The Great Deliverance

Introduction

Have you ever taught a children’s Sunday Class? Right now in the other room there are great questions being answered by our wonderful teachers. Questions from inquisitive children but what is most surprising are the answers to the Teacher’s questions.

I wonder this morning if we were to ask the children, what is the Book of Jonah is about.

For those of you who have children and you were to ask them, what do you think they would say.

What have we focused our stories in Sunday class over the years when it comes to the book of Jonah.

Now some of you, are like me and have heard the story of Jonah over the years. I am sure if you grew up in the church and attended Sunday class, you would all have the same answer,

It’s about a man who was swallowed by a fish.

That’s the exciting part of the whole book,

Or is it?

Is this really what we can boil the book down to.

When I was in high school a few year ago, if you didn’t want to do the work that was involved in learning about a book assigned in Class, you would travel to the local bookstore, not online, and you would have to buy the classic,

Coles Notes

Some called it cheating, others lazy, but why read the entire book of Moby Dick when you can pick up a small book that answers all the the questions, outlines the motif, the plot and give you clear discussion questions that make you look like you read the book.

It was brilliant.

You would buy this book, read it, then come to class prepared.

Or you thought you were.

You came to class, but what you didn’t realize is that the teacher had also read the coles notes and knew right away you hadn’t read the book.

Now fast forward today, have things changed?

You are asked to read something for work, at the office or training session, what do you reach for?

An Executive Summary

The Executive Summary.

Why bother reading the entire paper, when all we really need is to read the executive Summary.

Things haven’t changed, we have just made the process more dignified.

For many people who want quick answers when studying the book of Jonah have simplified it to an executive summary.

In fact, the other day, as I was driving back from picking up a coffee for Heather, before the 10:00 hour, the preacher on the radio gave a quick summary of Jonah to make a point.

Executive Summary.

Can it really be boiled down to this?

Let’s look at an executive summary of the book taken right out of the text.

Jonah 1:17–2:10 (ESV)

17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

This is the beginning and ending of today’s text.

If you simplify this it is an executive summary and a storyline for a great and dramatic plot maybe for a movie.

Show the movie/playn of Jonah at the end of the series

After all who doesn’t like a good story.

For some people who look at scripture and wonder if what is in the text is really true, argue that this story is just that, a story.

How can a man be swallowed up by a whale.

True Story

The other day, Dave stopped by my office knowing that we were going through the book of Jonah and commented that there was a story of a man actually being swallowed by a whale.

So I did some research and found out it was true.

June 11, 2021 Man Swallowed by Whale. Cape Code

“All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove and the next thing I knew it was completely black,” Packard recalled Friday afternoon following his release from Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2021/06/11/humpback-whale-catches-michael-packard-lobster-driver-mouth-proviencetown-cape-cod/7653838002/

I do not want to spend a lot of time on the debate, and folks, there is much information on the debate,

but like I have been saying in this series.

The questions we should be asking as we approach this text, the entire book is not a question about the whale, but about what is the text telling us about God.

God’s Control

When we read the executive summary, we do not have a clear timeline of the events that folded for Jonah and the sailors.

In fact,

If you are a disciple and you are eager to learn more about God, discovering His Truth, it begs questions as you read through this text.

First Question.

How long did it take for Jonah to be swallowed up by the whale.

If you read the scripture and discover that the moment Jonah was cast into the raging waters, the waters calmed down.

Should Jonah been able to swim in the calm waters.

Did he disappears from the sight of the sailors.

Did he drop like an anchor,

How close was the fish to the boat when Jonah was swallowed up.

As I mentioned earlier in the series, this past summer was a themed holiday for us and we had a wonderful experience of watching whales in the bay of Funday.

At one point, a baby whale made its way under our boat, you couldn’t miss that.

Taking a picture was even harder.

Many questions, some of the text will be answered in Jonah’s pray, some left out so that it leaves us in wonder of an almighty God.

One thing that I can tell you and as we look into the story, that Jonah, as he was being cast into the stormy waters, began to put his attention to God.

So it does lead us to ask ourselves that question,

When the storms of our lives hit us and we appear to be cast into chaos, does it lead us to God.

When the world is a mess and hostile to all that we stand for, does it lead us to God.

One person put it this way,

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (E. Jonah’s Protection (1:17–2:1))

So while in one way the fish is secondary in the revelation to Jonah, it was needed for the prophet to grasp that God’s love is operative in a world that is entirely under divine control, however hostile it may be to him (cf. Rom 8:28).

Let’s look back that the text again

Jonah 1:17 ESV

17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

The text points us to the real part of the story.

The Lord,

God Almighty,

Creator of the Universe

Sustainer of Creation.

He Showed Up.

Those times in your life as the storm, the mess, whatever the circumstance you find yourself in,

God will Show up

He did for Jonah and He will and does for us.

The Lord showed up by appointing a great fish to act as an agent of deliverance for a struggling prophet.

Now about a fish

Hear is a bit of a background for the listeners of the text

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (E. Jonah’s Protection (1:17–2:1))

In the ancient Near-Eastern mythology, which finds numerous reflections in OT poetic language, chaos is pictured by the sea monster Leviathan (loṯan in Ugar.).

Psalm 74:13–14 (ESV)

13 You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (E. Jonah’s Protection (1:17–2:1))

This is reflected in Psalm 74:13–14, where Leviathan refers both to God’s rule over chaos and to the destruction of the Egyptians at the Red Sea. The concept is given another twist, however, in Psalm 104:26, where Leviathan, the dreaded sea monster, is merely God’s plaything (NEB).

Psalm 104:26 ESV

26 There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (E. Jonah’s Protection (1:17–2:1))

To Jonah and those familiar with the old mythological imagery, the fish represented Leviathan. The mythology that occurs periodically in the poetic and prophetic books of the OT is a dead mythology (i.e., there is no question of the old concepts of their neighbors having the slightest validity in Israel, but the pictorial image they conveyed was still alive). Just as we may still refer to fairies and even have a mental picture of them, though we know that they do not exist, so it was with Leviathan and similar monsters in Israel.Since Leviathan was at God’s disposal, it meant that every force in the world however potentially dangerous, is completely under God’s dominance and control.

Remember, God Showed up and appointed a fish to swallow Jonah.

Did God created a new fish, a unique fish,

He could have,

Was it a Whale, a shark, a once in a lifetime fish.

We don’t know,

But what we do know is the in the moment of time,

In the storms of Jonah’s life.

God showed up and appointed, arranged, controlled things, an delivered a fish to deliver Jonah.

When has God showed up in your life.

Has it been a spectacular event or a small splash?

Can you recall those times God has shown up?

Some have said,

Obadiah, Jonah and Micah: An Introduction and Commentary (c. Jonah’s Gratitude for His Own Deliverance (1:17–2:10))

Not surprisingly the idea of Jonah being swallowed by a fish and surviving inside it for three days is viewed with considerable scepticism by many modern readers. Such an event, it is reasoned, is too incredible to have actually happened.

To me what is more incredible is that an all powerful God, that has control of this world,

Takes the time for me.

Shows up for me

He took the time to show up for Jonah and He takes the time to show up for me.

I experience this miracle, daily.

God shows up, and for some, When He shows up we miss it.

As we sat on the boat, cameras ready for the whale to appear, the majestic beast surfaces on the other side

For some, we want the spectacular story, outlined in Jonah to have that experience in our lives.

What a great story to tell your grandchildren,

Some want to say,

When I was running away from God, God brought me out of my chaos by being swallowed up by a fish, and living to tell you the story.

Are we wanting the spectacular, when God has already done it in our lives?

Are we wanting the spectacular, when God has already done it in our lives?

The spectacular event has already happened.

Christ,

Who had it all, left Heaven, Took on our form, so that we could live with Him in eternity.

Philippians 2:6–8 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

If you are looking for the spectacular, whale of a tale in your life,

God has already done it for you.

He chose to come to this world, die on the cross, buried,

yet the spectacular was that he rose from the dead.

He conquered death so that we might live.

We don’t have to look for the spectacular as He has already done that for us.

Jonah was about to experience that

His response was a prayer was written to capture the spectacular in his life.

Let’s read that prayer

Jonah 2:1–9 ESV

1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

Jonah’s Prayer

How many of you have ever experienced a prayer like this?

You have come to the end of your rope, you seem like all is lost and in your distress you call out to God.

Let me read to you another’s description of this prayer.

These are not my words, but that of another preacher that give us a description of Jonah’s prayer

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 22: Hosea / Joel / Amos / Obadiah / Jonah (Running to God in Prayer)

Jonah had tried to run away from God. Now he ran back to God in prayer. The psalm of Jonah 2:1–9 describes his prayer. It is filled with moving expressions similar to the Psalms and the devotional sayings of his people. The psalm expresses Jonah’s rediscovery of Yahweh’s omnipresence and His grace to those who turn to Him in their distress.

We have all known those desperate “God help me, please!” times when we have tripped and fallen flat on our faces while running away from Him.

We make a mess of things. Life tumbles in on us. The Lord from whom we have been trying to escape becomes our only hope. We do not deserve His intervention or a second chance, but there is nothing left but to cry out for His help. Jonah’s prayer guides us as we admit our need for God in our distress. It is both a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer for deliverance.Jonah was rescued from drowning, but he was not yet safely on shore.

Yet He put His trust in the almighty

Maybe this morning you are at that stage.

Your life is in a mess and you can’t seem to find your way out.

This Prayer of Jonah is for you.

Notice verse three.

Jonah realizes that it was the God who is in control has allowed this circumstance he finds himself in had been directed by God.

You cast me in.

Have you ever thought for a moment, the situation you find yourself in, is there to draw you closer to God.

The life struggle that you are walking right now, is a struggle to bring you to the very throne of God.

To come to a realization of God’s great mercy and grace.

Look at verse four

Jonah sought at the beginning of the book to flee from the presence of God, and now in verse 4 he states that he feels he is actually away from the presence of God.

From the language used in this poem some have suggested that Jonah died in the fish and was brought back to life.

He uses the Hebrew Sheol in his poem

As one commentator writes,

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets F. Jonah’s Psalm of Thanksgiving (2:2–9)

From the depths of the grave” in the Hebrew is literally “from the belly of Sheol,” and this should be retained. It is true that Sheol is often no more than a synonym for the grave; Jonah was not saying, however, that he thought he was buried but that he had gone to join the dead. The terrifying experience described in v.3 brought Jonah to the realization of his plight and elicited the confession in v.4. “Yet I will look again,” though a legitimate rendering, is open to misunderstanding. It is not a statement of salvation but of Jonah’s determination to pray in spite of his banishment; probably “but” would suit the sense better.

I’ll leave the decision up to you, but for me, death wasn’t a factor in the life of Jonah, but a realization that his mortality was near.

The Poetic description similar to many Psalms is a progression of the reality of our lives that God has our life in His control

Stated this way,

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 22: Hosea / Joel / Amos / Obadiah / Jonah Running to God in Prayer

Before we go on in the psalm of Jonah, we need to identify with the prophet’s despair in the depths of the sea. If we move to the next portion too quickly, we will miss what the psalm has to teach us about the treasures of the depths. God tracks us down and stops us in our runaway path from obedience, then confronts us with what we are doing. He also allows us to go through a time of death of our willfulness. As we pray we are aware of the hopelessness of changing either ourselves or the problem we created. This moment of hopelessness puts us through a death to self and in a good sense we give up. There is nothing we can do. We hit rock-bottom. And when we do, our surrender to God and His mercy is more than words. We cast ourselves into the arms of everlasting Mercy. That is when resurrection to a new beginning can happen.

Whether you take this Psalm to be Poetic or actual events, I will leave the decision up to you,

I do want you to realize that for the life of Jonah, There was a turning point back to God.

He ends his prayer with the phrase

Jonah 2:9 ESV

9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

God’s Grace belongs to the Lord

and the beauty of God’s Grace is that it is free and given freely to all who call upon the name of the Lord.

You see Jonah knew of God, believe in God, but this experience he began to Trust fully in His God.

If you find yourself in a mess that you can’t seem to get out of by yourself, consider giving it fully to God.

Are you searching for answers to you life,

Consider turning to God. To give Him control of your life.

Jonah knew God, was raised in the faith, was even a prophet of God, but had made a mess of his life.

He now in his moment of despair, turned with a renewed Spirit and drive to serve God fully.

What I find most interesting in this text is that once Jonah turned back to God, giving Him control, what happens next is the last part of the executive summary.

As one person puts it,

Obadiah, Jonah and Micah: An Introduction and Commentary c. Jonah’s Gratitude for His Own Deliverance (1:17–2:10)

The text reverts again to prose to record Jonah’s somewhat unconventional, and very unceremonious, return to land: And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

We sometimes just have to laugh, God Delivers Jonah back to the land in not so great a fashion.

In Summary

In Summary, as the worship team makes it way up to lead us in a response to worship, my prayer is that you respond.

Is God asking you to give something to Him

Have you been attempting to run away from God only to find yourselves in a mess greater than what you were running away from in the first place.

Is your heart burdened like that of Jonah and you find yourself crying out to God like Jonah did, will you respond?

I’ve asked the worship team to lead us in a song of response called

To the River,

To the river I am going Bringing sins I cannot bear Come and cleanse me come forgive me Lord I need to meet You there

In these waters healing mercy Flows with freedom from despair I am going to that river Lord I need to meet You there

Will you respond to God today?

As we sing this song, maybe you feel in your response you need pray.

May I encourage you to come.

Come to the alter, to the front, Seek God, Bow before Him.

We all need to come, bringing our sins, seeking His forgiveness.

If you would like prayer, come.

Jonah had to leave the boat to experience God, Maybe you are being prompted in the same fashion to come.

As a symbol of giving your life fully to God, you come to the alter to pray

May this song of response be a living response as we sing

Response to Worship

Benediction