By Pastor Peter Linnecar
As soon as Jonah decided to set his will against God he went down, as far as the depths of the sea. But, after he had been in the belly of the whale for three days and nights, he cried out to the Lord in his distress and the Lord heard him. God is a merciful God, He answers prayers. If you cry out to God and realise that you are totally dependent on Him, He will hear you and He will answer.
Jonah was a prophet, he had been faithful to deliver the word of God in the type of Jeroboam the 11. But when God spoke to him again, he did not obey but when in completely the opposite direction from Nineveh, where God had sent him.
Jonah knew the character of God and he didn't want to deliver God's message because he didn't think God would treat the Ninevites as he thought they should be treated. We saw last weekend how he had crossed the sea, in order to go the opposite way to Nineveh, but during their journey on the sea a storm had arisen, and it had only stopped when Jonah had been cast into the sea. When the lots were taken Jonah knew that he had to be thrown over the side for the sake of the sailors. It is strange that he was not willing to go to Nineveh, but he was willing to be thrown overboard and risk his life for the sailors.
It is interesting to note that since chapter 2 he went 'down', eventually going 'down' to the depths of the sea.
We are going to see how God answers the problems in our lives at the right time for His purposes to be fulfilled.
There are examples of other people who had been swallowed by a large fish. One species of fish, the Seadog, is found in all warm seas and in 1578 a sailor was swallowed by one. The captain of the vessel ordered a canon to be fired at the fish, once this was done the fish vomited up the sailor and he was unharmed. Again, another sailor was swallowed by another fish for 48 hours. The whale was harpooned and brought back to the ship and the sailor was retrieved from the whale; after two weeks he recovered fully. These are a few examples of what happened without God. We are talking about what happened to Jonah according to God's purposes.
I wanted to show these examples to make the point that this is a historical story, not just an allegory as some theologians argue. I want to look at what Jesus said about this:
There's Jesus specifically referring to the story of Jonah and to the fact that what happened to him with Nineveh were true. Elsewhere it refers to 'as he was three days and three nights in the great whale'. The last part of what I just read is to do with a lighted candle not being in a secret place. When Jonah was in the whale it was God that had caused the storm and that he prepared the whale. It was God all the way through who was preparing the way for His purposes to be fulfilled; His purposes were of mercy. God wanted to give Nineveh the chance to repent, even though they did not deserve it. Jonah was the man to go to Nineveh in order that they might repent, and so, God prepared the way for him.
Jesus says here that there is a greater than Jonah here, His name is Jesus. The three days from the cross to the resurrection is greater than the sign of Jonah. Don't be in a secret place as Christian, or someone who has a compromised position about the way you go about things as a Christian.
"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light."
Some people have asked me this week 'what is God doing?'. He is shaking things so that we might all go together, growing in our relationship with God. You can't be a Christian in a dark room, you're a light, and a light it to provide the means for those who are in the darkness that they can be different. When Jesus died on the cross and three days later rose from the dead, the reason was because you can't keep a light in the grave. Death, where is your victory?
I just want to be briefly look at the prayer that Jonah prayed:
Everything had gone wrong for Jonah. It might be your sitting here thinking that you don't know how you're going to sort through the circumstances you are in. Jesus Christ is in control, God knows what He is doing in your life, even if you can't see the solution. What matters is the attitude you take to circumstances. Don't be bitter, just have complete dependency on God. God loves it when you realise that you have nothing else, only total dependency on Him.
It doesn't matter how guilty you might feel, God answers in spite of your guilt. It doesn't matter what judgement you think God should give you, if you cry out to God and turn to Him in your heart, He will answer. He has made a way for you. Why is it those things have happened to you? Because God wants to get hold of you, because He loves you. Each stage is carefully orchestrated. Jonah realised this. He had gone down to Joppa, down to the ship, down to the depths.
God answers in the most impossible of circumstances. If you don't respond to what God is speaking to you about He has every right not to continue with you. There is a day of judgement. So why aren't you responding? I know there are a few here to night to whom God is speaking specifically through this story. He went down, yet 'has thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.'
This sign of Jonah was nothing compared to Jesus. Those three days between Calvary and the resurrection was for you. This is not a theory, or some vague idea, it is for you. It is the difference between darkness and light.
If you trust in anything else but God you are forsaking the mercy that He has for you.
The moment Jonah said that, in verse 10, the Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. God answers, in stages sometimes, but He answers. He answers to win our undivided loyalty and thanks. God helps us to make us become merciful like Him. Where are we at in our lives tonight? What are the circumstances of our lives like? The end result for each one of us is that God, a God of love and of grace, has a heart to redeem mankind; that is why Jesus came. We don't need to live in the hell of sin, we can live in the glory of the holiness, the righteousness, of Christ.
Jonah, why are you going to Tarshish? Well, actually I'm running away from God. But why would you want to do that? I can't be bothered, if He wants to do what He wants that is fine, but I have done my bit already. What a change when he says: "I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD."
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