#1150 Jonah 2 Salvation Belongs To The Lord

 

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,

and he answered me;

out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

and you heard my voice.

3 For you cast me into the deep,

into the heart of the seas,

and the flood surrounded me;

all your waves and your billows

passed over me.

4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away

from your sight;

yet I shall again look

upon your holy temple.’

5 The waters closed in over me to take my life;

the deep surrounded me;

weeds were wrapped about my head

6 at the roots of the mountains.

I went down to the land

whose bars closed upon me forever;

yet you brought up my life from the pit,

O Lord my God.

7 When my life was fainting away,

I remembered the Lord,

and my prayer came to you,

into your holy temple.

8 Those who pay regard to vain idols

forsake their hope of steadfast love.

9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving

will sacrifice to you;

what I have vowed I will pay.

Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Jonah 2 ESV

Jonah 2 Marinating

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord - Obviously he didn't pen this in the belly, but upon some reflection of this experience later. 

Out of my distress - In the hull of the boat he slept, but now in the belly of a fish, marinating in those gastric juices, blind to all outside, he prays. David avoided going to God for probably a year after his sin with Bathsheba, and just like the people of Nineveh need to repent, so does this prophet, and as gross a situation as he now finds himself in, it is yet grace, remarkable grace. Prosperity and ease never sing so loudly, and only write songs about themselves, heroic tales, stories designed to make men say, wow! What a life, what a magnificent human being, a story of overcoming, truly an inspiration! Not the case with Jonah, it is the worst fish story ever, you didn't catch the fish, it caught you, and then brought you down to depths where you would die without the fish. The Creator of the universe talks to you, gives you an assignment, but you are so arrogant you think you know better than Him, that it is no big deal to have a relationship with God, well, obviously you don't know yet or comprehend (the most is still only in part here, but Jonah is far away from that), what this relationship is going to cost God. This is sovereignty, the storm, the waves, those things move at the sound of His voice, they part at His approach, and even the rocks praise Him. This fish goes where His Maker tells him, yet even more amazing, more remarkable, those that are dead to God, spiritually stillborn, at enmity with God, stubborn and set in their ways, the ways of sin and death, those He brings to and grants repentance. Whatever God uses to bring you to Him, to humble you so that you are not cast to eternal damnation, whatever causes you to mourn over your sin and realize your need of a Savior, that is Grace untold, wonderful, marvelous, grace. 

…9But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. 10That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 11I have become a fool, but you drove me to it. In fact, you should have commended me, since I am in no way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.… 2 Corinthians 12: 9-11

…5The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears. 7Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.… Psalm 18: 5-7

He answered me...You heard my voice - The Psalms are excellent instruction in prayer, and these hidden in Jonah's heart come bursting forth. If you would like to know God's will, then know His word. These were probably a comfort to him, and that he did not drown, nor has he been fully digested by the fish, so he can still pray, God is not finished yet, this is still part of His plan for Jonah. There is an element of surprise here as well, for Jonah would never be this patient himself, God heard me, God answered me, God loves me, this should always carry an err of dumbfoundedness, awe. 

…6O my God, my soul despairs within me. Therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon—even from Mount Mizar. 7Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me. 8The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day, and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.… Psalm 42: 6-8

…3When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place— 4what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him? 5You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.… Psalm 84: 3-5

For You cast me into the deep - I try not to miss these moments, and here, Jonah does not blame the men that through him overboard, in fact, he volunteers, denies himself for their sakes. This is what God wants, and this is why Jonah is here. We only nod at God's sovereignty, brush past it, but Who called Cyrus His servant, before Cyrus was born? God sends the Assyrians, He raises up Pharaoh to show His own glory. Who came up with the plan of redemption, and gave His son over to the hands of men? 

…17The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.” 19Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.… John 10: 17-19

…21Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His loving devotion in a city under siege. 22In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help. 23Love the LORD, all His saints. The LORD preserves the faithful, but fully repays the arrogant.… Psalm 31: 21-23

Yet I shall again look upon Your holy temple - Being heard by God breaks forth into hope, faith in what God has said will bring him back to life.

But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you - A joyful, wholehearted worship, as one who has been set free, one who has been healed.

…16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. 18In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.… Psalm 51: 16-18

What I have vowed I will pay - This probably refers to the work of preaching, the thing he first ran from. He now wants to do God's will, there is desire there now unto obedience, yet it is a long road and we will find many reasons to continue to repent along the way. He is in a covenant relationship with the Creator now.

Salvation belongs to the Lord - Wow, and all those years I hated John Calvin and thought he invented such a saying. Calvin had not yet been born, maybe he was just referring back to what was taught long before his time, maybe that is the meaning of reform, to go back to the teachings of the prophets and the Apostles.

…43“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied. 44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—… John 6: 43-45

And the Lord spoke to the fish - The fish obeys God straight away, unlike humans, we like to kick at stone walls with bare feet. Sometimes I wish the Lord would speak to the fish for me, I have been having a rough go of it the last few times I went fishing.

…5So He called out to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He told them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it there, and they were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and jumped into the sea.… John 21:5-7