The Storm Sleeper and the Pursuing God

Jonah 1:4-10 “Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So, they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)“

In our last post we left Jonah fleeing to Tarshish in a ship. We are going to see how the Lord intercepts Jonah trying to run from Him.

The beauty of this part of the story is that we get to see that God does not give up on Jonah when he falters. God could have easily raised up another prophet to go to Nineveh, but He did not do that.  He knew there was a work that needed to be done in Jonah’s heart and God in His love and patience is doing just that. As Philippians 1:6 tells us, “Be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God cares very much for the kingdom work that needs to be done and also deeply cares for His people that are doing the work.

God initiated the events; He sent a mighty wind. This not only impacted Jonah but also the sailors. As seasoned sailors at sea, they had undoubtedly encountered storms before, yet this time they were terrified. This reflects the severity of the storm they were facing. The sailors called out to their gods; ironically, the first instance of prayer in the book of Jonah comes from the pagan sailors. In a desperate attempt to avoid sinking, they even cast the cargo overboard. Considering the cargo was likely the ship’s main source of income, this act underscores their willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure everyone’s survival. And in the midst of all this chaos, what was Jonah doing? “But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.” (v5b)

Remember that Jonah was aware of God’s command, yet as he acted contrary to it, he appeared to be in a deep sleep. He appeared to be unaffected by any spiritual or emotional turmoil regarding his actions. And nor did he seem to be concerned for the lives of the others onboard. Was it a reflection of his spiritual apathy? Sin, when given into, can lead us to feel apathetic to conviction.

The captain of the ship finds Jonah and urges him to call on his God and says, ‘Maybe He will notice us, and we will not perish‘(v6). It is actually God’s notice and care for the people of Nineveh, the lost sailors and Jonah himself that this situation is unfolding. And the irony is that the prophet of the Almighty God knew what God expected of him, and yet in his willful disobedience, in the midst of danger to his life and the others in the ship, he is yet to humble himself and call on God. But through a pagan sailor, Jonah is reminded to pray (“How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.“) (v6). Prayer keeps our heart supple to the Lord’s ways. Even if we are in a place where we are wrestling with something, the safest place is to take it to God and allow Him to speak into our concerns, doubts and frustrations.

The sailors cast lots and identify that Jonah was responsible for what they were going through– In Acts 1:24 we see that lots were used to decide on who will be chosen as the disciple to replace Judas. They said Lord, you know everyone’s heart. The same method was used here. In those times, it was common practice to do so. Even if Jonah might have considered not fessing up that it could be him, there was no escaping it. God at times will compel us to confront our own actions even if we do not want to address them then and there.

When the lot points to Jonah, the sailors pepper him with questions and Jonah’s first words that we read of in this book is how he identifies himself, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

I am a Hebrew. Jonah’s emphasis on identifying himself primarily as a Hebrew reveals the importance he assigns to this aspect of his identity. Take a moment and compare how Paul often identified himself; as an apostle called by God and as a servant of Christ.

Jonah accurately describes God as the Sovereign creator of all, stating that Yahweh is the one he worships.

“I Worship the Lord” – but is he doing so in this instance? True worship of the Lord means loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It involves valuing God above all else and prioritizing Him in our hearts. Jonah claims to worship the God who commands all, yet his actions belie his professed understanding of God.

We pause in the story here for today. We continue next week and see the mighty hand of God evident in how He reveals Himself to those in the boat and continues His work in and through His prophet.

God Bless.