Today the Friday Bible Study examined Jonah 1:17-2:10. Our studies are meant to complement the sermons which are preached each week at mgpc. Last Sunday Ian opened God’s Word to help us remember: “Salvation Belongs To The Lord!”
As we dug around in the text here are some thoughts that appealed to us.
Though Jonah is the central human character, the text keeps us focussed on God. 1:17 does this by stating that God appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah. In spite of Jonah’s selfish narrow heart, God is loving and forgiving.
The fish seems to be an agent of God’s preserving grace, rather than a further punishment. Jonah recognised his sin in running from God’s call, with his direction for the mariners to throw him overboard a confirmation of this. We will find that his overall repentence is not without a tendency to negativity about the outworkings of God’s call. But who of us ever repents perfectly?
The idea that the fish is not a further punishment is indicated in Jonah’s prayer, which does not express repentence, so much as recognition of God’s favour toward him in spite of his sin.
Jonah’s prayer expresses themes of thanksgiving, hope and expectation. Not the usual sentiments that we might expect a man spending three days in a fish’s belly to express.
Remarkably the prayer is made before the fish vomits Jonah on the dry land. Our usual experience might suggest that our best prayers of thanks come after deliverance. Jonah’s prayer is remarkable because it is expressed in the dark depths of the sea.
Jesus speaks about Jonah, his time in the fish and his preaching to the Ninevites as historical actions, comparing aspects of his own life with the Old Testament prophet. If our Lord understood Jonah as a genuine account, then we should not succumb to those who want to portray the story as parable or myth.
In fact, the treatment Jesus gives to Jonah helps us to understand that Jonah is a type of Christ. Biblical typology identifies aspects of the lives or offices of Old Testament figures with the life and work of Jesus to demonstrate that the saving purpose of God is consistent through history.
So, whatever our failings, we should have a sense of assurance that God is both able and desirous of forgiving and preserving us as we trust in Jesus.
As we look forward in the story of Jonah we also perceive a very personal expression of the saving grace that we will see break forth in more expansive glory soon.
Jonah has learnt of the power of God’s amazing grace toward himself. That is one lesson that we all must learn: that in Christ God loves us completely and utterly.
Jonah must now learn another lesson about God’s amazing grace: it is up to God who receives it, and not Jonah. For a heart to truly appreciate God’s grace, that heart must learn that God’s love is indiscriminate.
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