Sunday, July 16, 2006
JONAH'S ESCAPADE
Vv39-40. But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40. for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jon. 1:1-3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2. "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." 3. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah has a better idea than to obey God. He seeks to flee to Tarshish. In his estimation this journey will take him from the presence of the Lord. This is much like Adam and Eve’s fig leaves or their hiding from God in Eden; it just doesn’t work. “Somehow”, his plan is discovered and in the midst of Jonah’s journey westward in the Mediterranean Sea his plan is thwarted. V4 And the Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. This does not sit well with those crewmembers aboard to the point that they threw the cargo overboard to lighten the load. It was not long after that, all eyes of the frightened crew are on Jonah and they hit him with a barrage of questions: V8 Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" Jonah openly and honestly answers and offers them remedy. Vv9-12 And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land." 10. Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11. So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?" for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12. And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you." With much hesitation the crew finally complies: V15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.
Jon. 1:1-3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2. "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." 3. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah has a better idea than to obey God. He seeks to flee to Tarshish. In his estimation this journey will take him from the presence of the Lord. This is much like Adam and Eve’s fig leaves or their hiding from God in Eden; it just doesn’t work. “Somehow”, his plan is discovered and in the midst of Jonah’s journey westward in the Mediterranean Sea his plan is thwarted. V4 And the Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. This does not sit well with those crewmembers aboard to the point that they threw the cargo overboard to lighten the load. It was not long after that, all eyes of the frightened crew are on Jonah and they hit him with a barrage of questions: V8 Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" Jonah openly and honestly answers and offers them remedy. Vv9-12 And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land." 10. Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11. So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?" for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12. And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you." With much hesitation the crew finally complies: V15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.
# posted by Castusfumus : 11:29 AM
