This post is adapted from a sermon I recently preached. You can watch the sermon here (forgive the audio and video quality).
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.
In part one, I covered verses 7-10. I asked this question:
When you are going through a storm, how do you respond?
Though Jonah and the sailors were literally in the same boat, in the midst of the storm, they responded to God in vastly different ways. Thus, I argued that:
BIG IDEA: Our response to God during life’s storms reveals the condition of our hearts.
In this post, I will cover verses 11-16.
The situation has become clear. God has sent a raging storm to discipline His rebellious prophet, and everyone onboard is in grave danger.
In v. 11, the sailors ask Jonah what they need to do so that the storm will end: “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.” When we’re going through a difficulty in life, isn’t that what we all want? We just want it to stop and for life to be quiet for us. We usually think there is a formula: we need to go church more, pray more, stop sinning, etc.).
In v. 12, Jonah instructs the men to throw him overboard. Jonah explicitly states that the storm is because of his rebellion against the Lord: 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.”
Though the text isn’t explicit, it seems that maybe Jonah started to care about the sailors. While it was easy for Jonah to cast of the Ninevites, who were a great distance away, it may have been harder when he saw the hurt and pain on the sailors’ faces and their fear of death. This is similar to the experience that many have when they go on a short-term mission trip.
The sailors don’t like Jonah’s answer to throw him overboard and they are now in between a rock and a hard place. If Jonah, in his unrepentant state, remains on the boat, then they are dead. But if they throw Jonah overboard, they have killed God’s prophet. Remember, Jonah just told them that His God is “the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land (v. 9).”
Instead, the sailors try to get back to dry land. Verse 13 says they “rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.”
Let’s review all that the sailors have done to try to save themselves:
- Cried out to their gods (v. 5)
- Threw cargo overboard (v. 5)
- Awakened Jonah up & asked him to call out to his God (v. 6)
- Cast lots to try to figure out who is at fault (v. 7)
- Questioned Jonah (v. 8)
- Rowed hard to get back to shore (v. 13)
But in the end, their attempts to save themselves were in vain. And that’s when things began to change for the sailors.
When the sailors quit trying to save themselves and looked to God, things began to change.
So, it is with us. When we acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers, we should look to the One who does. When we are out of strength, we should look to Almighty God. When we are on the brink of death, we should look to the One who holds the keys to life and death.
Often, God has to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we will come to know Him or to know Him more. During Jesus’ ministry, it was the desperate people that sought Him out while the religious leaders sought to destroy Him.
The sailors were desperate and dependent. Jonah was downcast and despondent.
Are you desperate for God or downcast?
Are you dependent on God or despondent?
Even after we become believers, God uses life’s difficulties to teach us to trust in His goodness & His sovereignty (see Rom 5:1-5).
Once the sailors realize they cannot save themselves, they finally submit to the Lord’s will.
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.” (Jon 1:14)
The sailors call out to the Lord, using his covenant name (Yahweh) and ask for mercy for throwing Jonah overboard. They are acknowledging that the Lord has every right to strike them down for throwing Jonah into the sea and they ask for mercy.
They submit to God’s will and His sovereignty (“you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you”). That’s an amazing statement. Many people that claim to be Christians, sometimes for decades, still cannot pray that prayer with a pure heart.
Again, note the irony. Pagan sailors are crying out to God while Jonah refuses to. Jonah knows the Lord, but He refuses to bow the knee to Him. Jonah refuses to repent and so God does not relent. The storm is raging, but Jonah refuses to cry out for mercy.
It’s easy to see that Jonah is stubborn, but what about you?
What are you refusing to repent of?
Has your spiritual pride kept you from submitting to the Lord and His will?
Are you like Jonah and refuse to love your enemies and extend grace to them?
Do you refuse to bow the knee to the Lord in certain areas of your life?
Finally, the sailors see no other choice. Look at vv. 15-16.
15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.
I find it interesting that Jonah is willing to die in his rebellion, but at the same time he makes the men throw him overboard. Nevertheless, the men picked up Jonah and “hurled” him into the sea. Just as the Lord “hurled” a great wind on the sea and the men “hurled” their cargo overboard, now they hurl Jonah overboard. And the text says, “and the sea ceased from its raging.”
The wind and the waves obeyed God, just as one day they would one day obey His Son.
The wind and the waves obeyed God, just as one day they would one day obey His Son.
And finally, the sailors worship the one true God. They feared Him “exceedingly” (v. 16). They were afraid of the storm (v. 5), “exceedingly afraid” of the storm in v. 10, but now they fear the One who has authority over the storm. They offered a sacrifice and then made vows. When the text says they made vows, this means that they are submitting to God and His authority. They are making a commitment to Him.
Notice the pattern and see if this doesn’t sound familiar:
- The sailors hear the truth about the Lord; that He is the ruler of all.
- They learn that this Lord pours out His wrath on those who are disobedient to Him and worship false idols.
- They hear that they need a substitute who must die in their place.
- They realize they must repent of their self-effort and come to God on His terms.
- They cry out to the Lord for mercy because they are guilty of killing the prophet.
- They trust that Jonah’s death will satisfy God’s wrath.
- God relents from His wrath.
- They put their faith in God, worship Him, and make vows to Him.
Although the text isn’t explicit, this seems like genuine conversion!
That’s what it meant to be a follower of God and that’s what it means to be a Christian. We don’t just make a one-time decision and then live our lives as we please. We submit to God’s authority over our lives in all things, the good and the bad, and we trust in His goodness and His sovereignty over our lives.
God doesn’t just want to change your behavior. God wants to change your heart.
God doesn’t just want to change your behavior. God wants to change your heart.
Consider this:
If you were an Israelite and you read the story of Jonah, your world would be turned upside down.
The Israelites thought of themselves as a special people who deserved the Lord’s mercy and the Gentiles as wicked sinners who do not.
And yet, in this story, the Israelite prophet is the wicked sinner who experiences God’s judgment, while the pagan sailors are shown the Lord’s mercy and respond in worship.
We as the people of God can act just as sinfully as anyone else. We deserve God’s judgment as well. This should humble us – We deserve God’s wrath in hell and the only reason we don’t get it is because God is compassionate, patient, and kind.
Conclusion
Life’s storms reveal the condition of our hearts.
They will lead you to flee God’s presence or to bow before Him in worship.
Jonah knew the Lord, but he didn’t trust in His goodness and sovereignty and thus fled from Him.
In the middle of the storm, the sailors came to know the Lord and bowed before Him in worship.
When the storms come, do you seek Him, or do you get bitter and run away from God?
If you run away from God, you will one day come to the end of yourself. You will crash and burn.
Don’t wait until then. Do not run from God. Run to Him, and like father of the prodigal son, He will wrap you in His arms and call you His own (Luke 15:20-24, 27, 32).