how God makes his will known through the desperate efforts of non-Israelite sailors.
But we have known from verse 3 that Jonah is responsible.
God uses the lots to identify that Jonah is indeed responsible.
In the middle of the storm God’s finger points to Jonah.
Who is responsible?
What kind of work do you do?
Where do you come from?
What is your country?
From what people are you?”
Picture here a group of sailors in the middle of it-is-time-to-meet-your-maker storm. It isn’t a clam inquisition. Everyone is asking the questions all at the same time. That are all questions of identity
I am a Hebrew. I am born into God's covenant family and enjoy the hope of adoption as God’s sons. I have the law, and temple worship, and promises which are not given to any other nation. My land is Israel the land promised by God to be his place.
I worship the LORD the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land. Even nation has a “god” who is identified as the god of heaven. They have gods who rule the sea and gods who rule the land. The sailors have just been crying out to these “gods” – and the combined efforts of all their “gods” is not enough to stop the wrath of Jonah’s God.
We have to give Jonah credit – when he got to the ship he said. “Look I’m running away from God and I need your help to get to Tarshish.”
Some random person gets in your car and says, “I’ll give you $2000 to drive me to Townsville … I’m running away from God.” Sure mate, “I’ll take your money, how hard can that be?”
Then you find yourself in the middle of a category 5 cyclone just outside of Maryborough. It came up so quickly the bureau of meteorology didn’t know was going to happen and you are surround by 260km/h winds and your passenger says, “You know how I told you I was running from God?”
What have you done?
In Hebrew the exact same question has been asked before:-
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Genesis 3:13
What have you done?
It is the sort of question you ask in the most extreme, and dire, and disastrous of circumstances. What sort of fool things that he can successfully run from the LORD the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.
Well, in this case it is the fool who refuses to accept the unanticipated mercy of God.
Jonah has just spoken about His identity. “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This is the Lord to who we can speak about anything and everything. Including when we have been in rebellion.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Psalm 32:5
That is all Jonah has to do. The storm would stop. The boat would go back to land. Jonah would go to Nineveh. Jonah knows this. In chapter 4 we are going to read these words, “This is what I said, Lord, when I was still at home … you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”
Jonah found the thought of God’s Unanticipated Mercy to the Ninevites too disturbing – so he ran in the opposite direction.
Jonah now personally can’t accept God’s Unanticipated Mercy – so he remains silent.
Jonah says, “I am a Hebrew” – that is the aspirational description.
But, at this moment Jonah is not living his identity.
Indeed at this moment Jonah has a different identity. An identity we see when we put a few verses together.
All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they (hebrew) the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship (Jonah 1:5)
“Pick me up and (hebrew) me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm.” (Jonah 1:12)
Then they took Jonah and (hebrew) him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. (Jonah 1:15)
Jonah’s identity is the same as the cargo.
When the storm hits Jonah is below deck, with the cargo.
To lighten the load the sailors flung the cargo … eventually Jonah is flung with it.
I wonder how often we have just been cargo because we didn’t speak to God.
I am a child of God. But I will go for weeks without talking to you because I am too busy, and have too much on my plate, and I just really don’t have the time.
I am a co-heir with Christ. But I want to sit in the pilot’s seat, and live my way, and fulfil my choices, and follow my desires, and not seek the Lord in these decisions.
I am a citizen of heaven. But I rely on my money, and my career, and my status, and my job, and my knowledge, and my ability, and my very worldly driven focus. I haven’t spoken to God about any of this.
Sometimes, because we don’t speak to God, we can just become cargo.
And it is because we haven’t accepted that God Unanticipated Mercy is for us, even in these situations. Even when I have allowed myself to become too busy. Even when I have taken the pilot’s seat. Even when I am driven by worldliness.
What is your identity?
It is not to be cargo.
So even when we are going through the times of rebellion, questioning, doubting.
Maybe it is a faith crisis. Maybe we are overwhelmed. Maybe we feel like God has forgotten us.
This place where we just can’t accept that God’s Unanticipated Mercy is for us. Even when we are there … just keep speaking to God. And you might not even know what you need to say. Even there God in his mercy has that situation covered.
The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Romans 8:26
God here I am … I want to speak … but I don’t have the words.
The Spirit of God within you says, “Be at peace, I’ve got this.”
That’s God’s Unanticipated Mercy right there.
Jonah couldn’t accept it …
… but you’re not Jonah.
… and you don’t have to be cargo.
… and you don’t have to do anything more than just speak to your God.
Prayer
