Jonah

Jonah 2

Many of us here, will have heard the name Myra Hindley. Famous for all the wrong reasons – namely the Moors murders in the 1960’s. Together, Ian Brady and Hindley took part in the abduction, sexual abuse, torture, and murder of five children between July 1963 and October 1965. They were convicted of three murders and only later admitted the other two. The judge described the pair as "wicked beyond belief" and "beyond hope of redemption." Hindley died in prison in 2002 – she was 60 years old and had served 37 years in prison. And one of the things that provoked great public outrage was her claim to have returned to her childhood religion and to have found salvation. To many people the claim was abhorrent – how could she, after all she had done claim to be forgiven by God.

So here is the question I put before you – If we could prove that Hindley had indeed found salvation, how would you react – would you think it was fair and right??

And I want you to keep that situation in mind as we see the mercy received by disobedient Jonah.

Picture the scene:

Jonah is in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea – with no ship – yet in a divinely appointed, highly unique, sea faring vessel.

For all but a fraction of the time he is in pitch black dark, inside something that has swallowed him and kept him from drowning. He can’t see anything – he can’t hear much he can make sense of. His new dwelling is humid, warm, and slimy – the stench of fish and rotting krill is all that fills his nostrils – for hour upon hour upon hour – no notion of day or night. It almost sounds like some sort of isolation torture right out of Guantanamo Bay. There is Jonah alone with his thoughts and he prays this psalm.

The passage is full of surprising twists and turns. The first comes in the last verse of chap 1 (which is actually the first verse of chap 2 in the original Hebrew text).

You see in chap 1 this disobedient, rebellious prophet – bringing judgment on the sailors – cast overboard - the storm is averted. So look at v15 and 16 – there’s a big enough gap there to leave us thinking – ‘that’s it – Jonah’s fish food’ – quite literally as it turns out! It could easily end there – the sailors see things quieten down – they greatly fear YHWH – and they are saved while Jonah perishes. Job done!! A good warning against disobedient prophets.

So it’s a surprise in v17 when we are told that God rescued Jonah. He appoints a great fish to swallow Jonah…

…And he is in there 3 days and 3 nights – which is sort of Hebrew speak for saying ‘he was dead and buried.’ We’ll come back to this idea shortly.

In the fish he prays this psalm. It’s a thanksgiving psalm – which given his situation is remarkable in itself! – Has the following structure:

Introduction (v2)
Description of past distress (v3-6)
Reference to God’s rescue and Jonah’s appeal (v6b-7)
Vow of praise and testimony (v8-9)

The psalm essentially answers this question:

What has changed between chap 1:1-3
And chap 3:1-3???

So the psalm rather than being a nice added extra it is actually pivotal to the book. It tells us what changed between chaps 1 and 3 and also shows us why Jonah’s attitude in chap 4 is so hypocritical.

Introduction (v2)

“In my distress I called to the Lord and he answered me,
From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”

So here’s is Jonah’s introductory cry – in my distress I cried out and you listened to me.

I think the distress here must refer to his time in the water – being tossed to and fro, sucked under the water, struggling for air – terrified, frightened he cries desperately to God.

So he wasn’t just bobbing about for 30secs before the fish got him – we’re told there that in his distress he thought he was actually about to die – he’s staring down the barrel of eternity.

v3 – NIV from the ‘depths of the grave’

Hebrew lit. from the belly of Sheol. Not just the belly of a fish but actually the midst of Sheol itself. Sheol is the grave, the underworld, the place where the dead go. In ancient thought they considered Sheol to be a 3 day journey – so to say Jonah was in there 3 days and nights is emphasizing a divine rescue from the dead.

And it was at this moment that we’re told – God listened to his cry.

Despite Jonah’s sin and guilt and rebellion – God listened. God listens to his children despite their guilt and sinfulness.

You may be thinking what about Ps 66:18 “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. Actually that’s more about high-handed sin cherishing. What we have here is desperate earnest crying out to God. How often do we think our sin or our situation makes communion with God impossible?? Yet God heard the cry of a sinful wretched disobedient man.

Let’s have a look at a further description of that past distress.

Description of Past Distress (v3-6a)

Look at some of the descriptions of his distress here:

V3 - “the currents swirled about me” and “your waves and breakers swept over me”

V5 – “the engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped round my head”

V6 – “To the roots of the mountains I sank and the earth barred me in for ever.” He’d been sucked under, taken down, perhaps starting to lose consciousness. He thought he was a gonner for sure.

Swimming illus – When I was 17 I went on holiday with some mates down to Cornwall and we wanted to do some body-boarding in the sea. Went out – struggling to get back – had a moment of real panic.

And it’s at that point – gasping for air, exhausted, looking down the barrel of death, crying in panicked desperation…
…and God answered me, he listened to my cries.

Isn’t that wonderful! We may not have Jonah’s particular distress or situation – but we do have Jonah’s God – who listens to the distressed cry, despite our guilt, in seemingly impossible situations – we have a God who listens

God’s Rescue and Jonah’s Appeal (v6b-7)

Let’s take those in reverse order.

So v7 – When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

Notice when he prays – as his life ebbs away. There’s no talk in the text of Jonah saying a quick prayer as he goes overboard. It’s as he is brought to desperation and despair that he prays. God in his sovereignty sometimes brings people to the depths of despair that they may cry to him and depend on him.

Did you notice the start of v3 – You hurled me. Ch 1:15 says the sailors threw him over. No says Jonah – it was God working through the sailors. God sometimes brings us great distress to win our loyalty and dependence and display his great glory.

As in his own mind he draws near to death – he remembers his God and prays. Why does it say the prayer rose to God’s temple not just to God? The temple in the OT is the centre point of the believers contact with God. As the believer makes his annual journey to the temple, and the sacrifices are bought to the temple so now Jonah’s prayer wings it way right to the very feet of God.

Amazing – remember v4…I think the Hebrew should be translated “How will I look again towards your holy temple.”

His physical situation and his spiritual situation in Jonah’s mind mean he will not have that communion with God again. Yet from the midst of sin and judgement – his prayer comes to the temple of God.

But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God.

Vow of Praise and Testimony (v8-9)

Now we come to Jonah’s response to the situation.

His reflections upon his salvation are “those who cling to worthless idols forfeit grace.”

And “I with a song of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.”

Jonah has had a real experience of the salvation and grace of God. And notice what he doesn’t say – “I got stuck in a storm, chucked overboard, half-eaten by a stinking fish, a thrown up on a deserted beach” – and you want to talk about God!?

Jonah knows he’s experienced the judgement and mercy of God and he can’t help but praise him for his mercy. What has he (and what can we) learnt about the grace of God??

God’s grace means he listens to our prayers in the midst of our sinfulness.
God’s grace brings us to a place of dependence upon him.
God’s grace enacts salvation for rebels.
God’s grace enables us to praise him for all he’s done for us.

So what we have is A Hearing God, A Sovereign God, A Saving God, A Praiseworthy God.

Or put another way – Hearing Grace, Sovereign Grace, Saving Grace, Praiseworthy Grace.

So Jonah is won over by mercy, grace and kindness – because he knows what he deserved.

Conclusion

So as you read on in Jonah to chapter 4, there is a wonderfully ironic contrast. Jonah’s obedience is won by mercy; but Jonah cannot abide the thought that Nineveh’s obedience could be won the same way. Just as Jonah is graciously rescued by YHWH from a deserved death – so too, Nineveh deserved death but is graciously delivered by the hand of the Lord. So perhaps Jonah too will be able to commiserate with the citizens of Nineveh. Jonah’s stubborn resentment expressed in chap 4. is all the more a warning to the audience not to do likewise.

So test case: If Myra Hindley was truly converted, do we begrudge her the mercy of God? Because God is not unjust – if Myra Hindley did truly find salvation – its not that her wickedness goes unpunished – its rather that it is punished – at the cross.

Jonah, like those disgusting Ninevites was now a covenant transgressor. Yet he’d been rescued, allowed to live on to praise, sacrifice, and to vow further worship of God.

And Nineveh?

The typology is inescapable isn’t it?

Martin Salter