This post is adapted from a sermon I recently preached. You can watch the sermon here (forgive the audio and video quality).
Running from God – Jonah 1:1-6
Jonah 1:7-16
And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
When you are going through a storm, how do you respond?
BIG IDEA: Our response to God during life’s storms reveals the condition of our hearts.
In the middle of the raging storm, the sailors cast lots in order to figure whose evil (sin) has caused the storm (v. 7). Casting lots is similar to rolling dice or drawing straws. The sailors probably tossed rocks of multiple colors, and if a certain color fell toward someone, then that person was a guilty.
Today, we don’t ascertain God’s will by casting lots. We find God’s will by reading His Word (Rom 12:2).[1]For more, see Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung.
Of course, the lot fell on Jonah. This was not by chance. God is sovereign over all things, which is a major theme of the book. God is sovereign over the winds and the waves, the lot, the fish, the plant, the worm, and the wind.
After the lot falls on Jonah, the sailors realize that the storm has come upon them because of Jonah. They then proceed to ask Jonah several questions (v. 8). The sailors are trying to figure out who Jonah is so that they can figure out how to appease his god (God).
Jonah answers the sailors’ questions by telling them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (v. 9). Jonah was proclaiming that he worshiped the Lord who is the Creator of everything that exists – the skies (heaven), the sea, and the dry land.
The LORD (Yahweh) is the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.
After hearing Jonah’s answer, the men were “exceedingly afraid” (v. 10). Jonah had fled the presence of the Lord in disobedience and the sailors were caught in the consequences of God’s judgment upon him.
At this point in the story, most people would assume that the main problem for Jonah and the sailors is the storm that is threatening to break up their ship, which would ultimately lead to their deaths.
While the raging storm is certainly a problem, the reality is that the storm is not the sailors or Jonah’s biggest problem.
The fundamental problem for the sailors is this – they do not know the LORD. They do not know the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.
The sailors seem to be at least somewhat religious, because they had each cried out to different gods. But the reality is that none of their false gods had any power to save them from the storm (see Jon 2:8).
Often, we are like the sailors. In the middle of storms and difficulties, our focus is usually on our circumstances (job loss, loss of loved one, bad diagnosis, children destroying their lives). However, our greatest need is to make sure that we truly know God and that we are prepared for eternity.
In this life, the most important question you need to answer is, “Do you truly know God, or have you made a god in your own image?”
“Do you truly know God, or have you made a god in your own image?”
Up until this point, the sailors had never considered the question. It’s probable that many professing Christians have never considered the question.
Many people in the southern US [2]Fore more, see The Unsaved Christian by Dean Inserra. have grown up in church, consider themselves to be good people, attend church regularly, have been baptized, are church members, and even faithfully give to the church. The reality is that you can do all those things and still not truly know Jesus (see Matt 7:21-23). Here are some diagnostic questions:
- How has Jesus changed your life?
- Are you seeking to build God’s kingdom or your kingdom?
- Are you seeking to bring God glory or are you seeking your own glory?
In God’s kind providence, because of the storm He had sent, the sailors came to know about the LORD, the one true God (v. 9). As you know, you can come to know the Lord until you know about Him (Rom 10:14-17).
If you’re going through a difficult time, the most important thing you can do is to truly know God through His Son Jesus Christ. In this world, you will have trials, difficulties, and painful circumstances, but they all pale in comparison to the judgment seat of God.
The fact is that we are all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. We deserve God’s wrath just as much as Jonah, the sailors, and the Ninevites. But God has been so kind to us through His Son, Jesus.
The sailors’ problem was that they didn’t know the LORD. But what about Jonah?
Unlike the sailors, Jonah knew the LORD. He knew God’s heart. He knew the Scriptures. Where did Jonah go wrong?
For Jonah, the storm was not the problem. The storm was God’s discipline.
Jonah’s problem was that he didn’t trust God. Jonah didn’t trust that God knew what was best for him or the Ninevites, and so he rebelled against God. He could not accept the mission God had given him nor the possibility of God extending mercy to the Ninevites.
Jonah’s heart was not in tune with the heart of God, and Jonah had sought his own way. We often, like Jonah, seek to live our own way (Prov 14:12).
A second question we need to answer is this: Do you trust in God’s goodness and sovereignty as revealed in His Word?
Do you trust in God’s goodness and sovereignty as revealed in His Word?
Remember, Jonah could answer all the questions. He gave the right Sunday school answers. Jonah knew who he was – “I am a Hebrew”. Jonah knew who God was – “I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Let Jonah be a lesson to us. Having some knowledge of God is not the same as having a heart that wants to please God.
Instead of seeking to obey God and trusting in His goodness and sovereignty, Jonah decided he knew better. And so, he fled the presence of the Lord (vv. 3, 10).
Jonah thought that if we got away from the presence of God and the people of God that everything would work out. He wouldn’t be the prophet that helped save the wicked Ninevites, the Ninevites would be destroyed, and Israel would be spared from future harm.
And isn’t often the same reaction that you and I have when we go through life’s difficulties. Instead of trusting in God’s goodness and his sovereignty, we decide we know better than God, we get bitter, and we flee from His presence. We neglect to spend time with Him. We neglect His Word. And many neglect fellowship with other Christians.
We let the dark clouds of the storm to cloud our judgment. Instead of trusting in God’s goodness and sovereign care, we run away, thinking we know better than our Creator.
I’ll post the rest in part 2 (forthcoming).
References
| ↑1 | For more, see Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung. |
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| ↑2 | Fore more, see The Unsaved Christian by Dean Inserra. |