Jonah 2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.
God provided a fish to preserve the prophet, but Jonah didn’t know if he’d live or die. So he prayed to the Lord his God. It’d been a while since Jonah prayed, but now he was praying earnestly. In my distress I called to the Lord (Jonah 2:2), he said. God was causing the prophet’s distress to help him repent. Some people respond to hardship by hardening their hearts, but the purpose of hardship is to soften our hearts, so that we’ll pray. We often pray best, in fact, when life is at its worst.
Jonah 2:3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas.
Jonah could’ve blamed the sailors for his trouble since they were the ones who threw him into the sea. But Jonah knew they were God’s instruments to bring about the discipline he deserved. [T]he Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in (Proverbs 3:12), says Proverbs. It’s tempting to blame others when life gets hard, but we ought to examine ourselves and consider whether God is teaching us obedience. God doesn’t want spoiled children, and will enroll us in the school of suffering to help us improve.
Jonah 2:4 I said, I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.
Banishment has always been the dread fear of God’s people, and rightly so. After their rebellion, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden (Gen.3:23). God’s people were later banished from the Promised Land. And Christ will say to his enemies, Depart from me, you who are cursed (Matthew 25:41). Jonah was trying to get away from God and feared he may’ve succeeded. God is good, and close to him is where we want to be. Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8), wrote James.
Jonah 2:7 When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord.
When Jonah got on the boat, he was trying to forget about God. But when his life was ebbing away, Jonah remembered God. If you attempt to talk with a dying man about sports or business, he is no longer interested. He now sees other things as more important. People who are dying recognize what we often forget, that we are standing on the brink of another world (William Law).
One dear lady followed Christ in her youth, but turned away during college. Years later she was in a boating accident and nearly drowned. As she struggled to keep her head above water, she had a vivid recollection of her Sunday school teachers, and the lessons they taught her when she was young. In light of her approaching death, she recognized her foolishness, and recommitted her life to Christ.
Jonah 2:8 Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.
Israel was prone to idolatry, and Jonah saw how foolish that was. But he wasn’t any better. He put self-will, self-interest, and self-determination ahead of God. In this way Jonah became his own idol, and turned away from God’s love for him. This is the opposite of Jesus who prayed, not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42).
Jonah 2:9 What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, Salvation comes from the Lord.
It’s not entirely clear what Jonah vowed, but it likely involved obedience. Perhaps he prayed that if God would save him, he’d do whatever God wanted. But if he had simply done what God wanted, he wouldn’t have been inside a fish. Instead of making a vow to God, and hoping God will answer our prayer, we ought to walk in obedience, which often leads to answered prayer. We receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands (1 John 3:22), wrote John.
Jonah 2:10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah spent about three days in the fish, which Jesus found significant. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40), he said.
Jonah’s ministry paralleled Jesus’ ministry in other ways as well. Jonah was disciplined for his sin, and Jesus was punished for our sins. Jonah recovered from a near death experience, and Jesus was raised from a real death experience. Jonah preached to the Ninevites, and Jesus is preached to the world. We don’t want to follow Jonah, but we certainly want to follow Christ.
Reflection and Review
Why did being in a fish help Jonah pray?
How do Christians practice idolatry?
How does Jonah remind us of Jesus?
God provided a fish to preserve the prophet, but Jonah didn’t know if he’d live or die. So he prayed to the Lord his God. It’d been a while since Jonah prayed, but now he was praying earnestly. In my distress I called to the Lord (Jonah 2:2), he said. God was causing the prophet’s distress to help him repent. Some people respond to hardship by hardening their hearts, but the purpose of hardship is to soften our hearts, so that we’ll pray. We often pray best, in fact, when life is at its worst.
Jonah 2:3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas.
Jonah could’ve blamed the sailors for his trouble since they were the ones who threw him into the sea. But Jonah knew they were God’s instruments to bring about the discipline he deserved. [T]he Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in (Proverbs 3:12), says Proverbs. It’s tempting to blame others when life gets hard, but we ought to examine ourselves and consider whether God is teaching us obedience. God doesn’t want spoiled children, and will enroll us in the school of suffering to help us improve.
Jonah 2:4 I said, I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.
Banishment has always been the dread fear of God’s people, and rightly so. After their rebellion, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden (Gen.3:23). God’s people were later banished from the Promised Land. And Christ will say to his enemies, Depart from me, you who are cursed (Matthew 25:41). Jonah was trying to get away from God and feared he may’ve succeeded. God is good, and close to him is where we want to be. Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8), wrote James.
Jonah 2:7 When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord.
When Jonah got on the boat, he was trying to forget about God. But when his life was ebbing away, Jonah remembered God. If you attempt to talk with a dying man about sports or business, he is no longer interested. He now sees other things as more important. People who are dying recognize what we often forget, that we are standing on the brink of another world (William Law).
One dear lady followed Christ in her youth, but turned away during college. Years later she was in a boating accident and nearly drowned. As she struggled to keep her head above water, she had a vivid recollection of her Sunday school teachers, and the lessons they taught her when she was young. In light of her approaching death, she recognized her foolishness, and recommitted her life to Christ.
Jonah 2:8 Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.
Israel was prone to idolatry, and Jonah saw how foolish that was. But he wasn’t any better. He put self-will, self-interest, and self-determination ahead of God. In this way Jonah became his own idol, and turned away from God’s love for him. This is the opposite of Jesus who prayed, not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42).
Jonah 2:9 What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, Salvation comes from the Lord.
It’s not entirely clear what Jonah vowed, but it likely involved obedience. Perhaps he prayed that if God would save him, he’d do whatever God wanted. But if he had simply done what God wanted, he wouldn’t have been inside a fish. Instead of making a vow to God, and hoping God will answer our prayer, we ought to walk in obedience, which often leads to answered prayer. We receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands (1 John 3:22), wrote John.
Jonah 2:10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah spent about three days in the fish, which Jesus found significant. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40), he said.
Jonah’s ministry paralleled Jesus’ ministry in other ways as well. Jonah was disciplined for his sin, and Jesus was punished for our sins. Jonah recovered from a near death experience, and Jesus was raised from a real death experience. Jonah preached to the Ninevites, and Jesus is preached to the world. We don’t want to follow Jonah, but we certainly want to follow Christ.
Reflection and Review
Why did being in a fish help Jonah pray?
How do Christians practice idolatry?
How does Jonah remind us of Jesus?