The Sovereignty of God
Notes
Transcript
Lucky that I…
Thank my lucky stars…
It can be easy to think that when we narrowly miss a car accident, or when we pull a rare baseball card, or just so happen to wear a jacket that we left a $20 bill in last winter we are lucky. And sometimes it can be easy just to say “Oh that was lucky!”
But Biblical Christians do not truly believe in luck. We might use the word here and there, we might not even think about it… but Jonah here is not a victim of bad luck, or chance but he is under God’s sovereign judgment.
The late R.C. Sproul concerning the sovereignty of God described it this way: “if God is God, then he is sovereign. And if he is sovereign then there are no maverick molecules. And no maverick molecules, nothing happens by chance.”
The doctrine of God’s sovereignty isn’t popular, but it is biblical. And it is not a division between calvinist or arminian, or presbyterian and baptist nor reformed baptist and freewill baptist - this is a distinction between theist and atheist. To quote Dr. Sproul again “If God is not sovereign then he is not God.”
Main point: God is sovereign over the lots, over the storm and over the fish - and even over salvation of sinners. And as we will see over the nations. God rules supremely over all of creation and he uses all of these things to accomplish his purposes. And God is glorified in all of these things.
When we talk about God’s sovereignty we mean that God reigns supreme over all things. And all things happen according to his will.
Or to give a formal definition chapter three of the The 2nd London Baptist of 1689 on God’s Decree
“God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.”
To give an simpler definition from The Lexham Theological Workbook:
Divine sovereignty refers to God’s all-encompassing rule over the entire universe.
This text shows us God’s sovereignty over the casting of lots, over the sea and the storm, over the salvation of sinners, and even over the big fish.
God’s Sovereignty Over the Lots
God’s Sovereignty Over the Lots
In the follow up to our text from two weeks ago - after the captain has woken him up from his sleep - and urges him to call out to his God - the sailors then cast lots in verse 7.
The casting of lots is often done in the case where they would put several small objects, often stones, in a jar and the order in which they fell out of the jar determined the decision.
Lots are not gambling. The casting of lots was a statement by the individual to state that the decision of this action is removed from them but decided by God. We see the casting of lots elsewhere in scripture - the decision of the scapegoat on the day of atonement in Lev. 16, the dividing of the land in Numbers 26, and the dividing of Jesus’ garments in Matthew 27, and Peter’s selection of Matthias to replace Judas in Acts 1. And yet more similar to Jonah we see the casting of lots to reveal a guilty party with Achan in Joshua 7, and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14.
But this also isn’t random chance.
33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
Even the pagan sailors believed that the lots fell because the will of the god - they may not have had the right god - but their actions were still dependent upon his decision.
But since we know that there is only one God, we know that God - we know that the will of the one God is who causes the lots to fall as they may.
So as they cast lots they are asking God to reveal to them what is causing this calamity to befall them - the lot falls on Jonah.
The lot falling on Jonah is not random chance, or bad luck - but rather it is God working in the lots to expose Jonah and his guilt. It is God working to demonstrate his might. In the storm and in the lots Jonah is
There is no such thing as good luck, or bad luck, or even dumb luck. There is a sovereign God who works all things for his purposes. This means that God even works the lots, the slots and lottery for his glory and your good. This doesn’t excuse or encourage a gambling problem - since as we see with Jonah God was working to expose Jonah and bring him to humility and repentance.
As the lot falls it leads the sailors to pelt Jonah with a barrage of questions:
Why has this calamity come upon us? Who are you? What do you do? Where do you come from? What nation? What people? Who have you offended? What in the world have you done?
Some speculate that Jonah may have said more than this in his initial response… but Jonah’s short response provides an answer to three of those questions, and a sufficient reply to the remainder of the questions.
In Jonah’s reply he demonstrates God’s sovereignty over the storm and the sea.
God’s Sovereignty Over the Sea
God’s Sovereignty Over the Sea
He tells them what people he belongs to and what God he worships.
9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Jonah provides a two part answer:
First he says, I am a Hebrew - he tells them where he came from, what country, what people.
And second he tells them who he worships, and who God is.
Through this storm God is demonstrating to Jonah, the sailors, and the world that he is not limited to being the God is Israel. He is the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. He throws the wind on the sea and causes the tempest to to stir. While Jonah has tried to escape from God’s presence he has found that there is not a place where he can go that the Lord God does not reign supreme. Not even on the sea - and God has made the sea that he is trying to flee from him on. And Jonah’s statement concerning God’s identity is in line with this.
This also explains why the sailors respond with terror.
verse 10 - YHWH’s reputation is great among the people.
They are shocked at Jonah’s response… What have you done to us?
it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
We live in a world where people are quick to dismiss truth because “well that’s just your religion.” “Well that’s your god.” “I’m not a Christian, so that doesn’t apply to me.”
The sailors here don’t get an out because Jonah’s God isn’t their god. Jonah is running from God - they happen to be victims of Jonah’s discipline.
God is not merely the “Christian” God. God is not merely Jonah’s God. Or the God of the Hebrews - but he is the God of heaven who created, and rules over, the land and the sea.
And as Jonah learns - He cannot run from the God who created and rules over the land and the sea. And yet there is a strong irony in Jonah’s definition of God as the God of the sea.
James Bruckner in the NIVAC points out “Who runs from the God on the sea on a ship?” And this is likely the thought that the sailors were having here to hearing what Jonah has said. There is a certain degree to which the sailors, and the reader should maybe ask the question “Jonah… How are you a prophet of God that foolish?”
But then we as the reader ought to quickly remember that we likely are a lot more like Jonah than perhaps we like to admit.
God is in control of the wind, the waves, the storm, the lots and the fish. God is taking care of Jonah. It might seem like God is taking taking care of Jonah like a mobster takes care of a wayward informant but God is taking care of Jonah.
In verse 12, Jonah seemingly has chosen death. He will either die on the ship with the rest of the crew, or he will die in the sea as the storm will swallow him up - and he will drown. But maybe it’s still a win for Jonah… at least he wont have to go to Nineveh!
Jonah is faced with a dilemma - will your disobedience cause yourself, and others to die, or will he die so that he might save others?
This is how we ought to approach all sin. Sin leads to death - sometimes slowly and other times not. Sometimes sin puts only ourselves in danger, other times it puts others in danger as well.
In verse 11 they ask Jonah what they ought to do with him so that the sea might quiet down. Jonah responds
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
He accepts the punishment that he deserves for his sins.
Jonah tells them to toss him off the ship so that he might perish and their lives be spared.
Yet with Jonah’s presumed death there is still an opportunity to do good. If they cast him into the sea, he can save the lives of the sailors. The tempest is because of him.
Jonah knows the remedy for the chaos that he has brought upon them and that is for him to be treated like the cargo and thrown into the sea. Jonah’s sin is impacting those around him and he is telling them to throw him into the sea that he might die and they might live. There will be peace upon the sea if they throw him out.
Which frankly might be the first exemplary thing we see from Jonah in this book. He is willing to die so that others might live. And this should rightly connect us to Christ - Jesus died so that we might live. But unlike Jonah, Jesus died for our sins - Jonah was cast into the sea for his own sins.
We deserve what happens to Jonah, but instead Christ dives in for us.
Though Jonah tells the sailors to throw him out like the cargo they dropped they initially resist. They instead try to out-row the storm and get back to dry land. Yet the storm continues to grow worse.
Which is again, ironic. If Jonah cannot outrun the God of the land and sea on the sea - why do they think they might outrun him by rowing harder back to the dry land. As Jonah said he’s also the God who created the dry land.
Yet their reasoning is that they do not want this man’s blood on their hands. They say, in v 14, that they do not want innocent blood on their hands. This might seem odd as they already know that he is guilty of running from The Lord - but he has not wronged them aside from getting on their boat. But this does demonstrate how unrepentant sin can negatively impact your community.
14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.”
These pagan sailors have cried out to the Lord. Even in Jonah’s disobedience God is using this for his glory. God has demonstrated his might, and sovereignty over the waves and now these sailors are crying out to the God of the sea and the dry land - as he is their only hope for survival. Even in Jonah’s disobedience and refusal to preach repentance to Nineveh, Jonah is used that the power of God might be displayed among the nations.
They do not wish to die for the sins of Jonah. And this isn’t really a surprise - and yet again it shows us the wonder of Christ’s death for us.
7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The sailors don’t want do die for a man who has sinned by running from God - though Christ Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.
So the sailors do as Jonah says - but do so in prayer - asking that God be pleased by their actions. And then they turn Jonah over to God.
And following their actions -the sea ceases it’s raging.
Then they worship God.
God in his sovereignty over the lost and over the sea has brought salvation to sinners. Even in Jonah’s disobedience God still uses it to bring glory himself.
Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
God is Sovereign Over the Big Fish
God is Sovereign Over the Big Fish
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 fish does not merely swallow Jonah because the fish is hungry and thinks Jonah looks like a tasty snack - but because God has appointed this fish to swallow Jonah.
This is because God is sovereign over animals and over nature. not even a sparrow falls apart from his will. (Matt 10:29)
And for what it’s worth - the text never calls the fish a whale… It doesn’t say it’s not - but it just says a great fish. But the classification of the fish - is hardly the most important part of the text. The point is that after God has brought a storm to weed out Jonah, and ordained lots to identify Jonah, so that he might be thrown overboard God also sovereignly appointed the
Jonah’s story is not a series of unfortunate events… but rather a series of events that God is working for Jonah’s good, Nineveh’s good, the sailor’s good, our good, and God’s glory.
And this is not isolated to Jonah. God is sovereignly working in all things to accomplish his purposes. Purposes of his glory, and our good. Our salvation, our sanctification, our being conformed to the image of Christ. God is working all things for the good of his people - and not a hair will fall from your head without the will of your Father who loves you.
God’s sovereignty should give you great comfort. It’s why we don’t need to fear climate change, or whoever wins the upcoming election, or whatever war may be going on. This is why we can be strong even in the toughest suffering - because God is working in it. It is why the Christian can wake up in the morning with joy even in the hardest of circumstances.
But sometimes God sovereignly ordains judgment. And there are political policy that will pass that do not glorify God or align with his will - and that will be a clear example of Romans 1 judgment - where God seemingly steps back and gives us, as a nation, over into the lusts of our hearts and impurity. God is still glorified in his judging of sinners as he is glorified in his salvation of sinners.
Jonah tells the sailors who he is, and who God is - they see what God does - they repent and they believe. And that’s not all that different from the Christian message. We tell people who we are, sinners saved by grace. Who God is - Jesus Christ who came in the flesh to die the death that we deserved the die - and gave us his righteousness. Jesus did not die for us because we were worthy but because he loved us.
God’s sovereignty - his divine rule - over creation - over the weather, over the lots and over the plant over the worm and over the nations should comfort us in our mission. Because God is sovereign we can go in confidence, doing the work of evangelists.
Because God is sovereign he orchestrated every aspect of Jonah’s story. And every aspect of the passion of Jesus Christ - there was no happenstance in our salvation - the cross was not a happy accident - but the outworking of the holy counsel of God’s will to save sinners - and he has working all things for the salvation of his elect from the garden until the last day.
Psalm 115 Benediction?