GM17-148
Series: Jonah: The Gospel of Grace
Title: Jonah Did the Unexpected (Part 2 of 4)
Date:
Text: Jonah
1:4-6
Main Idea: Jehovah
in response to the disobedience of Jonah sent a storm against the ship that was
so severe it frightened the crew members.
Purpose: To
inform my people that disobedience brings the chastening hand of God upon those
who willfully sin against God.
INTRODUCTION
In October
of 1991 an unnamed storm developed off the coast of Nova Scotia. It was so
powerful that it actually absorbed a massive hurricane called Hurricane Grace.
This storm began as a large and powerful cyclone which for a time beat up the
coast of the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Eventually
this cyclone became a tropical storm and then a full-fledged hurricane. The
winds of this storm were recorded at 75 miles per hour. It killed 13 people,
caused 200 million dollars of damage, and severely damaged the east coast of
the United States and the Atlantic coastline of Canada.
This storm
was so powerful that it destroyed over 200 houses, left some 38,000 people
without electricity, and had reported waves of over 100 feet.
Off shore
New York an Air national Guard helicopter crashed at sea killing a crew member,
two people drowned when their boat sank just off of Staten Island, in Rhode
Island people were swept by power waves to their death, one person was swept
off a bridge. Most of you may have saw the movie based on the sinking of the
Andrea Gail and the loss of its six crew members.
This force
of power and destruction of this storm involved a set of several circumstances
that occur only every 50 to 100 years. This is why it became known as the
“Perfect Storm.”
For the
record, the Perfect Storm was not the costliest or even the most powerful storm
on record. It is a perfect example of just how power storms can be.
The storm in
our passage today was a very severe storm that frightened the experienced
sailors on board and was in the process of breaking up the ship.
Have you ever had a few or several set of circumstances “fall
together” that seemed to create a perfect storm in your life? May even right
now a few or several factors have joined forces that seem very overwhelming,
frightening, and have almost capsized your life.
You cannot simply “curse” and then dismiss these events. You
must, even briefly ask yourself, “Is God using this perfect storm in my life to
get my attention?”
Today we will be looking at a storm that God has specifically
sent against a particular ship. God sends circumstances of events as means of
chastisement of His children whom He loves for their good.
Hebrews 12 speaks to this truth, “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
"My son, do not despise the discipline of the LORD, nor be discouraged
when you are reproved…It is for
discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons. For what son is
there whom a father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:5-7, EMTV)
My purpose today is to inform my people that disobedience brings the chastening
hand of God upon those who willfully sin against God.
What did Jonah do?
Our
passage today reveals the second of four actions that describe what Jonah did.
REVIEW
The first action described
in our passage is:
1A Jonah Does the
Unexpected (Vss. 1-16)
The fact that Jonah did the unexpected in this chapter is seen
by four (4) specific truths.
Last week we looked at the first specific truth that
demonstrated that Jonah did the unexpected in verses 1-3 of chapter one. We
looked at the fact that Jonah was…
1B The Defiant Servant
(vss. 1-3)
Jonah tried to escape God’s call on his life to
travel to Nineveh and speak God’s word to them. Jonah was defiant! He ran away
from God.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Today
we are going to continue to look at this first action of Jonah described in our
passage as we continue to ask the question…
Interrogatory
Sentence
What did Jonah do that was unexpected?
Our
passage today reveals the second of four actions that describe what Jonah did. We
see what Jonah did in verses 4-6 is totally unexpected. And we see why it is
unexpected as we look at…
2B The Devastating Storm (Vss. 4-6)
Richard Sibbes
“When we grow careless of keeping our souls, then
God recovers our taste of good things again by sharp crosses.”
Jonah 1:4-6
“But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and
there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken
up. Then the mariners were afraid and every man cried out to his god, and threw
the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But
Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was
fast asleep. So the captain came to him and said to him, ‘What do you
mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God, perhaps your God will consider us, so
that we may not perish.’” (NKJV)
Jonah continues to do the unexpected in this
section. In spite of the ship being subjected to a very devastating storm,
Jonah lays down and goes to sleep. Not just a sleep, but a deep sleep.
Our passage this morning describes for us at least
three (3) important details about this devastating storm – we have described
for us the source of the storm, the strength of the storm and the significance
of the storm.
[So,
let’s begin by looking at…]
1C The Source of this
devastating storm (Vs. 4a)
“But
the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea…”
God sent a storm. This storm did not just
coincidently happen to arrive at this specific moment. This storm is straight
from God. God is the source of this storm.
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the
Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely
enclosed by land: on the north by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by
North Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is sometimes considered a
part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually identified as a separate
body of water.
The name Mediterranean is derived from the Latin Mediterranean,
meaning "inland" or "in the middle of land" (from medius,
"middle" and terra, "land").
It covers an approximate area of 965,000 sq. mi),
but its connection to the Atlantic (the Strait of Gibraltar) is only 8.7 miles
wide. The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic
Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Gibraltar and Spain in Europe from
Morocco in Africa. In oceanography, it is sometimes called the Eurafrican
Mediterranean Sea or the European Mediterranean Sea to distinguish it from Mediterranean
seas elsewhere.
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 4,900
feet and the deepest recorded point is17,280 feet) in the Calypso Deep in the
Ionian Sea. The sea is bordered on the north by Europe, the east by Asia, and
in the south by Africa.
The sea was an important route for merchants and
travelers of ancient times that allowed for trade and cultural exchange between
emergent peoples of the region.
The countries with coastlines on the Mediterranean
Sea are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt,
France, Greece, Israel, Italy,
Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.
It seems that Mediterranean cyclones or hurricanes
are considered rare. The dry nature of the Mediterranean area results in the
infrequent development of major storms on the Mediterranean Sea.
From 1948 to 2011 there have been only 99 recorded
hurricanes or major storms on the Mediterranean. It seems that the rough mountain
ranges in the area is a hindrance against these type storms from being a
regular development.
These severe type of storms occur only under what
some call unusual circumstances. Low wind shears and atmospheric instability
that is induced by incursions of cold air provide the energy for thunderstorms,
some which turn into major storms or hurricanes.
Let me say right here that God is in control of all
of the weather elements in this universe. He created them and He controls them.
It is also true that on many occasions God has used various weather elements to
work out His purpose or design.
God could certainly have used a rare Mediterranean
hurricane to get the attention of Jonah. But, this is not one of those cases.
The text says clear that God was the source of this
storm. The Hebrew actually uses grammar that states God literally “hurled” or
threw this storm at this little ship on the Mediterranean Sea. He threw the
storm at the ship like a warrior would throw a spear.
God cast out or threw out this particular storm. God
put together the right wind, the right velocity, the right elements for this
storm to touch down exactly where this boat was sailing.
BTW, I came across over a dozen passages that
clearly demonstrated God’s absolute control over creation by controlling the
seas.
So,
God is clearly the originator or the source of this wind or storm that
assaulted this ship sailing towards the coast of Spain.
[We
have described for us a second detail in verse four (4), and that is…]
2C The Strength of this
devastating Storm (Vs. 4b)
“…and there was a mighty tempest on the sea…”
The word “tempest” comes from a Hebrew word meaning
to agitate or to rage. To agitate means to move with an irregular, rapid, or
violent action. The ocean was stirring up the water with a very violent action.
Think of the “agitator” in a washing machine. It moves
the water around in a swirling motion. It causes the water to slosh around. It
actually creates little waves in the washer. Nothing like this wind on the
water in our passage.
This was violent. Another meaning that is related is
a violent or powerful whirlwind.
BTW this is the same type of wind, or whirlwind that
caught up Elijah and transported him into heaven.
So,
you all can visualize a violent wind stirring up the waters, creating huge
powerful waves that smash against the hull of this ship. It was a strong storm.
Now,
look at the phrase at the end of verse four (4) –
“… so that the ship was about to be
broken up.”
First of all, remember in these days and times,
ships were small and they were not built to ride out extremely strong and
violent storms.
Second, it seems as if in God’s purpose this ship
actually conspired with God against Jonah to accomplish God’s purpose, which
seems to have been to get Jonah’s attention.
The Hebrew verb means to “consider” or “to plan”
when it is used in connection to human beings. The author, which I think is
Jonah is actually personifying or giving personality to the ship. The ship
determined to break up. Without divine intervention the ship had determined to
break up. Amazing!
Another way of translating this phrase could have
been, “Now the ship was determined to break apart.” The idea is that this
determination of the ship is in contrast to Jonah. The wind, the ocean, the
ship was tuned into God’s specific purpose but Jonah was not.
It seems as if the ship if the first to know or to
realize the brutality of the storm and its own terror was quickly communicated
to the sailors. (J. M. Sasson, Jonah: A
New Translation) [1]
It was if God and the ship were conspiring together
against Jonah. God Himself sent a violent storm. The storm assaulted the boat
and the boat determined to break apart.
So,
the source of the storm was God and the strength of the storm was
extraordinary.
[The
third detail described in our passage tells us clearly…]
3C The
Significance of the devastating storm (Vss. 5-6)
It is very easy to see the significance of this
supernatural and devastating storm. The significance
is seen in at least four (4) distinct means.
[First,
it is seen in…]
1D …in the dread of the crew
“Then
the Mariners were afraid…”
These are experienced sailors. We have no indication
to their years at sea or their experience, but most of them probably had
extensive experience at sea.
Storms would have been a regular part of their
career. Even strong storms would not have been something they had not seen and
dealt with before.
This storm was different. They were afraid,
actually, the idea is they were terrified.
This storm invoked in them a religious response. They
were astonished. They also were gripped by a powerful awe or reverence.
“…and every man cried out to his god…”
They believed the fact that the ship had determined
to break apart in the storm. They saw the strength of this storm. It seemed to
cause them to think that this might be a supernatural or divinely appointed
storm.
So, they cried out, or prayed, or beseeched their
own particular or specific god for help and safety.
Keep in mind this was an international and
polytheistic crew. These sailors were probably from Phoenician cities. Remember
they were on a heading for Tarshish which was a Phoenician city. Their not so
distant ancestors were from the old Canaanite culture that was paganistic and
polytheistic. They believed in many gods.
According to H. L. Ellison in his commentary sailors
in particular adopted a bunch of gods – I guess they didn’t want to sink.
Smith and Page in their commentary speculate that it
was possible that the crew developed a vague, uneasy, feeling that the
suddenness and severity of the storm involved a divine intervention.
So each one
of the crew members began to pray to their favorite god.
But, that didn’t work. The storm continued to rage
on and the ship continued to be in extreme danger.
So, they did the next thing that as experienced sailors
knew to do. We see this…
2D …in the destruction of the
cargo
“…and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the
sea to lighten the load.”
A heavily loaded ship can be easily capsized in
heavy seas. A ship that was light would ride higher in the waves and was less
likely to capsize.
This is the last resort of sailors. The successful
shipping of the cargo is their livelihood. This is their bread and butter.
This is a desperate measure that is done solely for
the purpose of saving their lives.
The word Jonah uses can mean furniture, wares, gear,
etc. So they probably threw over shipboard furniture, block and tackling, and
the cargo. The cargo could have been corn or grain. Corn was a huge commodity
and it was shipped out of Joppa regularly.
This
was a significant storm. We see just how significant it is in the dread of the
crew and in the destruction of the cargo.
[There
is a third thing that shows us the significance of this storm and that is seen…]
3D …in
the dozing of the culprit
“But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of
the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.”
It seems that Jonah was so happy and so relieved to
have found a way out of town he found a place to go to sleep.
Jonah had traveled some 80 or so miles. We don’t
know if he walked, rode a donkey, or hitched a ride in a wagon, but he made
quite a trip. He was tuckered out apparently.
He went down to the remotest part of the ship, the
lower deck and fell into a deep sleep. It was almost a hypnotic sleep. You
might recognize the root of this word, it is the same root that was used for
the sleep Adam slept when God performed surgery to open him open and extract a
rib in order to create Eve.
You know he was asleep. With the howling blowing
wind, the crashing waves, the thunder, and the frightened cries of the crew,
Jonah was dead to the world.
Some of you just might ask,” How in the world could
Jonah sleep through all of that?”
·
As mentioned he could have been exhausted from his trip to Joppa
·
The chance to relax lulled him into a deep sleep as the initial gentle
roll of the waves rocked him
·
H. L. Ellison commented, “The storm that can terrify the sailor can
reduce the landsman to physical impotence and unconsciousness.” [2]
·
It is possible God put him into a deep sleep
Whatever
the reason and whatever the cause, Jonah was out like a light. Jonah was
completely unaware of the danger that the crew, the ship, and he was in.
This
is a very significant storm. We have seen its significance in the dread of the
crew, in the destruction of the cargo, in the dozing of the culprit, and
[Fourth,
we see the significance of this devastating storm when we see the…]
4D …duty of the captain (Vs. 6)
“So the captain came to him, and said to him, ‘What
do you mean sleeper? Arise, call on your God, perhaps your God will consider
us, so that we may not perish.”
The storm is raging against this ship. The ship, as
if it had a personality had determined to break apart.
So the Captain is doing his duty, his job, what he
should be doing – he is inspecting the ship and searching for damage or where
it may be taking on water.
In his search, he comes upon Jonah who is dead to
the world in a deep sleep. He wakes Jonah up and in the midst of the howling
winds, splashing water, and the rocking of the boat he says,
“Why are you asleep? Pray to your God and ask your
God to consider us and save us.”
First of all – the captain was so desperate that he
was willing for any god to help them, he wanted to be saved from this massive
storm that about to sink his ship.
Second, what we find interesting and stressed in
most commentaries, is the jolt that the captain’s speech should have given Jonah.
This is the second time Jonah has heard the words,
“Arise, or get up” and “preach/proclaim.” The word the captain used for call is
contains the idea to preach.
The captain wants Jonah to preach to his God, to
tell him that they are in real trouble and that his God should help them. It is
as if he is saying, “Look everyone else on board is praying for help, you need
to pray also!” Maybe the captain even thought, nothing has helped so far –
let’s see what your God can do.
I wonder if the irony of what the captain demanded
and what God had demanded hit Jonah.
Our word “consider” really means that the captain
wanted Jonah’s God to take note of the sailors and their current danger with
the idea of having taking notice to save or deliver them or spare them from
certain drowning.
Smith and Page in their commentary summarize this
ironic situation this way:
“There is
extreme irony here: a “heathen sea captain” pleaded with a Hebrew prophet to
pray to his God, It is sobering to see one who might be termed an ‘unbeliever’
pleading for spiritual action on the part of a ‘believer.’ The unbeliever saw
the gravity of the situation while the prophet slept. It is a sad commentary
when those who are committed to the truth of God’s word have to be prodded by a
lost world into spiritual activity.” [3]
So, there you have it, the significance of this storm is seen
in four (4) dimensions; first, in the dread of the crew, in the
destruction of the cargo, in the dozing of the culprit, and in the duty of the
captain.
This is a very significant storm. God is using it and these
dimensions to get the attention of Jonah. Next week we will see just how God
got Jonah’s full attention.
So,
this morning our theme has been Jonah
does the unexpected. What was the unexpected? While this storm raged
against the ship Jonah went to sleep and remained asleep.
My purpose
today was to inform you that disobedience against God will bring the chastening
hand of God upon you when you choose willfully sin against God.
You
can’t find an airplane, train, ship, car, or truck that can take you to a place
where God cannot reach you and bring you to a place where you are willing to be
obedient. It is quite possible that God will use a violent storm to get your
attention!
[What do you say we wrap this up?]
CONCLUSION
Let
me conclude this morning with a reminder of something familiar to you, but we
often forget. It comes from Hebrews 12:5-12:
“And you have forgotten the
exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the
chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for
whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He
receives." If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for
what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening,
of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them
respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of
spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to
them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no
chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless,
afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been
trained by it.” [Hebrews 12:5-11, NKJV]
Let’s pray! J
[1]
J. M. Sasson, Jonah: A New Translation
with Introduction, Commentary, and Interpretation, (New York: Doubleday,
1990), p. 85
[2]
H. L. Ellison, “Jonah,” EBC 7 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985), p. 369
[3]
Billy K. Smith & Frank S. Page, The
New American Commentary: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah V.10, (Nashville: B & H
Publishing Group, 1995), p. 231
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