Total depravity is not the concept that man is as bad as
he can be, for we all know that there are many degrees of
evil among the lost, and this holds true even among the
saved. Some redeemed people are less sinful than others,
and some lost people are less sinful than others. Total
depravity, when rightly understood, means that there is no
part of man that has escaped the taint of sin. He is spoiled in
every faculty. In body, soul, and mind he has fallen, and
there is nothing left of purity that can be used in any way to
merit salvation. It does not mean that he is worthless, for he
is still of such great value to God that He would send His
Son to die for His redemption.
If you looked at used cars and saw one with a poor body,
worn tires, and cracked glass, but with a good motor, you
might say there is some merit in it that makes it worthy of
being purchased. It might be the other way around, and the
motor is bad, but the body and tires may be very good. But
a car that would fit the total depravity category has a poor
motor, rusted body, worn tires, broken windows, clouded
mirror, leaky tank, and some defeat in every part. In other
words, there is nothing about it that compels you to admit
that it merits escape from the junkyard. If it is kept and
restored, it is only by grace. What would ever lead one to
restore it? It would be because of the original nature and
value of the car. It could be of great value again if restored.
This the idea behind God's salvation plan for man.
Man has no claim on God's mercy. There is nothing about
him that makes him worthy of a place in God's presence. If
he ever gets there, it is only by God's grace. Man was once
perfect and in fellowship with God, and if he is redeemed he
can be restored to that original value and relationship. This
means that man at his best is still evil and lost, but it does
not mean that he is no good. On the contrary, he is still the
most valuable creature in the world. He is valuable enough
for God to make a way for him to be restored. He is still the
only creature made in the image of God. He is like a Rolls
Royce, or some other unique model. By its very uniqueness
it opens the hope of being worth it to put labor into its
restoration. What is once was it can be again, and that
becomes a motivation to restore it.
The point I am getting at is that we must avoid carrying
the concept of depravity to the point of absurdity and
belittling the whole plan of God to redeem man. It was not
an arbitrary act on the part of God to save men. He had
planned to do so even before man fell because He knew that
man had the capacity to be like His Son. Even in his
depraved state he can do what is good in the eyes of God.
Jesus said to His disciples, "If you then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
should your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
who ask Him?" If man who is evil can still do good, how
much more can God, who alone is untouched by all sin. The
book of Jonah is a clear revelation that just as good men can
do evil, so evil men can do good. Let's look at this beginning
with verse 13.
Verse 13. Jonah has been found guilty of sin against God,
and of endangering the lives of everyone on the ship. Men of
greater culture would have quickly agreed with his request
to be thrown into the sea, but to our surprise these men who
were so fearful are now willing to risk their lives for the sake
of Jonah. Jonah must have felt quit small, for here were
Gentile dogs, who were not a part of the covenant of God
with Israel, and yet they would do for him more than he
would ever consider doing for them. Even God's command
could not bring him to bother with Gentiles, and now he sees
Gentiles risking everything for his skin.
We don't want to get carried away to another extreme,
so we must recognize this as a unique situation. Without a
doubt the vast majority of pagans would have thrown him
over just for the sport of it. The story is trying to convey,
not that all pagans are just great guys after all, but that men
are worth saving regardless of who they are, and to fail to
try is greater sin than man's natural depravity. Jonah
portrays that some pagans do have high standards of
conduct, and are willing to make sacrifices to do what is
humane. Calvin believes that the motives behind their
attempt to save Jonah was true piety. They believed him to
be a prophet of God, and they believed in his God, and they
did not want to injure his servants.
It is of interest to note that Paul also received kindness
from Julius, his pagan guard, while he was on a ship. Acts
27:3, "An Julius courteously and treated Paul, and gave him
liberty to go unto his friends..." In both cases the kindness
was rewarded. In both cases we see an example of the
promise that even a cup of cold water given to Christ's servants
will be rewarded.
Verse 14. The sailors rode hard, but to no avail, for the sea
only got worse and there was no alternative but to throw
Jonah over. Before they did, however, they prayed, and this
time they all cried out to the Lord, and not to their own
pagan small gods. Two times they mention the Lord in one
sentence. Some people wonder if God hears the prayers of
non-believers. It all depends on what you mean. These were
pagans, but they believed, and God heard their prayer. God
does hear the prayers of non-Christians if their prayer is one
of belief. God is not afraid to do a favor for any sinner not
yet saved. Jesus said that if we love only those who love us
we are not God-like. God shows His grace to many before
they become His children. Theologians call it prevenient
grace.
This prayer was for salvation of the body and not of the
soul, but it is not likely that they distinguished between the
two. We see here an example of how God can use evil to
bring forth good. Jonah disobeyed and did the opposite of
God's will, and yet there was no loss, for by his act of evil he
was led providentially to bring the knowledge of the true
God to these men. Who knows how far it may have spread
from them? When they arrived in Tarshis the story of their
adventure, no doubt, spread like wildfire.
Notice that they say, "Lay not on us innocent blood."
They had a conscience on this matter, and they did not feel
right about killing a man. The law of God was written on
their hearts. Like Pilate, they wanted on part of killing the
innocent, but Pilate sought to wash his hands in water, and
these men sought the forgiveness of God. It made the
difference between salvation and damnation. As far as they
were concerned, this was a matter between Jonah and God.
They called him innocent as far as his relationship was to
them. He had done nothing worthy of death against them.
They threw him over, not by choice, but because
circumstances compelled them. They recognize that God's
will demands it.
Verse 15. So they reluctantly and with regret take up Jonah
and throw him over. When God requires it, it can be right
to take another life. The immediate effect proved that it was
the only acceptable solution to their problem. It was an
immediate confirmation that God had heard their prayers
and granted their request. The sea ceased from its raging,
and we see the first miracles of Jonah. The storm itself was
not unnatural, but it was produced by natural causes such as
wind. The sudden stop, however, was very unnatural. It
was like the stilling of the storm by Christ, and it was
recognized immediately as an act of God.
Verse 16. The pagans feared the Lord exceedingly. It was
not the fear of death, or the fear of disobedience as before.
Here was fear which was reverence. This was greater fear
at the calm than at the storm since it was so obviously
supernatural. The mystery of it would cause anyone to fear.
The only response they could think to make was the obvious
one of offering thanks by sacrificing to God. What they
sacrificed is not known, but likely they had provisions for
such a sacrifice, for it was common in the ancient world.
Many feel that they embraced the God of Israel and
became proselytes. This is similar to the experience of
Naaman after he was healed. He said in II Kings 5:17, "..for
henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offerings or
sacrifice to any god but the Lord." It is likely that Jonah
must have met these men again later. He probably went
back to the port at Joppa to purposely see them and let them
know what happened, and also to hear of their reactions, for
how else could he know of their decision to make vows to the
Lord? We may very well see these sailors in heaven as
examples of the good fruit that God can reap even from the
disobedience of one of His servants. By trying to avoid
Gentiles he actually ends up saving more than originally
planned.
Many wonder if the vows were kept because it is typical
of men to make promises when they are in danger, and then
to forget them later when all is well. The one factor in their
favor is that they made their vows after the danger was over.
It was out of gratitude and not in order to placate God with
the hope of escaping the danger. The record seems to speak
highly of the piety of these pagans.
Verse 17. Men have gone to great length to try an escape the
miracle in this verse. One even says that it means a ship
picked him up which was called the whale, because a whale
was its figurehead. Another says that a huge carcass of a
whale floated by and Jonah took refuge on it. Others say it
was all a dream he had in his troubled sleep, and others
simply call it an allegory. Men have thought of every
possible way to escape the obvious. Men have made so much
fun of this event that sensitive scholars feel they must show
that God really didn't do anything so silly. What they fail to
consider, however, is that nothing could be more logical out
in the middle of the sea to demonstrate, beyond a shadow of
a doubt, to Jonah that it was not an accident but the grace of
God that saved him. It is so sensible that all the substitutes
are what becomes truly funny and ridiculous.
As far as the whale goes, there has been much ado
about nothing. The word in Hebrew and Greek is a general
term for all large sea creatures. It can mean a whale, but it
is not limited to one. It could have been a white shark, for
they have been known to swallow men. It could have been a
whale too, for several species of them can also swallow a
man. The biggest tragedy is that all the controversy over the
whale has cause men to lose the primary message of the
book. It is the mission emphasis of God's love and concern
for all people. It reveals the folly of prejudice, and demands
that we have a universal perspective. It is folly to debate details
and never get out of the belly of the whale.
For the sake of accuracy, however, it is good to know
just what the miracle is. Most take for granted that it was
the swallowing of Jonah, but that has happened before, and
so why would it be miraculous in Jonah's case? This was a
case of special providence and not a miracle, because
nothing impossible happened. The miracle consists in his
preservation for 3 days, and then being spewed out. That is
what is unnatural and an obvious sign of divine intervention.
Jesus used this as an illustration of the greatest miracle of
all-his resurrection. Like Jonah, he was in the grave of
darkness, and, like Jonah, he was brought forth again to life.
This is the true miracle of God. He saves from the
impossible. It was not a miracle that the pagans were saved,
however, for that was what we call the providence of God.
God worked in their lives to spare them, because they were
true examples of pagan piety.
