Jonahs prayer. Chapter 2:1-10.

Jonahs prayer. Chapter 2:1-10.

Introduction and recap.

Talk about Hebrew poetry.  A B X – X – B-A -

1. Sets the stage and is an introduction to the “song/prayer” – Jonah is in the wales belly and now something changes, for the first time Jonah prays to his God.

Jonah prayed to the Lord/yhwa his God. For the first time in Jonah prayed to God, not when God spoke to him to go to Nineve, not in the storm and waves. (Is prayer our first response or last option?) Jonah has been actively trying to get away from God presents not praying to God. And God has been using everything against Jonah, that Jonah tried to get away from God with, wind, waves, ship, and water. Jonah prays form the belly of the fish, the fish that Gods also used to save Jonah from drowning. But we will get back to that.  

What kind of prayer is this, that Jonah prays? Is it a prayer of repentance? Lord forgive me of my transgressions and disobedience to you, and for bringing the mariners lives in danger, and for not really loving and honoring you; O Lord my God.

 No, it is not. As we talked about last time, we don’t see Jonah repent of his disobedience to what God had called him to do go to Nineve.

Is this Jonahs own prayer? Or is this the greatest hits of the psalms of a call for deliverance? Or a kind of mix? Of Davis, and the sons of Korah and Asaph prayers of deliverance from his enemies? And a call to God to listen as he promised to listen to prayers made towards the temple, at Solomons dedication of the temple. Is it a song of thanksgiving to God for his salvation, like the one Moses sings after the passing through the sea? Is it a parallel to the flood narrative and Noah? Or is it all of it? And how does God show us who God is in this prayer.

As the introduction about Hebrew poetry, the setting is that Jonah is praying in the fish but is describing what happened before God sent the fish to Swallow and save Jonah.

Psalm 3:4 David a call to God to deliver him from his son Absolom. – Psalm 120: A song of ascents.

Well lets us take a look. Jonah, I called out to the Lord, in his distress – Now if God was like Jonah God would be quiet and run the other way, but Jonah says the Lord answered, as he cried Psalm 118:5 (God’s love endures forever. Seem ironic or nationalist if Jonah is citing the Psalm that talks abouts Gods enduring love, unless it is only for Israel – because the rest of the Psalm will talk about God’s victory over God enemies). form the belly of Sheol (land of the deep /dead). The play on belly of fish and belly of Sheol. And Jonah says that God heard his voice. (God hears and answered Jonah – the opposite of Jonah that does not listens or answer and instead run away). The Point: Jonah cried out in his distress – God answered and Jonah cried out from Sheol, and God herd his voice. (1-2 – 1-2).

Then there is a turn in the prayer:

The sons of Korah Psalm 88:6,7. (God you have done this, put me in the depths of the pit and your wrath lies heavy upon me and you overwhelm me with all your waves.) 3. Then Jonah explains/(accuses)that God was the one that cast him in to the sea (It was the mariners) and they did it because Jonah ran from God. So the reason that Jonah is in the sea is Gods fault. God send the waves, the storm and said that Jonah should be hurled in to the sea.

Jonah prayed:” You God did this to me it is your fault (God’s judgment on Jonahs disobedience). God did do this but Jonah forgets to mention why. This happened because of Jonahs disobedience even more his rejection of who God is as we will see later in the book. (You might know people like that – that all blessings are our own making, but bad things are Gods fault, not us responses to our actions of sin and disobedience).

The sons of Kora Psalm 42:6-7 In to the heart of the sea, the flood surrounded me – all your brakers and your waves passed over me. God you did this your responsible, your waves and breakers. This is all true. (verse 11 the hope Jonah as say in verse 4 yet again look at your holy temple.)

David Psalm 31:22.

4. Jonah, in some way got his wish, - He said to himself in his destress, I am driven away from your sight – that was Jonahs Goal to run away from Gods presents and sight. (then what does that look like death in the sea or in the belly of a fish). Drowning and death, and being away from God did not seem as attritive at this point for Jonah. (The physical aspect of this sinking, sinking, water filling his lungs pressure mental spiritual pressure, I would rater die than obey, -well at this moment Jonah choses to look towards God’s temple for God.) PPT on judgement –

Is this true hope Jonah has or does the know the scriptures about the temple and in 1. kings? Solomons prayer of dedication and God’s response. PPT Gods response. 1. Kings 9:3. There is a promise of God but it has a clause, if you will walk with me…

Psalm of David 69:1.

5 Back to describe how the waters closed over Jonah, so that they would take his life. (Gods waters and ways). He sinks deeper and weeds are wrapped around his head. (You can picture it in your mind Jonah sinking weeds around his head).

6. Very deep to the deep of where the mountains have roots are. Jonah went down… the path that he had chosen. A land where he would be closed up forever. (But then a turn) – Yet. Jonah prays you brought /saved my life from the pit. O Yahweh my God. (No one ells could save Jonah).

7. As Jonahs life was fading away, - he seems to remember Yahw, (did he forget who he was running from? Or who God is slow to anger abounding in steadfast love). And Jonahs cry and prayer came to God in the holy temple and Jonahs prayer comes in to God’s temple. (Verse 7. It different from most other deliver salvation stories Noah, David, Israel as a people – God remembers them, that God saves, here Jonah somehow makes this about himself. (And Jonah remembered God, the God Jonah was running from the whole time), and as we see in verse 8

Psalm 31:6 2 time. 8. Is a curios verse, Jonah has been running from God to his own ideas; idols of who Jonah thinks God should be. But Jonah now prays -or sites Davis from the Psalm: that the ones that regard or go after idols forsake hope and steadfast love. (That is what Jonah has been running from). In away he also condemns the sailors as the would not understand who God, they would just forget his salvation and God steadfast love.

Asaph Psalm 50 It is not about an offering of bulls or lambs but of thanksgiving and praise of who God is. 9. About Thanksgiving as the sacrifice. But now Jonah will give thanksgiving with his voice and will sacrifices to God and – what he has vowed he will pay. Jonah does not have a bull or lamb to offer in ritual offering, and I don’t think God wants it, Jonah has nothing left except his voice to praise God and be thankful for God. He is in the fish, what can he offer? Other than thanksgiving. (Jonah might have missed that is the offer that we need to bring to see who God is; Paul uses thanksgiving and rejoicing many times to help people know who God is, also in Prayer, rejoice, give thanks and then you will understand and experience who God is). We are to love the Lord with all we are.  (You always have to do that).

Jonah in the climax proclaim “Salvation belongs to the Lord”. Jonah has no other hope, only the ones that the psalms give him. No other will save him from the fish.

PPT from 1 Samuel 15:22. + Jesus’ use of it. Dose God really offerings or obedience?

- The climax end: Salvation belongs to the Lord yahwe. (God saves it is the only way, Jonah is glad for his salvation – but in his next prayer he will complain that God saves – a great irony). (That salvation belongs to the Lord, it is God that saves, and God saves who he wills, not only the ones Jonah thinks he should). Or who you/we think God should. There is salvation in no other name, we know form the new testament. In Christ Jesus.

10. After 3 days and nights the Lord speaks to the fish, and it vomited (almost always negative and judgment) Jonah out upon the dry land.

God had saved Jonah in the fish from drowning, preserved him 3 days, and now got him vomited on to land.

Is Jonah a changed man? Has he enjoyed God’s revelation in the book of Psalms and in his life to persuade Jonah to do the job God called him to? Or is Jonah a very stubborn religious prophet that cite theology about God that fits the situation that he is in, and have not changed at all. We will have to wait and see.

It was all Gods fault, or was it? God brought all the trouble on Jonah or did Jonah bring all that on himself and God chose to save Jonah.

Where does this leave us? What did we learn about God? How do we see our need for Jesus?

It is not about our lips; or offerings it is about all of who we are. – Not just what we say we believe but what we live out? What is our view of God? Jonah has trouble with a part of who God is, he does not like his mercy and love for Jonahs enemies. In a moment of honesty, - we likely don’t like that part of God ether. I mean that God loves and cares for our enemies. We have to remember that we were also God’s enemies, and God showed his love for us, in sending Jesus. To live, die, rise, and to ascend. And that he is coming back, God sent the Holy Spirt that we might have power and Gods very presence in us as we live for God. (And it is the good news we can share with people).

Then what are we to do when we don’t like who God is? Run away?

Repent, and ask to understand more about who God is. Many don’t like God for different reasons, Jonah did not like God because of who God is. Many might not like God because they don’t know who God is and what God is like, but in Jesus Christ we get to know who God is and what God did, that he might forgive people also the enemies of Gods people. As Romas say, God passed over many sins of his people before Jesus came to pay for them, with his life, death, being punished, having the wrath of God on him, that whoever believes in Jesus might not be judged in wrath, but in judgement to save and sanctify. Well, I don’t like God for that, okay, Why? Because God made Jesus die and he did not want to. This is a postmodern objection to God’s wrath and judgment and punishment; I do believe also a misunderstand og sin and who God is. A misunderstanding of the trinity. It is not like God the father, God Jesus and God the Holy Spirt was in confused about how to show Gods love to people.

Jonah said that only God, (Yahve) can save. Jesus said he is the only way to the father, the only truth, the way and the light. It is an offer for all that would believe for all who would hear, but there is only one way and only God (Yahve) saves. As the Holy Spirt opens the eyes of people. (God 3-1 saves – the only God that can save)

I think it is great when God shows us who he is, in his word and we might not like it, it can help us understand God better.

What do you do when you find passages in the bible you don’t like? Run, say it is not God’s word? Like Jonah I will make God in my image.

Or repent ask forgiveness from rebellion and being my own God, it is when we see the goodness of God that we can repent as Romans say. Not when we have many complaints about God, - he might lead us to repeance as we praise God or call for help by stating who God is. We see that in the psalms many times.

Gods’ salvation and mercy is that God remember us, and shows us grace, we would not even see or recall God if he did not reveal himself to us. We don’t save ourself my offering and sacrifices. God saves by his grace and mercy when he shows us himself.