Purpose and Providence, a Study on the Prophet Jonah Part 3 "The Storm"
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But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
Introduction.
Introduction.
(Theo’s birthday)
Jonah is going to Tarshish, instead of Nineveh, fleeing from the presence of God.
Most Scholars believe Tarshish was located on the Iberian Peninsula. The great trading ships of Tarshish brought gold, silver and lead to Solomon’s kingdom.
(Map)
For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.
Jonah wasn’t just going away, he was going on the biggest, strongest ship possible, to the most distant possible place.
He was going to make it impossible for Jehovah to force him to go to Nineveh. He didn’t understand he was right where God wanted him to be.
God is in charge of the waters. He rules the wind.
Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.
Jonah would have sang this in the temple. You can’t outrun God!
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; Even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
Jonah knew all of this, but he was blinded by bitterness.
But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
In the mighty tempest Jehovah shows His power.
They that go down to the sea in ships, That do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord, And his wonders in the deep.
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, Which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: Their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, And he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm, So that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet; So he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
When Jesus calmed the storm He was proving Himself by their own Scriptures to be God in flesh.
God uses the storm to show His glory.
The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked: The Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Don’t be scared. God is driving the winds. God is driving the ark, He has all things provided. Why, Noah wouldn’t have had any victories, there wouldn’t have been storms and trials. If we’re just put through a little safe tunnel to run through, there’s no joy.
The storms of life, what makes us have the joy. We would never know what daylight was ’less we had some dark. We’d never know what a hilltop was ’less we had a mountain.
We’d never know what good health was ’less you had some sickness. You’d never know how to enjoy salvation ’less you was once a sinner. God has made all things, the law of contrast. He loves you. 55-0522 - The Ark
See how we can rest upon His Word then? No matter how hard the storm blows, what’s contrary to It, rest solemnly upon the Word. God said It, Who has seen the other side of the storm.
So, if you’re sick, just anchor your soul in the Haven of Rest. If you’re perplexed and distressed, remember, He said, “I’ll be with you always, even to the end of the world.” And He said, “All things work together for good to them that love the Lord,” so just stay right there.
And when the sea is blowing and stormy, did you ever…I guess maybe some of you has never been privileged to see a ship anchored. Oh, my!
I’ve rode them when they throw out a sea anchor like that, until the little craft couldn’t even go over the top the wave. It would go through the wave. But as long as the anchor held, that’s all that makes any difference.
Whether we go over it, under it, around it, or through it, doesn’t matter; the anchor holds. That’s the way when storms of life begin to shake us.
We may have to go through, we may have to go over, under, around, but just let the anchor hold within the veil, to the unseen. We don’t know just exactly where it’s at, but it’s a holding. 56-1230 - Joseph Meeting His Brethren
(Boy with kite)
Now the stabilizers has been put on the ship. Great fearful waves are out here before us; but we know, just beyond that wave yonder, we’re nearing the shore. We’re nearing the shore. Just stay stabled. Just stay in the Word. Stay with God.
No matter how you feel, what anything else; stay right with the Word. Let it stay stable, when you see all these great big old clouds around us, and storms coming, and atomic bombs, and everything else they’re talking about. But our stabilizer is right straight in the Word.
God said it would be here; we’ll crest every one of them. Yeah, we’ll go right over the top of them. Yes, indeed! They, they can’t sink us. They can’t drown us.
You put us in the grave; we’ll come out again. That’s just all there is to it. There ain’t no way in the world to keep it down there. We’ll crest every one of them, ’cause our great Chief Captain is calling at the other side.
Whatever it might be, let it come. What may, what will, doesn’t make any difference. We’re anchored right there in Jesus. If I live, I’ll live to the glory of God. If I die, then I could die to the glory of God.
I just want to just…It’s to the glory of God, is what I want to do. When that’s all over, I don’t want to stay any longer.
I want to go to my reward that He bought for me; not what I earned, but what He bought for me, what He give to me by His grace. 65-0822M - Christ Is Revealed In His Own Word
We must be stable in this hour.
And now how the wandering sons of God, wandering out there in the world, some of them this denomination, from denomination to denomination, like wandering stars, never stable.
Like a leaf on the water in the autumn. We used to see it, Leo, back in the East there. The leaves would blow down on it, and every little wind would blow it from this side to that side.
But God wants us to be stabled. “Anchored in Jesus, the storms of life I’ll brave. Anchored in Jesus, I fear no winds or wave,” see, whatever it is. Many of you remember the Inch Cape bell, when you was in school, boy and girl in school. 65-1031M - Power Of Transformation
InchCape Bell (slide)
Inch Cape Lighthouse (slide)
It has been mentioned in various historical accounts that towards the very late 18th and almost at the start of the 19th century, the Bell Rock was instrumental in effecting a ship wreckage tally of almost 100 vessels.
The main reason for such unprecedented accidents was the reef’s position. Before the lighthouse was constructed, no one could know about the reef until the last moment – when the passing ships would collide against the reef.
The reef is completely submerged during high waves, swell and strong winds, while only a sliver of it is visible to the naked eye during low tides. As such, ships and seamen undertook a big gamble with their lives while being on this route before the lighthouse was constructed.
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The Ship was still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock,
The waves flow’d over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
The worthy Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
(Robert Southey)
The poem goes on to say that a Pirate named Robert the Rover cut down the bell, and when he returned from his voyage out to sea he sank his ship on the same reef.
The bell was a warning, take heed of the shore! Put down your anchor. Don’t disregard the message!
Absolute.
In the day that we’re living in now, and everything is so breaking up, so fragile and carried away, I think that this Message would be a very appropriate thing, especially to Christians when they are going through their deep waters now.
The Christian church is passing through the deepest water it’s had for the last two thousand years.
Because, we are coming to a spot to where there is something presented to Christianity, something they have to make a decision on, and I think that the Christian church ought to have something that they know that they are tied to, instead of just floating about like a leaf upon the water, the wind.
As the Bible said, “Carried about by every wind of doctrine.” The winds come and blow the little leaf this way, and then another wind comes, the north wind, the south wind, the east wind, the west wind.
You’ll never get anywhere, you’re not stabled. The Christian life should be a stabled life. It should be something that’s a principle that you are tied to, that is more than life itself.
And you must have something that you’re tied to. Some people are tied to their business. Some are tied to their families. Some are tied to a creed. Some are tied to the army post. We have different things that we are tied to.
But I think, as a Christian, we ought to be tied where we know is right, see. Because, you might be tied to your family, and your wife could leave you. You might be tied to the army, and you might get killed. And you might be tied to any different things, and it’s got an end.
But there has got to be a final tie post. There has got to be somewhere that man has got to tie for his Eternal destination. Because, if you’re going to trust it in your work, when your work is finished, it’s done. When your family is taken, it’s over.
But there is only one thing that I think is the final tie post. And I believe that Paul had a tie post in his life here.
He said, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Now, Christ was Paul’s Absolute. It was his tie post. It was his…It was the end of all arguments. It was Christ, was his tie post. 63-1201M - An Absolute
Paul’s anchor.
Paul had been told he would give his testimony to Caesar. He had an anchor that he knew was stable in the storm.
And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.
Acts Critical Remarks
The result was that the vessel could not bear up into the wind—lit., could not look into, or face the wind—a remarkably expressive phrase, considering that in ancient ships eyes were painted on each side of the bow; English sailors still call the “bow” the eyes of a ship (Conybeare and Howson)—so that the sailors let her drive or gave way to her, and were driven (R.V.)—lit., having given up the vessel to the wind, we were borne along at its mercy.
But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.
For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
I believe God. Above the wind, above the storms, above the hurricane. Above the sickness. Above politics.
Look at Jonah. Seemingly backslid, out of the will of God. Running from the presence of the Lord.
Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
The Sovereign God has already prepared a way out of the storm, but it won’t be the way you think. Let Him be God. He has already prepared a way to fulfill His Word in your life.
And remember, where Jonah went, God was in the boat; God was in the storm; God was in the fish. He went on being right along with Jonah until His perfect will was done. That’s right. 65-0217 - A Man Running From The Presence Of The Lord