The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Jonah 2:10
Michael was diving for lobster when a humpback whale caught him in its mouth. He pushed back in the darkness as the whale’s muscles squeezed against him. He thought he was done. But whales don’t prefer lobstermen, and thirty seconds later the whale spit Michael into the air. Amazingly, Michael had no broken bones—only extensive bruises and one whale of a story.
He wasn’t the first. Jonah was swallowed by “a huge fish” (Jonah 1:17), and he stayed in its belly for three days before being vomited onto land (1:17; 2:10). Unlike Michael, who was caught by accident, Jonah was swallowed because he hated Israel’s enemies and didn’t want them to repent. When God told Jonah to preach in Nineveh, he caught a boat going the other way. So God sent a whale-sized fish to get his attention.
I appreciate why Jonah hated the Assyrians. They’d harassed Israel in the past, and within fifty years they’d carry the northern tribes into captivity where they’d vanish forever. Jonah was understandably offended that Assyria might be forgiven.
But Jonah was more loyal to the people of God than to the God of all people. God loved Israel’s enemies and wanted to save them. He loves our enemies and wants to save them. With the wind of the Spirit at our backs, let’s sail toward them with the good news of Jesus.
1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.
2 He said: “In my distress I calleda to the Lord,b
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the deadc I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,d
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your wavese and breakers
swept over me.f
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;g
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’h
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,b
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.i
6 To the roots of the mountainsj I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.k
7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I rememberedl you, Lord,
and my prayerm rose to you,
to your holy temple.n
8 “Those who cling to worthless idolso
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,p
will sacrificeq to you.
What I have vowedr I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvations comes from the Lord.’ ”
10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
INSIGHT
- Who do you know that needs to follow Jesus?
- How might you increase your love for them?
That “salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9) is a major theme which can be traced throughout Scripture. The word translated “salvation” (or “deliverance”) comes from the root yasha’ meaning “to save,” “to deliver.” In the Old Testament, God rescued His people from dangers posed by individuals, nations, or other unfavorable circumstances that threatened their well-being or existence. Exodus 14:30 highlights God’s deliverance from Egypt: “That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians.”
The salvation theme of Jonah 2:9 is similarly stated in Psalm 3:8: “Salvation comes from the Lord.” The name “Joshua” (which means “the Lord saves”) is the Hebrew form of the Greek word that’s translated “Jesus” (see Matthew 1:21). Indeed, the testimony of all Scripture is that “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10).
PRAYER
Jesus, please show me how to love my enemies as You love them. In Your name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Jonah 2:1-10 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Proverbs 16-18; 2 Corinthians 6
