Jonah 1: Sovereign Grace

​Key Verses
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 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.
 
Meditation
You can do this the easy way or the hard way- surrender to God and His sovereign grace or rebel against God and His call until His sovereignty wins the day.
 
The contrasts in today’s reading help us focus on God and His sovereign grace. God, the great King of all the earth, summoned a storm, (4) stilled the sea, (15) and called a fish to swallow the prophet whom He called to preach (2, 17). The Lord is “the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” (9)
 
The storm and fish obeyed God. The prophet Jonah rebelled. Jonah “fled the presence of the Lord,” (vv. 2, 3, 10) rejecting God’s call to preach the gospel to Israel’s enemy, Assyria.  Jonah ignored what he knew- No prophet or person can flee from God’s presence (Psalm 139:7-12).
 
The pagan sailors are supporting characters who sacrificed to the Lord. In contrast, Jonah said he too feared God, but his actions revealed his rebellion. God’s astounding grace spared both the sailors and the rebellious prophet Jonah.
 
Jesus is the prophet greater than Jonah (Matthew 12:41) who was hurled into the sea of God’s wrath as a sacrifice for our sins. The power of Jesus to calm storms by His word (Mark 4:35-41) authenticates His power to forgive sins and offer new beginnings, both to pagans and rebels.
 
The easy way is responding to God’s sovereign grace in faith, obeying His command to love our enemies. The hard way is to go the other way. God’s sovereign grace will accomplish God's purposes, saving pagan sailors and rebellious prophets while sending His people to reach the nations.
 
Today’s Reading
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 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.
4 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. 5 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.6 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.”

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea
7 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. 8 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?” 9 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.”10 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.

11 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. 12 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.” 13 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. 14 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.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

A Great Fish Swallows Jonah
17 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.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you about God’s sovereign grace from this narrative?
 
-Who do you identify with more, the obedient storm and sailors or the rebellious prophet who rejected God’s word?
 
-How does God’s grace, seen in the person and work of Jesus, compel you to surrender to His word and love your enemies? The easy way is to surrender today! Where, specifically, do you need to obey?
 
Key Verses
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 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.