Jumping Ship

Introduction

How many of you like to go to the beach?

How many of you who like to go to the beach actually like to go to the beach?

Stages of getting more comfortable wading out deeper into the ocean

Who is just straight-up scared of the ocean?

Facts About the Ocean that Might Scare You

We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the depths of the ocean.

About 90% of the ocean is unmapped.

Colossal squids can grow up to 14 meters long (roughly 42 feet).

If you are a person who enjoys being on land and does not like to venture out into the ocean, someone might refer to you as a “landlubber.”

As we begin learning about Jonah, we will see that he was a spiritual landlubber. He did not want to venture out into the unfamiliar in following God’s calling. And the truth is, God called him to do something that was definitely scarier than wading out a few feet into the ocean.

Background to the Book of Jonah

Minor Prophet - simply means that what was written was shorter than the major prophets

Differs from many of the other prophetic writings because it reads more like a story. The writings of other prophets mainly contain the message that God wanted to convey through them, but in Jonah; we see that God had a message to get across through Jonah’s story.

The events we read about in the book of Jonah also take place before the kingdom of kingdom of Israel is taken into captivity.

The Gospel is the story of God’s dealings with Israel and the Church—it is resolved in the person of Jesus Christ.

Greater Narrative of God’s Chosen People, the Nation of Israel

Calling of Abraham to the father of God’s chosen people

Isaac

Jacob

Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers and wound up in Egypt, eventually becoming second in command to Pharaoh. After being reunited, his family all came to live in Egypt, thus relocating the Jews who then began to greatly increase as a people.

A Pharaoh came along who did not know Joseph and from fear of the Jewish people overtaking all of Egypt, the Egyptians enslaved the Jews.

Then, along came Moses, a Jew himself who had been adopted by Pharaoh’s household and was raised as Egyptian royalty until he became angry with the way his people were being treated and murdered an Egyptian who was beating a Jew! He fled into the wilderness until God spoke to him through a burning bush and told him to lead His people out of Egypt into the promised land.

After much resistance, Pharaoh let God’s people go and Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness where they received the Law and wandered around for 40 years because of their unfaithfulness until God finally led them to the promised land and led them to victory over the people who inhabited those lands.

Then, the Israelites entered into a time period where they enjoyed living in the promised land, but did not obey God. Everyone did as they pleased and God raised up judges like Samson and Gideon to judge the people until finally, the people of Israel decided they wanted a human king like all of the rest of the world instead of being satisfied with God as their king.

God granted their request and gave them kings to rule over them, some good, but mostly bad who led Israel in a downward spiral to eventually be taken away from their land and into captivity by the Babylonians and Assyrians.

But, Jonah is actually called by God to go to the Assyrians in Nineveh.

The Israelites were awaiting a Messiah that they would eventually find in Jesus, but many of them didn’t recognize Him when He did come in spite of all of the signs God gave them so that they might recognize Him. One of those signs is the sign of Jonah.

Every time you read your Bible, look for Jesus.

Matthew 12:38–41 ESV

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Jonah 1:1–2 ESV

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

This is a call to action. “Arise” conversation, not a “You need to sit down to hear this” conversation. Jonah, like many of us probably enjoyed learning about God and was satisfied simply with sitting in the classroom rather than being on the battlefield. Jonah was comfortable in the classroom and God called him to go where he was not comfortable.

Assyrians

Scary

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Jonah, Book Of

Assyrian brutality and cruelty were legendary. The Assyrians were known to impale their enemies on stakes in front of their towns and hang their heads from trees in the king’s gardens. They also tortured their captives—men, women, or children—by hacking off noses, ears, or fingers, gouging out their eyes, or tearing off their lips and hands. They reportedly covered the city wall with the skins of their victims. Rebellious subjects would be massacred by the hundreds, sometimes burned at the stake. Then their skulls would be placed in great piles by the roadside as a warning to others. Jonah decided that he would rather quit the prophetic ministry than preach to such people

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Jonah, Book Of

Assyrian brutality and cruelty were legendary. The Assyrians were known to impale their enemies on stakes in front of their towns and hang their heads from trees in the king’s gardens. They also tortured their captives—men, women, or children—by hacking off noses, ears, or fingers, gouging out their eyes, or tearing off their lips and hands. They reportedly covered the city wall with the skins of their victims. Rebellious subjects would be massacred by the hundreds, sometimes burned at the stake. Then their skulls would be placed in great piles by the roadside as a warning to others. Jonah decided that he would rather quit the prophetic ministry than preach to such people

It would be like if God called you to go to ISIS and call out against them and their evil.

Different

not Jews

cultural barriers

racial barriers

religious barriers - Ashur and other gods

not God’s chosen people

God’s purpose for Israel was to reveal Himself to the world through them in an attempt to reach all peoples, not for Him to be selfishly hoarded by the Israelites

Part of Jonah’s response was probably out of pride (“holier than thou”)

Jonah’s Response in Modern Day Terms

Jonah 1:3 ESV

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

“They’ll never listen.”

Jonah rose, but not to accept God’s calling.

Can anyone actually escape God’s presence?

“They can’t change. They don’t want to change.”

Jonah goes to Joppa and meets “the pirates who don’t do anything”

Nineveh was about 500 miles east from where Jonah was

Tarshish was about 2,000 miles west from where Jonah was (the farthest place to the west that Jonah knew of, modern day Spain)

If he had known about this continent, he probably would have come here.

Jonah 1:4–6 ESV

But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

This should sound a little bit familiar...

Matthew 8:23–27 ESV

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Their gods were no gods at all. But one day, the one true God manifested in Jesus Christ would calm the sea as their gods could not.

Jonah 1:7 ESV

And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

Similar to drawing straws

Common way for people in the ancient world to try and seek knowledge from their gods

Jonah 1:8–10 ESV

Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 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.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

The word he used was “Yahweh”—God’s personal name in the Old Testament

Jonah 1:11–16 ESV

Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 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.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 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.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

Jonah asks to be thrown overboard

Desperate attempt to get back to land failed and they realized their only option was to throw Jonah overboard.

I doubt that Jonah knew what was going to happen when he asked to be thrown overboard. He might have very well been asking to be killed, but God was not done with Jonah yet.

After seeing all of this, these pagan sailors called out to Yahweh, the Lord, the one true God begging for mercy.

Then, after seeing the sea calmed they realized this was only something the one true God could do and even made sacrifices to God. That’s how impressive this incident was.

Jonah 1:17 ESV

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.

This is intended to point us to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

God is showing us that where a sinful man deserves to die for disobeying God and tries to flee from His presence, God puts in his place His own Son—a sinless man who did not deserve to die, perfectly obeyed God, and willingly went to those who did not deserve God’s grace. Jesus did what Jonah failed to do at first by coming to us.

In Jesus’ story, we are the evil, sinful, wretched Ninevites. But, Jesus didn’t run. He came on full speed ahead. He got His hands dirty. He got messy. He pursued and continues to pursue and chase after us.

Will you learn from Jonah’s mistake and Jesus’ success?

But, even in Jonah’s story he gets a second chance to do right—to love the unlovable, and to turn back to God.

Call for Response

Have you been running from God?

Have you been disobeying God?

When God called you 500 miles to the east, did you run 2,000 miles to the west?

God’s Word tells us that if you place your faith in Him He will remove your sins as far as the east is from the west.

Will you stop running tonight?