Part 2: The Merciful Lord

RECAP

Last week:

Explored God’s Sovereignty

…Over the Nations

…Over Circumstances

…Over People

Last week, Jonah stands in at odds with the notion that the Old Testament depicts God as a God of wrath, while the New Testament depicts God as a God of grace.

The Lord God never changes. He is Holy, Righteous, Wrathful, Merciful, and Gracious all at the same time.

The Old and the New Testament Both show this…Jonah is a great example.

This week, we look at what Jonah is most famous for…being in the belly of the great fish (whale)!

Jonah 1:15–2:10 ESV

15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. 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. 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!” 10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

1) God’s Storm of Mercy…

Last week we focused mostly on v.16 and God’s mercy to the pagan sailors.

This week, the storm was not God’s wrath poured out upon Jonah disobedience…rather it was a storm of mercy to get Jonah where he needed to be.

God could have allowed Jonah to remain in rebellion from God and live out the rest of his life running away…

God could have chosen anyone to go to Ninevah… The command for Jonah to go to Ninevah, was just as much about Jonah as it was about Ninevah.

God used Ninevah to expose the heart of Jonah

He then used the storm to position Jonah where he needed to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

For the pagan sailors, the storm of mercy made all the difference… for Jonah the storm of mercy was just part of the journey…Jonah needed a little bit more to finally see who God truly is!

2) A Whale of a Merciful Tale…

Just as Jonah thought his life was over…God gave Jonah protection in the deep.

The whale shows us that God was not out to get Jonah…He was out to get Jonah’s attention.

God didn’t want to destroy Jonah…He was trying to keep Jonah from destroying Himself.

If the book of Jonah were just the story of Jonah and ended at vs. 16, it would still be a story about God’s sovereignty and mercy.

vs. 17 takes us into new depths of understanding about God’s mercy (pun intended)!

The great fish becomes the setting of the story for Jonah’s deliverance and God’s restoration of a wayward prophet.

Jonah had many chances to repent before it got to this point:

At the initial calling to go to Ninevah…Jonah rebelled.

Every step of the way to the docks…Jonah rebelled.

Aboard the boat…Jonah rebelled.

In the hull of the ship…Jonah rebelled.

In the dangerous storm…Jonah rebelled.

Now in the belly of the great fish…it’s kind of like the last, last chance.

The miracle of this event: Jonah remained alive…inside of the great fish.

It took Jonah three days and three nights before he prayed.

Why so long to call out to God?

We don’t know…

If nothing else it shows us again a sharp contrast between the pagan sailors who worshipped God the very moment the waves ceased vs. the obstinate prophet with a deeply hardened (yet not beyond redeemable) heart.

This same distinction will come again when we get to Ninevah next week.

Finally after three day, Jonah finally cries out to the God who is pursuing him.

3) The Belly Psalm…

Jonah finally realizes his distress and his deliverance. (v.2)

In the belly of death he calls out

In the belly of death God hears him and responds.

Jonah recognizes he was rightly under God’s chastisement (v.3)

It may have been the sailor who threw him overboard, but they were working as the hands of the Lord.

The experience of hitting the raging sea Jonah rightfully recognizes as God’s waves and billows.

Jonah contrasts the severity of his situation and yet the hope that only comes from the Lord (v.4-6

“driven away” (v.4) - banished.

Yet is confident he will see the place that embodies the Lord’s presence once more.

Deep despair (v.5-6a)

Yet God rescues him from the place no one else could ever go. (v. 6b)

At the lowest of lows, Jonah remembered the Lord and cried out.

He prayer went straight to the Lord’s ears.

The folly of turning to false gods. (v.8)

The Restoration of a prophet (v.9)

Salvation belongs to the Lord (Not only Jonah’s…but all salvation!)

God saves Jonah from himself and from the fish.