We read in Jonah 1:15, “And they lifted Jonah up and threw him out into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.” (AFV)
As we continue our studies on the life of Jonah and its relevance to the church, many have been blessed and we thank God for these good testimonies. God instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah in disobedience decided to go to Tarshish. Jonah undertook this voyage by ship, and at the beginning all seemed to be going well for him. However, the ship encountered a severe storm which left the ship and everyone travelling on it terrified and helpless.
Disobedience and rebellion of any sort may seem pleasing to one who is on that path, but you can be certain that such a person will most certainly face many tumultuous situations.
When Jonah ventured out in disobedience, this is what happened as written in Jonah 1:4, “But the Lord sent a great wind to the sea: and a great tempest was raised in the sea, and the ship was in danger to be broken.” (DRB)
The disobedience of Jonah not only resulted in a severe tempest that threatened the safety of the ship and those aboard, it also prevented the ship from reaching its destination. Though the mariners on that ship did their best to get the ship to safety, when they realized that all their rowing was in vain, they finally decided to have Jonah thrown into the sea at his behest. As soon as they did so the sea calmed down. Those on that ship may have assumed that Jonah’s life was ended, and Jonah himself may have thought it was the end of his life and ministry.
Every time we are challenged with tempestuous situations in our lives, it is good to check ourselves to see if we have displeased God in any way, or have been disobedient to His commandments.
In the Old Testament we have the example of a young man who also thought that he had come to the end of his life.
Joseph’s seemingly hopeless situation
Joseph was a dreamer, the favorite son of his father, but this Joseph came to a point in his life where his elder brothers out of intense hatred and envy, cast him into a pit, and later sold him as a slave. The brothers assumed that this was the end of Joseph, and that none of his dreams would be fulfilled, but the Lord had greater plans for Joseph.
Daniel’s predicament
The men who worked alongside Daniel, plotted against him though he walked in integrity, and had him thrown into the den of hungry lion’s. They thought that had managed to put an end to Daniel’s life, but the Lord delivered Daniel and he continued on to greater triumph.
Samson’s calamity and imprisonment
Samson was chosen and anointed by God, but by his continuous disobedience and sin, Samson ended up a prisoner to the Philistines, who gouged his eyes out, and made him grind flour in prison. In that situation, everyone thought that Samson’s life was finished, but God intervened and did not allow it to be so.
Most of us may have come to this stage in our lives, where we felt we were in a hopeless situation with no hope whatsoever. However, when the Lord is with us there is nothing that He cannot overcome or no situation that is formidable for Him. The Lord delivered Joseph, Daniel and Samson from the arduous situations they faced, and gave them victory and honor. Each one of us needs to believe that God is able to intervene to accomplish what seems impossible to us.
We live in a hill station in South India, and some of the bends are so sharp that for someone driving up the first time, it may look like the end of the road. However, as they near the bend, they realize that the road goes on and what seems like an end of the road is just a bend. That is how it is with the Lord, when we feel we have come to the end of ourselves, the Lord will take charge, and is ever willing to change the gloomy situations into glorious ones.
The grave could not hold Jesus down
During the time when Jesus was on earth, the Chief Priests, Sadducees and Pharisees out of envy arrested Him, had him crucified on the cross, and Jesus was buried in a tomb. After Jesus was buried they feared that since Jesus claimed that He would be raised from the dead that such a thing should not transpire. They therefore had a huge stone rolled over the entrance, had it sealed and guarded with the Roman soldiers. These men did all that was humanly possible to keep Jesus inside the tomb, so that there could be no way of escape for Him. However, no tomb, no guard or no stone could stop the Lord Jesus from rising from the dead. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and conquered death and the grave. He is the risen Lord who answers the cry of all those who call out to Him sincerely with faith.
God prepared a big fish to swallow Jonah
We read in Jonah 1:17, “And the LORD prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (ERV)
The same God who sent a tempestuous wind as a punishment because of Jonah’s disobedience, also prepared a big fish that could swallow up Jonah to keep him safe. God hindered Jonah’s journey of disobedience, but at the same time He also protected Jonah and safeguarded his life. This depicts the two sides of God. On the one hand, He is a God of justice and will punish sin, but on the other hand, He is also a God of grace, which means that He gives each of us enough time to repent, and does not cast us aside instantly.
The grace of God was revealed when Jesus came down to the earth as a man, and took on human form. However, since God is also just, He did not remove our sins with just the word of His mouth, but let Jesus become that atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. This Jesus did by shedding His sinless and precious blood on the cross, so as to redeem us from the grips of sin.
The Psalmist explains this so aptly in Psalm 85:10, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”(ERV)
There are two things that came together, the mercy of God which portrays his love, and the truth of God which demonstrates His justice. If we study this verse we will realize that this is a prophecy about the coming of Jesus, and all that He would accomplish for us on the cross of Calvary.
These are days when many people prefer to only speak about the grace of God, and often forget that God is also the just and righteous one. Those who take the grace of God to the extreme, will condone sin, with the thought that God is ever-willing to forgive all their sins, and therefore one can live any way they like. There are also those who have such a strong understanding of God’s justice, that they are living in constant fear and guilt, with the thought that God will punish them for every sinful act.
Both of these are teachings are two extreme points of view held by many churches today. The group that emphasizes the justice of God will constantly pin point faults of people, and outline all the do’s and don’ts they are to follow. Often, those who are part of such a gathering, will go in feeling light, but after they hear the sermon they will invariably walk out with a sense of burden and guilt that was laid upon them. They will be filled this sense of unworthiness, and will live life with a burden of guilt that will make them flounder in their faith. The question as to whether God will accept them, love them and forgive them will keep bothering them constantly. This kind of teaching will surely lead us into slavery and bondage. We must always be reminded that God is indeed a God of justice, but He is also a God of grace. The church has to teach the truth, but this has to be done with grace, and therefore we must teach grace too.
Think about any earthly father who is gracious, not only will he be loving to his child, he will also discipline the child whenever necessary. A parent who is only loving, and does not chastise the child for the wrongs he does, is doing him or her a big disfavor. Sometimes, I have noticed little children disrespecting elders in the home and older people approving or encouraging such behavior. When a child is not disciplined appropriately, the child will behave the same way outside, and society will step in to correct the child, which can be quite painful to us. We must certainly love our children, but it is equally important to discipline them too. There are those who are on the other extreme, and are constantly chiding their children, which also proves to be detrimental to these children, who will grow up fearful and insecure. These children will never be confident or motivated to do anything on their own. In order to raise our children well, we as parents must avoid both extremes. So also, God is loving and gracious to us, but when we do wrong, He will surely discipline us.
Jesus was full of grace and truth
We read in John 1:14, “The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.” (GNB)
The above mentioned verse talks about Jesus who was the word that became flesh and dwelt among us. As we observe the life of Jesus, we can see the grace and truth of God being displayed so wonderfully all throughout his life and ministry here on earth.
Grace and truth displayed practically by Jesus
In John 8, when they brought before Jesus a woman caught in adultery, the religious leaders wanted to have this woman stoned to death, as this was required by the Law of Moses. We know this incident when Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground, and later He told those who accused her that the one who had no fault could cast the first stone. When Jesus said this, every one of those women’s accusers walked away, from the oldest to the youngest. Here we see a beautiful demonstration of God’s justice and grace. The woman was caught in adultery and therefore was punishable for that act, but Jesus displayed tremendous grace to her by not allowing others to accuse her or He Himself not accusing her. At the end of that incident, when everyone was gone and she was left alone with Jesus, He sent her away saying, “Go and sin no more.” Jesus did not condone her sin because He is just, but at the same time He did not condemn her because of His grace.
God kept Jonah safe in the belly of a fish
Let us look again at Jonah 1:17, “And the LORD prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (ERV)
Generally when something goes into the belly of a fish, it will get digested if it is digestible. However, God protected Jonah in that belly of that great fish. It must have been a submarine like experience for Jonah for three days and three nights.
Even when we are in a place of danger like in the belly of a fish, the Lord is able to keep us safe and secure. God can protect His children whether they land up in a lions’ den, are in a fiery furnace, in cruel prison, from King’s wrath or even when surrounded by those who are ready to stone us. When the Lord is with us, no harm can befall us, for He will stand guard to protect His own. No matter how difficult or trying our circumstances are, let us be assured that no ill will befall us without the Lord’s permission.
Job’s Testimony
These are the words of Job in Job 42:2, "I know that you can do everything and that your plans are unstoppable.” (GW)
Job faced untold hardships and lost everything. God allowed Job to pass through a really rough path, but at the end of it God restored everything back to Job doubly. That is why Job could testify that God is one who can do everything, and that none of His plans can be thwarted by any man or any circumstance.
The significance of three days and three nights
God’s plan for Jonah was that he go to Nineveh to preach against it. Therefore, God had to intervene and stop his journey so that Jonah can get back on track. Jonah remained three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.
If you are wondering as to why Jonah was in the belly of the fish for this specified time of three days and three nights, here’s the answer. When the Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus and demanded a sign from Him, this was His reply.
In Matthew 12:40, “for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”(ERV)
These religious leaders tested Jesus this way, not because they wanted to believe, but simply because they wanted to find fault with Him. They could not accept the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, as they considered Him as the son of a carpenter, from an insignificant town of Nazareth. They were therefore unable to accept His teaching, and the authority with which He spoke.
Jonah was so blessed in that even though he disobeyed God, the Lord did not shun him, but called him back to fulfill His mission. Jesus also mentioned this to help us realize that this incident of Jonah in the belly of the fish was true and that this was a shadow of what Jesus Himself would go through, when He died and was buried in the tomb for three days and three nights before He rose again.
We realize through this message that God is just, but also gracious. Even when we stumble and fall, He comes to pick us up so we can run the race again. Just because God is gracious it does not imply that we should continue in sin, but rather ask God for strength to be overcomers, and live a victorious life. The Lord gave Jonah a second chance, and sent him back to Nineveh, so he could preach to them, and accomplish the purpose for which God called him. God is one who gives us second chances, so instead of being discouraged when we face failures, let us run on with faith knowing that God is faithful and true. In the midst of troubles and hardships, don’t give up or lose heart. God is able to raise you up, so you can shine again for Him. The fundamental characteristics of God are His grace and justice, and if we are able to comprehend this fully, we will be able to live this life of faith as God wants us to live.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
