Jonah
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Jonah 2:8
Jonah
An Excurses
I Propose the we be henceforth called:
The Harvester Class
• Matt 9:37-38
• "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are
few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord
of the harvest to send out laborers into his
harvest."
• ESV
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
• Jonah’s reference here is not only of others:
– The heathen generally
– The mariners
• He himself has followed idols:
– His will
– His disobedience
– His plan
• Now these testify against him
• If forsaking The Lord, we forsake our only hope
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Every idol of man whispers promises to his heart
All of then lie having no power
None of them can love him
None can bestow mercy
• How glorious is Our father that He will condescend to consider us at all!
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9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!"
Jonah reasons by faith that the fact that he is not dead is a
harbinger of God’s mercy
By faith he apprehends his deliverance
He expects to see the temple again
He will sacrifice there in thanksgiving for his deliverance
He has made vows
– Doubtless they have to do with obedience to the Lords calling
– Vows to the Lord are solemn things
• Salvation belongs to the Lord
– With Jonah’s recognition of this, Jonah is ready to rejoin his
world
– If the Lord desires the deliverance of Nineveh, then that is His
business – Salvation is His to give
10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited
Jonah out upon the dry land.
• The fish had more sense than Jonah
• A speculation: Jonah was deposited on whatever beach
was nearest Nineveh
– The Lord is efficient
– He will brook no further delay in the execution of His will
• The vehicle for Jonah’s punishment has become the
vehicle for his delivery
• It is dry land
– This occurring at sea would have meant
Jonah’s death
– In bringing Jonah to dry land, He has
all that is required for his salvation
done
3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second
time, saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,
and call out against it the message that I tell you."
• The word of the Lord came to Jonah the first time under
very different circumstances
• Now Jonah is greatly changed, but the Lord is the same
• The Lord expects alacrity from his servants
• His purposes are never thwarted
• His desire is to show mercy to Nineveh
• Great city – One dirty and reeking prophet accompanied by
the Lord will be more than a match for this adversary
• The message that Jonah will bring is not his
– The Lord has given us the message to bring
– He has told us the method
– We are not at liberty to modify either
3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the
word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly
great city, three days' journey in breadth.
• The will to resist The Lord is gone from our prophet
• The word of he Lord – Jonah is now in 100% percent
compliance mode
• An exceedingly Great city
– Some 60 miles around
– Its walls are 100 feet high
– Three carriages may pass abreast upon
them
– The are adorned by 1500 towers each
200 feet high
– It is a city greater than Babylon in its glory
• Three days journey in breadth