Jonah and the Whale

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.

Jon 4:2

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.

Jon 1:17

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:

Lk 11:29-36

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:

Jon 2:1-2

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.

Jon 2:3-4

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.

Jon 2:5-6

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.'

Jon 2:7

Rom 5:6

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.

Jon 2:8

If you trust in anything else but God you are forsaking the mercy that He has for you.

Jon 2:8-9

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."

Jon 3:1

Be Diligent

We can all give thanks to God for who He is and what He does. God will do things because He is faithful and true to Himself. Now that we come to read His word together, you and I know that it is through preaching that faith comes. I know that there are a few here that God has already spoken to this morning. It matters what fruit you have in your life. It matters whether our lives are being lived according to God’s will to His purposes or for ourselves.

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2 Peter 1:8-11

‘Give diligence’. Two words meaning work hard at it, focus upon it. Don’t let there be any needless intrusion of what is going to make you go the wrong way. On Friday we looked at a man called Asa who started off well, but things went wrong because in the end He didn’t really rely on God. It came to the point where God had to send someone to say something to him because Asa, at that time, had done a deal of his own strength instead of relying on God as he had done earlier on in his life. We saw how 580,000 of his soldiers knocked out a million of the others because he relied on God completely. There came a time where he did a league with the King of Syria. God sent him a prophet.

2 Chronicles 16:7-10

Asa’s reaction to this is interesting because God was speaking to him through Hanani, and one’s reaction when God comes to you is either to embrace what He’s saying, or to push Him away.

He took it out on the people because the man of God had come to Him and pointed out a few things. Jesus was aware that when He came to people they could either hear what He said or ignore it. God has been speaking to people in this hall latterly. I want to know what you’re going to do with the word that God’s spoken to you, because it matters what we do with the Word He’s given us. This following parable talks about God seeking fruit from a life because the fact of the matter is that either you going to accept and act upon what God is saying, or you’re going to put up the barriers and perpetuate that you’re going to live for yourself. The Holy Spirit is being faithful and coming to you with that Word, or prompt in your heart. This parable is to do with the nation of Israel but it applies to a life.

Mark 12:1-5

I wonder how many times God has spoken to you but you’ve stopped that word from coming into your life. Even though it keeps coming back you keep pushing it away. He sent servant after servant to collect what was rightfully his.

Mark 12:6-14

Jesus, the owner of the vineyard if you life, was talking to the very people who were going to kill him. How much does it take for God to keep coming with His word for you to accept His word? He’s gracious and loving. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. God is speaking to people about their lives at the mountain. At the end of this parable Jesus spoke about the stone. Little did they know that it was Him that would become the corner stone of the church. He was talking to Jews but it extend beyond this to the gentiles too.

Ephesians 2:19-23

The church is fitly framed together with Jesus Christ as the corner stone. After Jesus’s death and resurrection it was clear as to how the church was going to be formed. We are part of His church. God is coming to your life and asking you ‘where do you fit in?’ What is the fruit in your life? It is God’s word coming to you. God won’t force Himself on you, He’s gracious and patient. He’s here this morning.

1 Corinthians 3:16

Here in these verses Paul points out that we are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in us if we are a Christian.

1 Corinthians 6:19-21

You and I have been bought with a price and the price is Jesus’ life. In the parable they didn’t reference His son. Here now I’m asking you what the fruit of your life is? What are you doing with the words God is coming to you with by the Holy Spirit? What is the effect of the word in your life?

2 Peter 1:1-4

He’s writing to people who have heard that word and are partakers of the divine nature. But he now adds these words:

2 Peter 1:5-12

Always keep an eye open to the end of the sentence in the epistles. As far as you’re concerned this is telling us that there is something that we need to do. We can’t just respond in a meeting and be grateful, although that is wonderful, we must also act on this. We need to know what we must do going forward. God may be speaking to you, but this is very clear from Peter, you’ve got to give diligence. This word is used twice. What does it mean to be diligent? It means that I don’t respond in here and then live anyway out there. We have to be practical about this. I’ve got to prioritise my time and link up with the right people. I need to make sure that I don’t do things that will get me into trouble again. There’s a way of living and of establishing God’s word in your heart.

2 Peter 1:4

You’ve escaped that. It could be you need to escape from that, but God’s power is such that you can escape from that.

2 Peter 1:5

What does virtue mean? Another word for virtue is morality or moral excellence. Add to your faith. You add to your faith. Don’t assume that in here it will happen just in here. If you accept the word God gives you the power to live right, but then you have to live right. We must also add to virtue knowledge. What sort of knowledge are we talking about here? We’re talking about the Bible. We’re talking about taking every opportunity to understand the Bible. We must all know this book inside out. We’re not talking about the letter, we’re talking about opening your heart to let the Holy Spirit in.

This is the book we live by. God is faithful. People are saying now that we should read this word together – great. We must follow the lead God is giving us that we must get involved with this book. ‘Add to knowledge temperance.’ Another word for temperance is self-control. You add self-control to your life by not getting into situations where before you were out of control. You might be thinking that this is all works, it should be faith. There are practicalities of life. God has opened the path for us, but we have to walk down it. There is no way that God isn’t going to see you through at this time. He will, He’s your heavenly father. ‘Add to faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience’.

We are to be patient. We’re to accept as God shows different things in our life of what we need to do. ‘Add to patience godliness.’ Being godly means being set apart, having the things of God in your mind, listening to and talking about the right things and not being ashamed of the gospel of Christ. ‘And to godliness brotherly kindness’. We must care for each other. We shouldn’t cash in on a conversation that is pulling someone down, but we should cash in on a conversation that if lifting up God’s work in a life.

2 Peter 1:8

You won’t be barren. There’s a sense in which God has been faithful throughout everything in the last weeks, in the last months, in the last years. There’s no way that God has not been faithful. Where are we at this morning? I think we’re at the point where God is being faithful in speaking to us, and He is by His Holy Spirit confirming His word in our hearts. You could push Him away, He’s not going to force. He is all love and patience, but isn’t it better to open your heart to what you know He is speaking to you about.

2 Peter 1:9

There’s power in the name of Jesus.