Well, last week we left Jonah in a boat. He had gone so far as to search out a way to run from God, and even paid others to help him run from God... without their knowledge. This week... the jig is up for Jonah.
Jonah 1:5-10
The Message (MSG)
4-6 But God sent a huge storm at sea, the waves towering.
The ship was about to break into pieces. The sailors were terrified. They called out in desperation to their gods. They threw everything they were carrying overboard to lighten the ship. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship to take a nap. He was sound asleep. The captain came to him and said, "What's this? Sleeping! Get up! Pray to your god! Maybe your god will see we're in trouble and rescue us."
7 Then the sailors said to one another, "Let's get to the bottom of this. Let's draw straws to identify the culprit on this ship who's responsible for this disaster."
So they drew straws. Jonah got the short straw.
8 Then they grilled him: "Confess. Why this disaster? What is your work? Where do you come from? What country? What family?"
9 He told them, "I'm a Hebrew. I worship God, the God of heaven who made sea and land."
10 At that, the men were frightened, really frightened, and said, "What on earth have you done!" As Jonah talked, the sailors realized that he was running away from God.
Anyone ever watch "The Deadliest Catch"? That's the best referrence I have for what sailors or professional fishermen might be like. Likely a pretty rough crew to be able to deal with life at sea, and the relentless pounding of a big storm. If you have watched this show, you know that even these guys have some traditions, let's call them superstitions... If you have watched, you have seen how huge some of the waves are... can you imagine 30- 40 foot swells? Waves as tall as the hotels around this area... The verse says plainly that the ship was about to break apart.
So, what was the first thing these superstitious, rough deckhands did?
They called out in desperation to their gods. Notice that is plural. I won't pretend to know all of the religious beliefs of their day, but it is clear that they were not praying to Jehovah God. Regardless, they turned to what "spiritual" powers beyond themselves that they knew. So, what next?
They threw everything they were carrying overboard to lighten the ship. Think about it. Everything? That's what it says. Everything that it took to carry out their everyday lives on the ship. We don't know how far they were from land, but for waves to be big enough to break apart a ship? Likely they were days - either direction- from land. These guys were so afraid for their lives, they threw away the tools of their livelihood in attempt to save their own lives.
Where was Jonah in all of this? ASLEEP! Life is going to pieces all around him, the lives of others were at stake, and Jonah, the prophet of God was asleep. There are some real implications there for those of us who call ourselves Christians in times like this... but we'll press on.
The captain of the ship found Jonah asleep. The first thing the captain did was to demand that Jonah pray to his god (although we know it was God with a capital G). Again, the sailors did what they knew to try to figure out what to do next. They went back to superstition and "drew straws". I love how this translation puts it...
Jonah got the short straw. They asked from every angle they could think of:
Confess. Why this disaster? What is your work? Where do you come from? What country? What family? So... how does Jonah identify himself? He lays it out plainly -
"I'm a Hebrew. I worship God, the God of heaven who made sea and land." Their response?
"the men were frightened, really frightened, and said, "What on earth have you done!" They might not have been the brightest starfish in the sea, but the sailors finally realized what was going on...
As Jonah talked, the sailors realized that he was running away from God. The jig is up for Jonah. He knew he was running from God. He conciously made plans to get far from what God specifically directed him to do. He went so far as to pay others to help him run. Without their knowledge, Jonah implicated others in his attempt to go against God's plan for him, which put the lives of others at unneccessary risk. WHAT? You mean that my disobedience of God can put others in jeopardy? Collateral damage, so to speak? Jonah recognized the fact that his disobedience of God was not just coming down around HIM, but was also about to claim the lives of his unknowing accomplices.
Tune in next week to see how the situation unfolds...
