Sermon #32 Bible
Survey Notes
Title: Jonah
“Salvation is of the Lord!”
Text: Jonah 1:1-3
Readings: Bob Duff & Larry Brown
Subject: The Providence And Grace
Of God.
Tape # X-91a
Introduction:
The
Book of Jonah, though it is found in the minor prophets, is not really a
prophecy at all. It is an inspired autobiography. It is a book written by Jonah
as he was directed by God the Holy Spirit. The
purpose of the book is to show God’s providence and grace in the life of his
servant Jonah, and to give us a vivid picture of our Savior’s death, burial,
and resurrection.
This
man, Jonah, was the insignificant son of an insignificant man in an
insignificant place. He was the son of Amittai of Gath-hepher (2 Kings 14:25)
in Galilee. Gath-hepher was a city that belonged to the tribe of Zebulun in a remote corner of Israel. But God chose Jonah
as an object of his grace and ordained him to be a prophet in Israel of great
usefulness.
Proposition: I
want you to see that the life of Jonah, as it is recorded in this book, is a
marvelous and instructive picture of God’s providence and grace in the lives of
his people.
As
the Book of Jonah opens, Jonah is already a prophet of God, a man of faith, a
servant of the Lord. But he had much to learn. Look at verses 1 and
2.–“Now the word of the Lord came
to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and
cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.” Why Jonah did
not want to go to Nineveh, we are not specifically told, until we get to
chapter 4. It appears that this man of God did not want to go to Nineveh
because of his racial prejudice against the Assyrians who lived there! He did
not want God to have mercy upon Nineveh (4:2).
So, we read in verse 3,–“Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” This is where
Jonah’s troubles began. And this is where our story begins. When Jonah made up
his mind to rebel against the revealed will of God, he went down to Joppa and
very conveniently, (He probably convinced himself that it was an act of God’s
providence to lead him in the path he had chosen!), “He found a ship going to Tarshish.” But
read the next line. “So he paid the fare thereof!” If you choose the rebel’s
path, be warned. When you get on that ship, like it or not, you have pay the
fare thereof, and what a great price it is!
Some of you here are
just like Jonah. God has spoken to you. He has revealed to you what you must do.
Perhaps he has spoken to you by the gospel, calling you to follow Christ.
Perhaps he has called you to a specific area of service in his kingdom. Perhaps
he has called you to a specific task or responsibility for the glory of his
name. But you have thus far refused to hear his voice. You are now fleeing from
the Lord. And God may let you flee for awhile. But you will have to pay the
fare thereof!
Divisions: I want you to keep
your Bibles open on your laps. I want you to follow me through the book of
Jonah. If the Lord will graciously enable me to preach this message to your
hearts, I want to show you five things the Lord God prepared in his providence
specifically for Jonah, the object of his mercy, love and grace.
1.
“The
Lord sent out a great wind into the sea” (1:4).
2.
“The
Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah” (1:17).
3.
“The
Lord God prepared a gourd” (4:6).
4.
“God
prepared a worm” (4:7).
5.
“God
prepared a vehement east wind”
6.
And all of this God did that he might
prepare his servant, Jonah, to be an instrument of usefulness in his kingdom.
I. First,
we read in chapter 1 verse 4 that “THE LORD SENT OUT A GREAT WIND INTO THE
SEA.”
No
sooner had the ship set sail for Tarshish than a
storm arose, nearly destroying the ship. Everyone was panic stricken. The
captain and the sailors all got very religious in the face of death and began
to call on their gods (v. 5). But there was one man on the ship who knew what
was happening. Jonah knew that this great storm had arisen for his sake (v.
12).
Jonah 1:12 "And he said unto them, Take me up, and
cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that
for my sake this great tempest is upon you."
Be
sure you learn this lesson—Everything
that comes to pass in this world comes to pass by the hand of God, and comes to
pass for the sake of God’s elect (2 Cor. 4:15; 1 Cor. 3:21; 2 Cor.
5:18).
1 Corinthians 3:21 "Therefore let no man glory in men. For
all things are yours."
2 Corinthians 4:15 "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the
thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God."
2 Corinthians 5:18 "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and
hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."
A.
Though,
Jonah was determined to forsake God, God determined that he would not allow him
to forsake him!
“The foundation of God standeth sure,
having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his.” And,
though many times it is true of us as it was of Jonah, we turn from him in
unbelief, yet, it is a faithful saying, “If
we believe not, he abideth faithful!” (2 Tim. 2:19, 13).
Illustration:
Peter
B.
Though
Jonah sought to flee from his responsibilities as a believer, the Lord
graciously forced him to confess his faith before an unbelieving mob (vv. 8-12).
Jonah 1:8-12 "Then said they unto him, Tell us, we
pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon
us; What is thine occupation? and
whence comest thou? what is thy
country? and of what people art thou? (9) And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the
God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. (10) Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him,
Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the
LORD, because he had told them. (11) Then
said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto
us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. (12) And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the
sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great
tempest is upon you."
·
“I
am an Hebrew,” a child of God’s election.
·
“I
fear God,” the one true and living God.
·
“I
have rebelled against my Lord.”
·
Obviously, he also told them something
about the mission of mercy the Lord had sent him upon, his absolute
sovereignty, and his justice.
In
verse ten we are told that he told them what he had done. And in verse fourteen
we see that they knew something about who God is!
Jonah 1:14 "Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and
said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this
man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as
it pleased thee."
C.
Before
the day was over, God was glorified before all who were in the ship (vv. 13-16).
Jonah 1:13-16 "Nevertheless the men rowed hard to
bring it to the land; but they could
not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. (14) Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech
thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay
not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. (15) So they took up Jonah, and cast
him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. (16) Then the men feared
the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows."
So
great is our God that even the wrath of man praises him. He so sovereignly
rules all things that even the shameful deeds of his disobedient children shall
ultimately cause men to praise his holy name, both for his faithfulness and for
his sovereignty.
“Behold,
a greater than Jonah is here!” ― The Lord Jesus tells us plainly that
Jonah was a type of himself. It is Christ himself who gives us the true, full
meaning and significance of Jonah’s experiences. Jonah, he tells us, was a sign
both to the Ninevites and to all future generations
(Luke 11:29-30).
(Luke 11:29-30) "And when the people were gathered thick
together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and
there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. {30} For
as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also
the Son of man be to this generation."
D.
And in this first
chapter of Jonah, we see a very clear, instructive picture of our all-glorious
Christ and his great sacrifice for us.
1.
There was a mighty, tempestuous storm
raging against these mariners, threatening them with immediate death (vv. 4
& 11). ― A Type of God’s Wrath.
2.
When they cast lots, to determine who
must be sacrificed, the lot fell on Jonah (v. 7; Pro. 16:33; Acts 2:23-24).
― The Lord Jesus Christ was delivered to death by the hands of men, by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.
(Prov 16:33) "The lot is cast into the lap; but the
whole disposing thereof is of the LORD."
(Acts 2:23-24) "Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain: {24} Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the
pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of
it."
3.
When Jonah saw that these men were about
to be slain in the storm of God’s wrath, he voluntarily offered himself as a
substitute sacrifice to die in their stead, to suffer the wrath of God in their
stead (v. 12; John 10:17-18).
4.
As soon as Jonah was cast into the raging
sea of God’s wrath and judgment, “the sea ceased from her raging” (v.
15; Rom. 8:1; Gal. 3:13).
5.
All for whom Jonah gave his life were
saved from death and worshipped God. (v. 16).
(Jonah
1:16) "Then the men feared the LORD
exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows."
II. Secondly,
we read in chapter 1 verse 17 that “THE
LORD HAD PREPARED A GREAT FISH TO SWALLOW UP JONAH.”
Jonah 1:17 "Now the LORD had prepared a great fish
to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and
three nights."
God
first prepared a storm. Then he prepared a fish. We do not know what kind of
fish it was. Here it is called “a great fish.” In the New Testament it
is called “a whale” (Matt. 12:40). The word used in both places refers
not to specific species, but to a huge sea creature, or sea monster (a dragon).
It may have been a great whale, a great shark, or a sea creature specifically
prepared by God made to swallow Jonah whole without killing him, a fish in which
Jonah could live for three days and three nights, and a fish that would spit
him out at the appointed time.
A. Jonah’s experience in
this passage is a typical representation of the accomplishment of our
redemption by Christ
(Matt. 12:40).
Matthew 12:40
"For as Jonas was three days and
three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth."
Our
Lord Jesus, when he was made to be sin for us, was swallowed up in the sea of
God’s wrath and slain as our Substitute. As a dead man, his body was cast into
the heart of the earth, the tomb of death. But three days later, the Son of
God, our Redeemer, arose from the tomb victorious over death, hell, and the
grave. His resurrection is the proof that he has, by the sacrifice of himself
as our Substitute, put away all the sins of his people, which were imputed to
him. As Jonah appeared to the Ninevites as one
brought back from the dead to bring them repentance and forgiveness, so the
Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in the hearts of chosen sinners as One raised
from the dead to give repentance and the forgiveness of sins by the merits of
his sacrifice (Acts 5:30-31; Rom. 1:1-6).
(Acts 5:30-31) "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus,
whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. {31} Him hath God exalted with his
right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to
Israel, and forgiveness of sins."
(Rom 1:1-6) "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called
to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, {2} (Which he
had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) {3} Concerning
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to
the flesh; {4} And declared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: {5} By
whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among
all nations, for his name: {6} Among whom are ye also the called of
Jesus Christ:"
B. Jonah’s deliverance
from the belly of this great fish is a picture of every believer’s experience
of grace
(2:1-10).
Jonah 2 "Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God
out of the fish's belly, (2) And
said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out
of the belly of hell cried I, and thou
heardest my voice. (3) For thou hadst
cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me
about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. (4) Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again
toward thy holy temple. (5) The
waters compassed me about, even to
the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my
head. (6) I went down to the bottoms
of the mountains; the earth with her bars was
about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD
my God. (7) When my soul fainted
within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine
holy temple. (8) They that observe
lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
(9) But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will
pay that that I have vowed. Salvation
is of the LORD. (10) And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah
upon the dry land."
“Behold,
a greater than Jonah is here!” ― The Lord Jesus is obviously
portrayed here. None but the incarnate God could suffer the eternity of God’s
wrath in a single day.
·
He is described as suffering the very
this recorded here (Ps. 69:1-4).
·
He cried unto the Lord, just as Jonah did
here (Ps. 22).
·
He promised, in the midst of his anguish,
to praise God in the congregation (Ps. 22:25).
·
None but Christ could pay what he vowed
to the Lord (Ps. 22:25).
·
He declared the very thing Jonah did
― “Salvation is of the Lord”
(Ps. 22:28; 37:39).
Still,
these verses portray every believer’s experience of grace.
There
is a lot of debate these days about when a person is saved. In my opinion the
debate is nothing but useless strife. The question, “When were you saved?”, was
never raised by any apostle of Christ and never addressed to any of his saints.
But this much I know, whenever a sinner is saved by the grace of God, he is
taught of God. And when a man is taught of God there are some things he
experiences. A person is saved when…
1. With
the awareness of God’s just wrath upon him he calls upon God for mercy (The
Publican) (See Psalm 107.) (v. 2).
Jonah 2:1-2 " Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his
God out of the fish's belly, And
said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out
of the belly of hell cried I, and thou
heardest my voice."
2. From
the depths of his corruption he looks to Christ in faith (vv. 3-7).
Jonah 2:3-7 "For thou hadst cast me into the deep,
in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows
and thy waves passed over me. (4) Then
I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy
temple. (5) The waters compassed me
about, even to the soul: the depth
closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. (6) I went down to the bottoms of the
mountains; the earth with her bars was about
me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. (7) When my soul fainted within me I
remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy
temple."
3. He
comes to know the One true and living God (v. 8; John 17:3).
Jonah 2:8 "They that observe lying vanities
forsake their own mercy."
John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
4. God
lifts him up from the miry pit of corruption by his almighty grace (v. 6).
Jonah 2:6 "I went down to the bottoms of the
mountains; the earth with her bars was about
me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my
God."
5. From
the depths of his inmost soul he acknowledges and confesses that “Salvation is of the Lord!” (v. 9).
·
Salvation is of the Lord’s purpose.
·
Salvation is of the Lord’s purchase.
·
Salvation is of the Lord’s power.
Once
the Lord caused the great fish to spit Jonah out, the word of the Lord came to
him the second time. And Jonah hit the ground running to go to Nineveh and
preach the preaching that God told him to preach (2:10–3:10). It is written, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power” (Psa. 110:3).
·
Jonah proclaimed God’s message. ― When God intends to be gracious to
sinners he sends his Word to heal them!
·
The whole city of Nineveh repented
(120,000 infants!).
·
The Ninevites reasoned like any condemned
sinners should (3:9).
Jonah 3:9 "Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger,
that we perish not?"
·
When sinners hear God’s Word and turn to
him in repentance, they obtain mercy (3:10).
Jonah 3:10 "And God saw their works, that they
turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that
he would do unto them; and he did it not."
It
was not that God saw their outward works of putting on sackcloth and ashes and
fasting; but their inward works, their faith in him, and repentance towards
him. These inward works of repentance and faith are the fruit of his grace.
They were wrought in them by God and were attended with fruits and works meet
for repentance, in that they forsook their former course of life and refrained
from it. The repentance of these men is spoken of with commendation by Christ,
and as what would rise up in judgment, and condemn the men of his own earthly
generation (Matt. 12:41).
·
Then, in chapter four we read that Jonah
got mad at God for his mercy upon Nineveh and went out to pout (4:1-5).
Jonah 4:1-5 "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,
and he was very angry. (2) And he
prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I
fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow
to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee
of the evil. (3) Therefore now, O
LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. (4) Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry? (5) So Jonah went out of the city, and
sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it
in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city."
III.
Now look at chapter 4 verse 6. Here is
the third thing God did for Jonah–“THE LORD GOD PREPARED A GOURD AND MADE
IT TO COME UP OVER JONAH, THAT IT MIGHT BE A SHADOW OVER HIS HEAD, TO DELIVER
HIM FROM HIS GRIEF.’
Here
is a pouting, peevish prophet. But he is the servant of a merciful and gracious
God. This gourd (palmcrist) was prepared by God for
the comfort of his servant, Jonah. As
we see the hand of God in grace, I want us to see the hand of God in all the
daily comforts of life. Every good thing we enjoy in this world, no
matter how great or small it may be, comes from the hand of our God.
“’Tis
God that lifts our comforts high,
Or
sinks them to the grave;
He
gives, and blessed be His name!
He
takes but what He gave.”
Let
me show you a few things about this comfort, this gourd, that God prepared for
Jonah.
A. God sent this comfort
to his servant when he was totally undeserving of comfort.
B.
The
comfort God gave, though it was only a gourd, was exactly what his child needed.
C.
The
Lord sent the gourd to Jonah at the right time.
D. God’s purpose in
sending the gourd was to comfort and protect his beloved servant.
E.
And
God’s purpose was perfectly fulfilled–“Jonah was
exceeding glad of the gourd.”
But
all earthly comforts are only temporary. We must not get too attached to them!
Read verse 7!
IV.
Here is the fourth thing God did for
Jonah–“GOD PREPARED A WORM, AND IT SMOTE THE GOURD THAT IT WITHERED” (4:7).
As
we see the hand of God in our comforts, let us also see the hand of God in our
sorrows, bereavements, and losses.
·
Eli–“It
is the Lord.”
·
Aaron held his peace.
·
Job worshipped.
Illustration: The
Business Man Whose Two Sons Died
V. Now
read verse 8. Here is the fifth thing–“IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN THE SUN DID ARISE,
THAT GOD PREPARED A VEHEMENT EAST WIND: AND THE SUN BEAT UPON THE HEAD OF JONAH.”
If
we are wise, we will see the hand of God in our heaviest trials.
A. Our greatest trials
sometimes come in connection with the most insignificant things ― A gourd! ― A
worm!
B. Trials often come one
on the heels of another.
·
A worm appears.
·
The gourd withers.
·
The sun burns.
·
The hot east wind beats upon his head.
C. Our troubles sometimes
appear to be downright brutal.
D. The trials which are
hardest to bear are those in which there appears to be no benefit.
E. Our heaviest trials
usually come when we think we are most secure.
F.
Our
trials reveal what is in us.
·
Jonah’s trial revealed his anger against
God (v. 9).
(Jonah 4:9) "And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well
to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto
death."
VI. Let
me show you one more thing. Turn to 2 Kings 14:23-27. GOD DID ALL OF THESE THINGS FOR HIS SERVANT JONAH, SO THAT HE MIGHT
PREPARE JONAH TO BE AN INSTRUMENT OF USEFULNESS IN HIS KINGDOM. (Read
Jonah 4:10-11).
Jonah 4:10-11 "Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity
on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured,
neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and
perished in a night: (11) And should
not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore
thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left
hand; and also much cattle?"
What
God did for Nineveh he was also to do for Israel, an even more undeserving
people. And the prophet who would carry the message was Jonah!
2 Kings 14:23-27 "In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the
son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. (24) And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from
all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made
Israel to sin. (25) He restored the
coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according
to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his
servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher. (26) For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left,
nor any helper for Israel. (27) And
the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven:
but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash."
·
God taught Jonah his mercy.
·
God taught Jonah to be merciful.
·
And this man, knowing God’s mercy and
being merciful, was used of God as an instrument of mercy for the deliverance of
many.
·
If ever we learn to be merciful, maybe
God will use us!
Application: If you choose to run from God, you are running
a race you cannot win.
1.
His grace is irresistible.
2.
His will is irresistible.
3.
His teaching is irresistible.
1. The Book of Jonah prefigures the fact that it is God’s purpose to bring the blessings of his grace and mercy to chosen sinners throughout the world by his Righteous Servant, the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. This little Book stands as a declaration of our unceasing responsibility to proclaim the gospel of his grace to all people.
A Question
The
Book of Jonah ends with a question (4:10-11).
(Jonah 4:10-11) "Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity
on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured,
neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and
perished in a night: {11} And should not I spare Nineveh, that great
city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons
that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much
cattle?"
We are not told how Jonah answered the Lord, or if he answered him. Perhaps the Book of Jonah ends with this question so that we might be forced to answer it for ourselves. ― Is it right for me to ever question what God does? ― Is it right for me to ever be angry with my God? ― Is it right for me ever to prefer my own comfort, ease, and pleasure to the souls of perishing men? ― Is it right for me to weep over my withered, worthless gourds, while immortal souls perish without Christ?
I
leave it to you to answer for yourself. For my part, my heart is smitten. I
pray that the Lord God will give me grace that I may be conformed to his Son,
who wept not for himself but for eternity bound sinners (Luke 19:41-42; Matt.
23:37).
(Luke 19:41-42) "And when he was come near, he beheld
the city, and wept over it, {42} Saying, If thou hadst known,
even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy
peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes."
(Mat 23:37) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that
killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often
would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"