The Rebellion of Jonah

Intro

You will recall that so far in the story of Jonah, we have not been very impressed with this prophet of God. We are see a very clear and direct command from God for Jonah to go and deliver a word from God and then almost immediately Jonah gets up and runs in the other direction. Now we already see hints that Jonah’s running away is going to fail, but the way in which he fails is rather extreme and almost comical.

But that is to get ahead of ourselves, because we have not yet gotten to that part. But we are left with maybe a shadow of doubt, is he going to get away? Is God going to punish Him? What is going to happen to the Ninevites?

The New American Commentary: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah 2. The Storm at Sea (1:4–6)

As Brichto has written, “The flight of Jonah must stand out, as the author intended, in all its existential absurdity.” Jonah thought he could just walk away from a divine assignment. But the Lord was to make Jonah’s voyage into a “teachable moment.” The plans of a sovereign God are not so easily thwarted by the stubborn will of a puny prophet. Jonah was to learn that it was not so easy to resign the Lord’s commission

Body

And so, we will begin this morning where we ended last week. Jonah is in a boat. And this boat is headed towards Tarshish. He went down into the boat and he is fleeing from the Lord’s presence.

Verse 4-After some time, the Lord hurls a mighty wind on the sea and it causes such a storm that the ship is on the verge of ruin. Now, I don’t know how many of you have ever spent some time on a boat or some other sort of water vessel. But imagine for a moment, you are on a boat and you know how the waves will rock the boat back and forth, and back and forth and there is almost a rhythm to it.

But what if the waves were to grow larger, well the rocking would be much more violent. Now imagine you are caught up in a storm, then what? Do you imagine for a moment that you would not feel it? That you would be able to sleep through it? The ship is falling apart and the shipmates are throwing the cargo overboard because they are taking on water and if they keep the weight, they will surely perish. And in the midst of this frenzy, where do we find Jonah? At the lowest part of the boat and in a deep sleep.

Speaking of the ship:

The New American Commentary: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah 2. The Storm at Sea (1:4–6)

Thus the ship is here personified. It was determined to break apart. The drama of the situation is heightened by the syntax, which sets off this clause parenthetically from the others. This might be better expressed by translating, “Now the ship was determined to break apart.” In contrast to the disobedient prophet, the wind, the sea, and even the ship were tuned in to the Lord’s purposes (cf. Lev 18:25). As Sasson describes, “The ship is first to realize the brutality of the storm, and its own terror at breaking up is quickly communicated to the sailors.” As v. 5 will explain, Jonah was the last one to respond.

Already we have cause to worry for Jonah, he is running from God, and now his life is in danger and yet he is sleeping like a babe. He is in a deep sleep. How many of you have ever tried to go to sleep with a guilty conscience before? The idea is we have a felon on the run and he is almost without any worry, fear, or shame. He is sleeping. But everyone around him is in a frenzy.

We have sleeping Jonah in the bottom of the boat, but elsewhere, the sailors are described as being afraid and crying out to their own god. These are men who know these waters and more than likely have sailed it many times and they are afraid.

If these men were Phoenician men, than they would have been very skilled at sea. They were legendary for their seamanship and navigating skills, so for them to be calling out to God to save them means this must’ve been a very bad storm.

These pagan men know that they ought to be afraid and the captain goes down to the bottom of the boat probably looking for more things to throw overboard and who does he find down there sleeping? Jonah. Just sleeping in the midst of it all. We do not have any indication that Jonah was a seamen, so picture the sight. A land lover on a boat and he is at peace, and those who knew the sea very well were fearful.

Throw things overboard to save themselves....little do they know that throwing someone overboard would save them.

And so the captain of the ship rouses up Jonah and tells him to “Get Up!” In doing so, the captain used two of the verbs Jonah had previously heard from God. “Get up” is the verb qûm that begins v. 2 in Hebrew, and “call” is the verb qāraʾ, there translated “preach.” “The captain speaks better than he knows, and the irony cannot have escaped Jonah

Smith, B. K., & Page, F. S. (1995). Amos, Obadiah, Jonah (Vol. 19B, p. 231). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

He is telling him, take notice of our plight, are you so unconcerned that you are sleeping when we need your prayers, when we need your intervention. Odd isn’t it? That is exactly what the Ninevites needed as well. And that is yet more irony that we encounter in this story. Jonah is escaping from Heathens and it is a heathen who repeats God’s word to Him and tells him to pray to God. This is a sad commentary when those who are committed to the truth of God’s word have to be prodded by a lost world into spiritual activity.

v5: “to his god”- pagan

The captain calls to Jonah to cry out to his god, just like they had been doing in vain. Without any answer. They cry out to their god and it is all in vain. No response is given and no aid is lent. Because they were worshipping false gods.

Gods that do not answer. Because they are not gods at all. We see a similar situation with Elijah, when he went up against the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Baal’s mother Asherah(1 Kings 18).

Or looking forward, to when Paul spoke in the Areopagus and told them how he “even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an unknown God.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it,* this I proclaim to you—24 the God who made the world and all the things in it. (Acts 17:23-24)

They worshipped and cried out in vain. They thought their little things could save them, but they cannot. And so, this is the big moment. Jonah is going to call them fools and preach to them and tell them about God.

But that is not what Jonah does, is it? We do not even see a reply from Jonah. An indication that Jonah may not have even prayed at all. Or perhaps he does pray, and that is how he gets the answer in vs 12. But in any case, this is not a very bold man. He doesn’t tell them about God which will be interesting in the end.

But they cast lots. And this is pretty interesting. Now I want to make clear that what was happening was not that they were gambling. They were not leaving it to luck.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Lots

Lots helped God’s people make a fair decision in complicated situations. God commanded that the promised land be divided by lots (Num. 26:52–56). Later, lots established the temple priests’ order of service (1 Chron. 24:5–19). This practice continued into Jesus’ day. Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, was burning incense in the holy place when the angel spoke to him. Zechariah was there because the lot fell to him (Luke 1:8–9)

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Lots

We do know that people of the OT and NT believed God (or gods in the case of non-Israelites or non-Christians) influenced the fall or outcome of the lots (Prov. 16:33). Thus, casting lots was a way of determining God’s will.

So the casting of lots is not a way of gambling or leaving it to chance, but to discern the will of God. Not trying to manipulate God even into bringing them favor.

And again we see another ironic image here. They are seeking the will of God, and yet Jonah is running from the will of God.

And for the first time in the entire story, Jonah responds. But he only answers one of their two questions. And Jonah, knows that God is in control. So when he is found out, by God, Jonah 1:9 strong Jewish confession. No other prophet like this and none with a ministry so strongly directed to non-Jewish state.

And then the reaction of the sailors is fear on fear. They have a greater dread. First, they feared for their lives in the storm, but now they feared with a holy fear for their souls. They were frightened to the bone.

There is a lack of compassion from Jonah on these people. And we will see that again later on in this book.

And so, what is to be done with Jonah? Well, Jonah gives us that insight, “throw me overboard”. God’s judgement is meant for me. Get rid of me. Now the Hebrew word for hurl me into the sea that we read here is interestingly the same one that we read of the storm. But if Jonah knows that is the answer, why not jump off himself? Perhaps he was just too cowardly to do so, or he was asking them to be God’s instrument of judgment, still running and rebelling against God?

But it is an interesting solution isn’t it. It is not for the people to offer him up as a sacrifice. They are not to kill him, but to toss him overboard and let God execute the justice.

But these men show honor. They risk their lives trying to save Jonah. But the more they tried, the more the storm raged.

And 14-16 really is the climax for these sailors as they determine they have no other choice. And so they throw him overboard. But before and after they do so, what do we see them doing?

The people around Jonah repent and praise God. They even offer a sacrifice and vow to the Lord. They show the proper reverence. Notice how they also repent from throwing Jonah into the sea and ask of God to not hold them guilty. You see, your pleading and negotiating with God is not the solution to any consequences caused by rebellion an disobedience. Not trying to fix it on your own effort and power. The aid of your friends, family, neighbors will not do. Repentance is needed. And often repentance requires radical action.

Jonah, on the other hand, is not like this at all. There is a striking difference in the reaction and emotions of the sailors and Jonah. Jonah seems non-chalant without any worry. Not stressed. He almost seems at peace. Nowhere so far in this story do we read of Jonah in distress.

This is in stark contrast with everyone who is around Jonah. He should not be at peace. The opposite case for the sailors. They are almost in a frenzy and a panic. Also, nature itself is in a frenzy and panic. They are worried and they are seeking any god, but in the end they worship the one true God.

Conclusion

The New American Commentary: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah 4. Stilling of the Storm (1:11–16)

How much time transpired between vv. 14 and 15? Was the “amen” of the prayer meeting the seizing of Jonah? Could there have been a moment of silence seeking some sort of sign from Yahweh in response to the prayer? The text does not answer these questions. It simply relates the outcome. The effect of the sailors’ action seems to have been immediate. The cessation of the raging tempest was proof to them that Jonah had been right and that Yahweh actually did control the sea.

And we really are left with the same questions as last time for a second time aren’t we?

Can I outrun God?

Can I reach the limits of His grace?

What is our response to people around us who we are called to and are unable to distinguish their right and their left?

But we get another one as well. Who do you call out to in the storm?

For Act 2, Scene 2: See Psalm 69 and Jonah 2:5