Jonah 2 “Fish and Spit: The Challenge in Jonah .”
Can you imagine what it is like to be inside a fish like Jonah? He said in v.5 “seaweed was wrapped around my head” This is like sushi in reverse. All rolled up in seaweed, but thankfully not dipped in wasabi and soy sauce? Hey maybe that’s a thought? Why should he be in distress? It’s like all the raw fish you can eat, sashimi galore, eat your way out of the fish. Fresh seaweed too. I think I have just alienated all you sushi lovers.
However, can you imagine being squeezed through the throat and then swimming around the stomach lining of the fish, as it expands and contracts ,the irritation caused by the acidic stomach juices as it bleaches your skin? Probably not thinking about eating then. How can I get this stinging sensation off? And , what’s that awful smell, u think it smells bad in a fish market, wait till u go a fish’s tummy, and then swoosh comes the other stuff that the fish would normally eat? I wonder what goes in? All kind of uncooked raw seafood, shrimp, squid, other fish, suddenly you swear off sushi forever, if u can get out of there. when I am done explaining this, seafood will be good for seeing not eating. Moreover, Can u imagine how dark the place must be? NO flashlight, all u hear is rumbling of live fish stomach? Oi, it must be downright deafening when the fish is passing gas or feeling hungry? But that is not half as awful feeling of sinking like the Titanic, life was ebbing away, darkness, lungs filling with water. According to Jonah it was the moments in the water before seeing a humongous mouth swooped him up that was the most frightening he couldn’t get over that emotionally charged, anxiety-filled moment. Perhaps in the nick of time as the fish swallowed him, passing through the small opening of throat, something like CPR was performed on Jonah, and he came back alive.
For Jonah, the moment of death and dread was over, he knew when he was in the fish, he was saved from drowning as he declares at the end of his psalm “Salvation comes from the Lord.” Yes, it is a psalm. The way it was composed, it sure looked a lot like the Psalms, poetic and all. Compare Ps. 18:4-6 with Jonah 2:2,7.
4 The pangs of death surrounded me,
And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. (NKJV) Ps.18:4-6
“I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction,
And He answered me.
“Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
And You heard my voice…
7 “When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the LORD;
And my prayer went up to You,
Into Your holy temple. (NKJV) Jonah 2:2,7
So this tells me Jonah knows a thing or two about the Psalms, somehow familiar with it. But that is where the similarity ends. It is crucial to note that the psalms are God-centred whereas Jonah’s is focussed on him.
Did he think about the mission God has sent him on? Not a mention, strange? Not a mention of God’s character, he waits till chapter 4:2 to mention it? When he did, he was in a sissy fit. Question is, Why does he not do this if he is praising God? What did he do instead? He zoomed in how horrible it was for him, no sense of repentance, no sense of sorry, I blew it it, forgive me for not obeying, or I will now go to Nineveh and do what you say, and give thanks to you for a second chance but he blames God for the mess he is in v.3-6a. He is basically saying guess who got me in this yucky mess? He sure spilled a lot of ink on it.
1. Unrepentant Prophet
This psalm is rebellious in its attitude.
Cut him slack? I guess he was in no mood to really praise God. Yes, Jonah is thankful he is alive. But that is all. It is like phew! I am the ultimate survivor. Self-centred focus. So that is where Jonah is at. He never changed his mind about Nineveh. when he prayed to the Lord from inside the fish. 1:17 we know he was in there 3 days and 3 nights. We know he got there because he was running away from the LORD, in direct opposite direction. So he is thrown into the sea, thinking to himself this is the way it is gonna end. And even when he was in the fish he was still sighting his sights on another place, he was not going to Nineveh but going to the Temple in Jerusalem (v.9). Verse 9 sounds all good and religious, very spiritual but when u look into his motivations, he was still disobedient. Indeed he was not about to go to Nineveh, still trying to con his out of it. I am gonna make good on my promise, sacrifice, sing in church, say "salvation is from the Lord" and all of those nice orthodox faith type of words. However, look at v.8 - demonstrates he never changed his mind about Ninevites… to him they have already forfeited the grace that could be theirs. He is not about to go to them and give them a shot at God’s grace and forgiveness. He sees himself worthy of being saved as an Israelite but those pagans, BUT God is saying: who will love the pagans? Those are guys that need grace. But Jonah is already determined to send them packing to hell which is what they deserved after all the horrible things they did (see Nahum for list of atrocities, includes genocide). His religious bigotry is seen for what it is.
He should have remembered words of Samuel to King Saul who tried to pulled the same stunt (1 Samuel 15:22-23, NLT):
22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you from being king.”
So God had to remind him a second time “Go to Nineveh…” God would not have done that, if Jonah did not need to be reminded of it.
Jonah was given another chance, grace!
2. Throw-up Imagery
And what was God’s reaction to this whole scenario? 2:10 -3:1,2.
It vomited Jonah … It sure looks a word picture right out of…
Rev.3:15-16 to the church in Loadicea
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!
Is God sending a message to Jonah here? Immediately after that psalm, what do we get? Imagery of a fish throwing up. Jonah got spat out. How gross is that? It was the Lord that commanded it to go that way. Imagery seems to say: even the fish could not stomach what Jonah just said. God could have got say a fishing crew to rescue him. Cut him out, more gentle way. Can you imagine, being vomited out? Imagine the smell of fish throw up? He could have engineered a more spectacular, one u can write home about, such as boat load of lady sailors who were sailing their daddies boat or something Could it be that God is letting him experience what He thought of Jonah’s religious con artist type statement? Imagine the gooey, slimy smelly, yucky, stuff on you. God could have also miraculously transported him back, beamed him away from it, clean, nice smell but he let Jonah experienced being spat out like a waste product.
Compare Jonah’s attitude to this story:
Funeral held for slain missionary, child
AP except top left, Reuters
Jim Bowers at the funeral; wife and daughter, inset.
Reported in USATODAY.COM on Saturday April 27, 2001 at FRUITPORT, Mich. (AP) — At the funeral for his wife and infant daughter, an American missionary said he has forgiven the Peruvian pilot who shot down their small plane and said his wife would have done the same.
"I’m not bragging about my attitude. I have no idea why I feel this way," Jim Bowers said Friday night at the funeral for Veronica "Roni" Bowers, 35, and their daughter, 7-month-old Charity. "God’s given me peace."
Veronica and Charity Bowers died after a Peruvian military jet, believing the pontoon plane was smuggling drugs, shot it down over northeastern Peru on April 20.
Jim Bowers, 38, and son Cory, 6, were also on board but were unhurt. Pilot Kevin Donaldson, 41, who managed to land the plane on the Amazon River, suffered serious leg wounds.
About 1,300 people attended Friday’s service at a Baptist church in Fruitport, 40 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. The victims will be buried Sunday afternoon in Pensacola, Fla., near the home of the wife’s parents.
Bowers, in a 30-minute eulogy, spoke calmly as he recalled fond memories of his wife and daughter, and thanked people around the world for their prayers and words of comfort.
"One sign that God was responsible for what happened is the profound effect on people around the world," he said. "I’m hoping it will result in an increase in missionaries .... I’m sure it will; people are challenged now to go do what Roni did."
I.e. Jim Bowers is thinking of mission of God… His attitude toward Peruvian military jet pilot is so different from Jonah, which is - they have forfeited grace, their chance, die man die!
Aftermath: Manuel Boza, Peru’s consul general in Chicago, offered his nation’s condolences during the service, and called the deaths a tragedy for his country as well. It seems whole of Peru got to hear of God.
President Bush telephoned his condolences to Jim Bowers. The White House said Bush did not attend the funeral because he did not want to intrude on a private event. Great Nation of USA once again heard of God’s love that missionaries would go on dangerous journeys to tell of God’s grace and love.
In Inquitos, Peru, more than 500 people packed a university auditorium Friday night for a memorial service for Veronica and Charity Bowers.
Conclusion:
Tips on how to overcome seasickness? Get thrown over board? Nah? How to pray in the belly of a fish? Nah? Just think how many have had that experience? How to does it feel being like Ujjal and the NDP, sinking in the deep? That is just too mean. But for sure, I can call it “The psalm that never made it to the Psalms.” But how can I say that? It made in into the Bible, didn’t it? So it must be good and righteous, holy stuff? I have argued that it is not, but really it is a self-righteous drivel. Much like the drivel that comes from the self-righteous Pharisee, who thanked God he is not a sinner, who seem to have religion all figured out.
Story of the Pharisee and Tax Collector
9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great self-confidence and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector. 11 The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don’t sin, I don’t commit adultery, 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.”
Yes it did not come up to the standards of the book of Psalms. That is why it not there. It just did not cut the mustard.
Are we like that Pharisee, like Jonah?
Barna suggested that the nation seems mired in spiritual complacency. "America certainly did not experience the spiritual revival that many Christians hoped would emerge as the new millennium began. In fact, Americans seem to have become almost inoculated to spiritual events, outreach efforts and the quest for personal spiritual development. There are magnificent exceptions throughout the country, but overall, Christian ministry is stuck in a deep rut. Our research continues to point out the need for behavioral modeling, strategic ministry and a more urgent reliance upon God to change people’s lives. Like the churches of Laodicea and Sardis, described in the Bible as distasteful to God because of their complacency and spiritual deadness, too many Christians and churches in America have traded in spiritual passion for empty rituals, clever methods and mindless practices. The challenge to today’s Church is not methodological. It is a challenge to resuscitate the spiritual passion and fervor of the nation’s Christians."
Application:
1. GRACE: SECOND CHANCES: God is showing grace to Jonah. Just as he has done it for sailors, who repented and later the Ninevites. God is still showing it to his unrepentant prophet. Perhaps you have been resisting God’s call in your life, You heard of hopw much he is willing to save you love you gave his life for u, but u have don’t nothing with it? Give your life away to Him for a great cause. Holding back? Some decisions: to come to faith in Christ, call to ministry, call to serve God,
2. GROWTH: Teachable moment, save us from religious platitudes, drivel, meaningless worship, superficial faith, rejoice in his salvation and communicate it to others. Maybe you play the religious con game well, fooled me, but can’t fool God. God knows your heart. Here with meaningless religious ritual, call a good game, play the spiritual leader part, we pray like Jonah too, with a superior attitude, those pagans deserve to be in hell, filthy, Do u hear God saying I love them too, and I want you to reach them. Our church purpose statement: To reach people and to build them as disciples of Jesus Christ who are able to disciple others also. Do we really follow this? God gave Jonah second chance in spite of rebellion to instruct him personally, if he gets second chance, then it is consistent of Him to give pagans like Ninevites the same.
3. GAME PLAN: very dissimilar from us. Uses storm to convert sailors, fish to save Jonah, Jonah’s preaching to save Nineveh. Comfortable, easy, nice and gentle. Storm is not, fish not, Jonah’s preaching given his hatred and bad feelings about it, probably not gentle preaching… God use the cross, look if God
As we sit in church, are we fooling ourselves with our religious words?
Acknowledge God given us ample second chances? Take it for granted? Still running to Tarshish?
Are we still in fish vomit, feel yucky? Have we grown in knowldege of God’s great love for pagans?
Or have we grown up?
Who will love the pagans? God sending imperfect Jonah, and he’s sending imperfect you and me with a message of love
2 Cor. 5:19-21 NLT
19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. 20 We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
God’s grace is not just limited to us as we declare Salvation comes from the LORD.
It is also for all those who are drowning right now in their hopelessness apart from God.
It is also for all those who are from the Ninveveh of today.
