Last week we left Jonah and the crew of the boat he was on in the middle of a raging storm. The crew had first prayed to their gods (lower case "g"), had thrown all of their equipment and possessions overboard and still had not found relief from the storm. They drew straws to find out who the cause of the storm might be, and Jonah "came up with the short straw". He had just revealed to the crew that he was a prophet of the God of Israel, at which the crew became "very afraid". Now... back to the scene...
Jonah 1:11-16
The Message (MSG)
11 They said to him, "What are we going to do with you—to get rid of this storm?" By this time the sea was wild, totally out of control.
12 Jonah said, "Throw me overboard, into the sea. Then the storm will stop. It's all my fault. I'm the cause of the storm. Get rid of me and you'll get rid of the storm."
13 But no. The men tried rowing back to shore. They made no headway. The storm only got worse and worse, wild and raging.
14 Then they prayed to God, "O God! Don't let us drown because of this man's life, and don't blame us for his death. You are God. Do what you think is best."
WOW! What was Jonah thinking? Was he that chivalrous that he was going to give up his life willingly for his fellow men? OR... was this his last ditch attempt at running from God? I mean, telling the crew to throw him overboard? The crew didn't want to do it. This translation says that after Jonah told them to throw him into the ocean, the crew tried to row back to shore. The God of Israel had a reputation even among these rough ship crew members. They didn't want any part of God's wrath, so they first tried to row away... escape the danger under their own power. I can almost hear the crew asking him again "What should we do?" Then Jonah replies "toss me overboard and your problems will be solved." Then the sailors- "Is that your final answer?"
The sailors then prayed to God (now with a capital "G") and he answered their prayers.
15 They took Jonah and threw him overboard. Immediately the sea was quieted down.
16 The sailors were impressed, no longer terrified by the sea, but in awe of God. They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows.Did you get that? Here are a group of men- weathered by wind, sun and the salt of the sea. These were men who served other gods. In troubled times, they turned to their gods... the things that brought each one as an individual comfort and relief. They were in a desperate situation... one so desperate that they willingly rid themselves of all that they were familiar with in an effort to just continue to exist. They recognized the name of the one true God, and were in awe (great fear) of His power. They recognized that the intensity of the storm was a direct result of the hand of God, a judgment of some sort and for some reason. I suspect their initial refusal to throw Jonah overboard was out of fear of further retribution from God as a result of drowning His prophet. Nonetheless, they sought God for an answer and followed the instructions of His prophet - MAN OVERBOARD!
Notice the response of the men when they saw a torrential sea calm into eerie stillness...
16 The sailors were impressed, no longer terrified by the sea, but in awe of God. They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows.They recognized that the same God that had the power to cause the seas to be strong enough to tear their ship apart was moved by their obedience to Him. He was moved to the point that He spared their lives. They recognized on 2 different fronts that running from Him was futile... first in that Jonah was running from God and had brought down judgment on them all. They also recognized that their own attempts to run from the judgment of God got them nowhere -
They made no headway. The storm only got worse and worse, wild and raging.In short, the lives of men were changed by observing the power of God in action. As a result,
They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows.Have you seen God move in your life or the lives of others? What was your response?
Jonah will have to soak until next week...
