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| Sperm whale (Physeter microcephalus) illustration by Uko Gorter |
Harry
Ironside commented in Jonah that the name Yahweh was used with “scrupulous
exactness.” I provided this chart for the reader to pick up on any truths in
the placement of Yahweh or Elohim in Jonah.
I wanted to mention one observation from this chart that sticks out like a sore thumb in a hammer convention and another less striking, no pun intended. Notice in the chart that Yahweh did not speak to Jonah between the commissions (Jon 1:1-2 to Jon 3:1-2)! I didn’t pick up on this until I made this chart. So much for “Observations,” eh? Well, this series was not intended to be a critical commentary on Jonah as you know.
It reminds me of a verse from the Psalmist,
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear… (Psa 66:18-20).
The gravity of that verse should never be taken lightly! God hears all (cf. Jon 2:2), but whether He responds to it is another matter, but that answer may not be immediate and give the appearance as if He had not heard. You cannot build an affirmation off of silence, but circumstances are another matter.
In this case with Jonah, He did, but it was probably based on Jonah putting two and two together. If he was meant not to be delivered from the sea or this great fish, Yahweh would not have delivered him in the first place. We cannot infer that Yahweh literally “answered” Jonah, but His actions spoke louder than words.
Yahweh really wasn’t compelled to save Jonah from the sea or eventually deliver him from the sperm whale. In another scenario, He could have allowed His prophet to mosey on over to the faraway city of Tarshish and get someone else, but Jonah made a vow to Him; Yahweh was intent on him honoring it! Boy, after reading this; it would be wise for us to keep our word to Yahweh.
If you have been following along in our series, a lot happened between Jonah fleeing and being spewed on the beach. Just because we do not see the LORD (Yahweh) speaking to Jonah during this period of rebellion does not mean He did not love His prophet, nor does it mean that He was not highly active or not doing anything for Jonah.
We may not hear from God during our revolt of His will, but we need not give an ear to the devil’s accusations that God is so angry with us that He is intentionally ignoring us or no longer loves us! It is the SOSO from the devil, same old same old (cf. 2 Cor 2:11).
Yahweh is actively pursuing us through providential purposes in love to get us back on track, though we might feel unsaved, unloved, abandoned, and that all hope is lost in the dark and dreariness; those are feelings, not facts (cf. Rom 8:38-39; Heb 13:5b)! Being on the lam is not a comforting time. Having been there, it reminds me of this old song,
O love that will not let me go. I rest my weary soul in thee.
I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine oceans depths its flow.
May richer fuller be.
One other thing, I wanted to point out in this chart that might appear trivial but wanted to bring to your attention anyway found in Jonah 1:6 concerning God (Heb., Elohim),
Arise [Jonah], call on your God [Elohim]; perhaps your God [Elohim] will consider us, so that we may not perish.
The translators are using a possessive pronoun (your) to determine if elohim (God) should be upper or lower case (God or god). The shipmaster, being pagan, would naturally use “god” (elohim) in talking to Jonah for he did not know Jonah’s God (Elohim) was the one true God (Elohim) at this juncture; so, it is an interpretive call on your God (Elohim), because this was Jonah’s God. The translators made that distinction, but the pagan shipmaster would not have made that differentiation. Conversely, every man [the mariners] cried out to his god [elohim, Jon 1:5).
We know what the translators were trying to do, they were leaning away from confusion, but, nonetheless, it can also give the impression that the captain or shipmaster was already aware of Yahweh, Jonah’s God. Another illustration of the crew not knowing Yahweh was that they had no idea about their passenger’s God was the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land (Jon 1:9); their reaction gave it away. That was a game-changer for them! They were already fearful of the storm, but now they were terrified.
With a quick recap of events, the ship and crew were in peril of sinking (Jon 1:4). They knew Jonah was running from his God (Jon 1:10b). The captain caught their passenger sleeping during the storm (Jon 1:6). The casting of lots pointed to Jonah (Jon 1:7), and the identity of Jonah’s God was shocking (Jon 1:9)! So naturally, they asked him,
Why have you done this (Jon 1:10a)?
Now, if there was an ellipsis (the lacunae dots …), you can fill in the blank, for example, Why have you done this [to us]? Why have you done this [fleeing from your god]? Why have you done this, [putting all of our lives in peril]? Et cetera, or it was simply,
Why have you done this?
What I find amazing is the next question. It was as if the first question was more acceptable than the follow-up question,
What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?
Jonah shocked them with his answer; he didn’t play ignorant by saying, “I don’t know?” He answered their question. “If you want the sea to become calm, you have to do this,”
Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you.
Jonah's solution was straightforward. They had already cast lots, and it fell on Jonah for whose cause this trouble had come upon them. It is difficult in beating a man to an inch of his life and then casting him overboard who showed integrity by not dodging their questions or defending his actions. It reminds me of Prov 15:1-2,
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
His willingness to die for his mistake takes the guilt off of them. But linked to his willingness to pay for his irresponsibility, he offered up an indirect apology,
For I know that this great tempest is because of me.
By his own admission, he was to blame for their predicament; this concurred with the finding of the lots.
Here is what I found noble about these men. Neither Jonah nor the mariners knew of God’s will in the matter. The mariners were not so fixated on the solution that they didn’t seek an alternative though they probably felt that they had every right to throw him overboard for putting their lives in jeopardy (sea justice?).
Neither Jonah nor the mariners were aware that Jonah’s God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah once he was cast over the side to keep him from drowning. So, here, in my estimation, is what I find noble about these sailors; in spite of seeking immediate remedy, we read,
Nevertheless
These men who may have wanted a piece of Jonah did the unexpected,
The men rowed hard to return to land (Jon 1:13)!
Sacrificing Jonah was not a workable solution for the mariners for it is obvious they placed a high value on human life because they were hazarding their own lives to save Jonah; they probably thought to themselves,
“We can beat this storm!” <><
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| To Part 2 |
