Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Pre-exilic Prophets 1 (2)
Pray Psalm 3.3, 4.
But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the LORD with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill.
Selah
Sing Psalm 3.3, 4.
(Eventide: Abide with Me)
You are a mercy shield about me, LORD,
raising me by Your glory and Your Word.
Prayers fraught with tears stream from me like a fount,
yet God will answer from His holy mount.
Read Jonah 1 and 2; meditate on Jonah 2.7-9.
Preparation
1. What happened to cause Jonah to be swallowed by the great fish?
2. What did he remember as he was sinking deep into the sea?
Meditation
Jonah’s life as a prophet in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II was probably pretty good. Though the king and people were evil and departed from the LORD, Jonah must have had some esteem among them, having prophesied and then witnessed the recovery of much lost land (2 Kgs. 14.25).
Then: disaster. God called Him to go to Assyria, to surround himself with real enemies of the LORD. And for Jonah, that was a calling too far. He fled, but the LORD caught up with him and showed him His great power. Jonah learned the lesson. Mostly. “Salvation is of the LORD,” he cried from the depths of the great fish’s belly. And God raised him, as it were, from the dead, to take up the calling appointed to him. The people of Nineveh heard the message of threatened judgment and repented of their evils, calling on the LORD to save them. And He did.
But we say he “mostly” learned his lesson, for he seems to have resented the grace of God toward the enemies of His people. But God reminded Him that salvation is of the LORD, and He gives it to whomever He will (Jon. 4).
Jesus applied Jonah’s plight to Himself in Matthew 12.39-41. Jonah’s deliverance from the great fish was a type of Jesus’ deliverance from the grave. And as Jonah went on to preach repentance and faith in Nineveh, Jesus would go forth from the grave to preach the salvation of God to all the nations through His obedient servants and witnesses.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” (Rom. 1.16).
This is a great comfort to us as witnesses with foibles. It is the power of God to salvation, not how well we present the gospel with zeal and gusto, getting all the pertinent questions answered correctly, and all our apologetics winningly and convincingly right. No. It is the power of God at work. Only that.
The sailors on Jonah’s cruise line found God through God’s power. Amidst the raging storm, Jonah gave credit to God for the storm, confessed and owned his sin, and told them to throw him into the water.
And they cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You” (Jon. 1.14). Then they tossed him in. “And the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows” (Jon. 1.15, 16).
Do you think Jonah rushed off to the printers, as soon as he returned from his trip to Nineveh, to make multiple copies of witnessing booklets? How to Win Souls Whilst Being Tossed into the Sea? How to Win Souls Whilst Bearing an Awful Attitude? Or perhaps even a study book, Quiet Times Whilst in the Belly of a Very Large Fish?
No. Jonah was as gobsmacked as everyone else, by the majestic power of God to use foible-filled vessels such as himself. And in the meantime, instead of booklets, an entire book was written about him and his adventures in the hands of a powerful God. And people throughout history have learned from it, and are still learning from it, about God’s power to use us as we witness faithfully for Him.
It is interesting to note the difference between the sailors and the vicious crowd surrounding Jesus.
Jonah was guilty. Jesus was not. The sailors pled with God that they would not be charged with “innocent blood”. When Pilate declared Jesus innocent of any crime, the people cried out, “Let Him be crucified…His blood be on us and on our children” (Matt. 27.23, 25).
As the New Testament Church was getting started, Ananias and Sapphira, decided together to lie about a monetary gift they were giving to the work. Peter said to Mr., “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself…Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Then three hours later, Mrs. arrived and lied too. Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Both breathed their last breaths with that lie on their lips. However, God in His great mercy and power used even that treacherous situation to enliven people’s souls for God. “So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things” (see Acts 5.1-11). I’m trying to imagine the bulletin insert, the transferrable concept, for this occasion. Only, The Spirit of the Living God Uses All Things for His Glory, will suffice.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8.28).
Salvation is of the LORD. And it is only of Him. Our job is to be faithful to our calling. And God’s Power will use our obedience to spread the Good News of Jesus. The results are up to Him.
“Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching…be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4.2, 5).
Jonah is the poster boy, the hero as it were, of mediocre witnessing skills. And look how God’s Power used him! Sailors and an entire city “turned from their evil way” (Jon. 3.10). Jesus can do the same with us.
Reflection
1. God has called us to be witnesses to Jesus. How is that going in your life?
2. Why was Jonah only “mostly” successful in his witness to the Ninevites? What can we do to make sure our witness is based on love for our neighbors?
3. “Salvation is of the LORD.” How should knowing this encourage us in our witness?
It was not the influence of his natal star but the offense of having neglected the divine prophecy that cast Jonah into the sea. A whale received him and after three days vomited him forth, as a symbol of a future mystery, and preserved him for the service of prophecy. Ambrose of Milan (333-397), Six Days of Creation 4.4.13
Pray Psalm 3.1, 2, 5-8.
Pray for God to defend you against the enemy of your soul today. Pray that He will grant you a greater measure of His grace to know more of His great salvation and to serve Him eagerly and boldly throughout this day.
Sing Psalm 3.1, 2, 5-8.
(Eventide: Abide with Me)
LORD, all around my foes are multiplied,
rising against me, like a ‘whelming tide;
many are saying of my weary soul,
“Not even God can save and make him whole!”
Waking and sleeping, guarded by Your grace,
when foes by thousands stand before my face,
when countless dangers ‘round me are arrayed,
I will not fear, I will not be afraid!
Rise up, O LORD, rise up and rescue me!
Let all my foes destroyed and routed be!
Grace and salvation, LORD, are Yours alone;
bless and protect all those You call Your own
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
