JONAH 1:1-4; 17; 2:1, 9-10 – Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
THEME OF THE DAY. LESSONS FROM A FISH BELLY. Jonah and the big fish. It is one those great stories in the Bible that begins to be told in the nurseries of churches through Sunday school. It also makes its way into many family devotions when the attention span of the little ones needs some “excitement” like a person being swallowed by a big fish. Yet, this story is not just a story. First, it is true. Next, it contains a ton of instruction for living the Christian life. Let’s consider four.
First, nothing good ever comes in the life of a believer rebelling against God. Jonah tried, and sadly, we may try also. For instance, the Lord commands us “Love not the world or the things of the world” (1 John 2:15-17). Yet, we easily attach ourselves to the pleasures and pursuits of the world at the expense of the priorities of the Lord. Worldliness blinds us to eternal realities and loosens their hold on our hearts. And when this is happening in our lives, the second lesson we learn from the rebellious sailor Jonah emerges.
God loves us so much; He will not withhold anything to recover our allegiance to Him, and that includes inflicting extreme pain. Jonah ran from God. God ran after Jonah. And to reclaim Him, God put Him in an extreme situation. Imagine being alive in a fish’s belly. God got Jonah’s attention and it hurt. This intense work of God in His child should cause us to take sin seriously, all sin, realizing God’s far-reaching hand of “severe mercy” to bring us back to Himself might be, well, severe.
A third lesson from Jonah is that we really learn to pray in the great difficulties of life. Where do we find Jonah seeking the Lord? In the belly of the fish. A rebellious heart will not be a praying heart. A lukewarm heart will not be a praying heart. In His love and desire for our obedience and fellowship, the Lord may “put us in a fish’s belly” to get us to seek Him. We learn to pray; to seek God, really seek God, in the rough storms of life, not in the smooth seas of life.
Finally, Jonah models for us the end goal of God’s discipline in our lives – greater commitment and faithfulness – But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD! This is a “new Jonah.” It is like he has been “born again, again.” From rebellion and running to submissive and praising, this is why God “hurts” us – to recover us and show us the folly of willful disobedience of any kind.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You that You will spare me nothing to teach me lessons I must learn.”
QUOTE: “God started a work in us to make us like Christ and what God starts, God always finishes.”