Jonah 2
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Last week discussed was running from God, and the fact that it’s impossible and futile to do so
he tried to abandon the mission that God gave him
additionally, there are the effects that it can bring upon yourself
also, the effects that it has upon others
not only other people, but on God as well
we saw the storm that Jonah brought into his life through sin
just like a real storm, it doesn’t only affect us but it affects all those around us
but even though Jonah messed up and suffered the consequences because of that, he repented, he was sorry
and he was restored, he was eventually spat out of t he fish’s belly
THIS WEEK WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME ENCOURAGEMENT
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
So jonah still had the consequences of his actions to deal with
this situation must have seemed completely bleak and hopeless
but there is hope even when it seems hopeless!
one of the great aspects about the book of jonah is the sort of typology or prophecy that points toward Christ
shadows of things to come
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
these people who Jesus was talking to didn’t recognize who was in front of Him
He’s asked for many, many signs in the gospels, but it didn’t convince people who were so skeptical and hard hearted against Him
God could slap some people in the face and they wouldn’t believe it was God
These people didn’t recognize who was in front of them
but we will see that Jonah did recognize why he received the judgement he did
we have to make sure we can see and recognize the things of God and that we aren’t too hard hearted to even consider it
1 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,
2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; Out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
2A - The Lord will always hear us, and what a blessing that is
all thanks to Jesus Christ, our advocate to the Father
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
BACK TO JONAH
We know that God does not only hear us, but He will act on it, many times
because He cares for us - what a blessing
22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; And the floods compassed me about: All thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
In our lives, we can certainly get “into the deep”, we can sink to great lows
we can feel like we’re Joseph down in a pit
think about many of God’s people in the Bible, and the things they went through
but they had their mind and spiritual life right, and God was able to get them through and to give them joy in the hardest situations
think about how he helped David, who wrote so many encouraging psalms in times of trouble
think about how Joseph was able to keep going in the face of adversity, in prison and enslaved
think about the passion and zeal of the early Christians that God kept going through persecution
the eternal, the spiritual, is worth far more than anything could be on earth
this is where we should really focus our lives
and it’s where we should find our joy
because we very much have spiritual riches, as believers
think about what Jesus said in Luke, that it’s God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom of God
to be able to commune with God one day, that’s amazing, an ultimate privilege
if we think about sinai, and the reverence and respect they had for God when He was on top of the mountain
they were afraid to look or approach, but yet we as believers are given the privelege to be on good terms with God
So when we are down in a hole, when we are in the pits, the best place to look is up, to God, and focus on our spiritual life and riches, because that’s where real, true happiness and fulfilment comes from
4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
we see that Jonah did exactly this, he looked again toward heaven, toward God
that’s the only place we really can look, at the end of the day
it’s the only place we have any hope for forgiveness of sin and salvation from condemnation
it’s the only hope we have from an eternal perspective
5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: The depth closed me round about, The weeds were wrapped about my head.
we see that even Jonah’s soul was suffering, so to speak
he was broken down in his core
how many times have we put ourselves in this situation? sometimes, we as humans arent so great at managing our own lives
we get ourselves into sitautions that hurt us down deep, through sin or for any other reason
sometimes though we are just meant to go through something, whether to craft us into better, tougher, and wiser people or to bring us closer to God
if you think about carving a statue, it must be chipped away at, the stone is being hammered and chiseled and carved away
But you end up with a beautiful statue.
God can bring us through these situations as a beautiful statue if we stay close to Him
it’s so crucial that we stay close to God and find out joy in our spiritual riches, and not turn to anything else and let it break us
6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with her bars was about me for ever: Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.
We see that Jonah recognizes that the Lord has and will keep him through, being still alive and about to be back on land
he has been given a second chance at life through God
just like we have as believers
even though we don’t deserve it, we are all just fallible humans, we have problems, we are imperfect, we could never measure up to God
we can’t bring ourselves up to God’s standards on our own
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
so even though it’s harder for a rich man to get to heaven than a camel through the eye of a needle, God can make this happen with no problem
and He has freely given this to us
7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: And my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.
We see that Jonah remembered The Lord, which is what we must do in times of trouble
and not only did God keep him alive, but God heard his prayers and did not forsake Him
how many times would God have could have by all rights forsaken us? but He didn’t
He is loving, forgiving, and very longsuffering with us.
6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Here is how God described His people when they wandered in the wilderness after the exodus:
17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.
18 And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, And therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: For the Lord is a God of judgment: Blessed are all they that wait for him.
Surely we have so very much to appreciate with all that God has done for us
our God is a God of love, graciousness, mercy, justice, patience, caring, knowing what we need before we ask, valuing us more than the lillies of the field or the sparrows
and He cares on an individual level, knowing what each and every one of us need, think, and feel - even though there are 6 billion people alive right now
1 billion is a thousand million, 6 is 6 thousand million - an almost unimaginably huge number
8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.
He’s saying that the people who keep going in sin are forsaking all the good things that God has done for us
they do not recognize the absolute value of what God is and will be for us
but we see that Jonah is THANKFUL - as we should be
also that He will do the work that God has called him to do
lastly he says that salvation is of the Lord, which is the most true statement of all time
and that is the ONLY place it is and will ever be, Jonah in his situation would have been hopeless to look for hope in ANYTHING but God
and we are in the same position unless we embrace God and His salvation, we are JUST as hopeless in the spiritual sense
Jesus says that we are condemned ALREADY without salvation from God
but we don’t have to be condemned, we don’t have to be in the pit, we don’t have to be suffering
we have the ultimate spiritual riches, we are able to have communion with God, we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit as believers
WHAT MORE COULD WE POSSIBLY ASK FOR
may God help us to truly appreciate what we have as much as we should
to truly pursue a spiritual life as much as we should
and to truly realize that THIS is what’s truly important in this life
What do we see after Jonah talks about salvation being of the Lord?
10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.