From Fearing the Storm to Fearing the Lord

Jonah 1:11-17 “The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So, they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” ¹² “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” ¹³ Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. ¹⁴ Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” ¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. ¹⁶ At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.¹⁷ Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

Upon discovering that Jonah’s disobedience led them all to find themselves in the storm, the sailors were terrified. We again see the irony in responses here. The ones showing true fear of God are the ones who did not know God. But Jonah was so caught up in his own feelings of right and wrong, of who deserves grace and not, it eclipsed what he knew of God, and it restricted him from seeing people and situations through the lens of the Father.

What are we to do?

The sailors questioned Jonah on how to calm the stormy sea. “Cast me into the sea,” Jonah replied. Consider alternative solutions—he could have repented, saying, “I’m sorry, God; I should have obeyed. Please spare these men and me.” Alternatively, he could have asked the sailors to return, allowing him to proceed to Nineveh. This may imply that Jonah in this moment preferred death over obedience to God, or he believed that God sought his death for his disobedience. It might also suggest that Jonah placed his fate in the hands of the sailors.

The sailor’s response

The men strived their best to sail back to land. They did not rush to throw Jonah off. But upon seeing that the sea grew even wilder, they knew they had no way of making it back to land with their own efforts.

The Sailor’s Prayer

The sailors then cry out to God, this is the first prayer we see here in this book, and it comes from the pagan sailors. This is where we again see the contrast in responses, where they seem to be concerned for somebody who is not their own, but Jonah is yet to show that.

Spiritual Transformation of the Sailors

They were hesitant to throw Jonah because they feared throwing God’s prophet to perish. Even a disobedient one but he was after all God’s prophet. The emphasis is in the fact that he is GOD’S prophet. Their fear was of God not Jonah. 

In their prayer, the sailors say, “You have done as it pleased you,” recognizing and accepting the sovereignty of God.

The moment they threw Jonah into the sea, it went calm. The sailors are witness to this mighty act of God, affirming His sovereignty over creation. “Then the men feared the Lord”; God used Jonah’s disobedience to reveal Himself to those Jonah had come in contact with through his disobedience. And we see that shift in the sailors from fearing the storm to fearing the Lord.

God’s purposes prevail above everything else. The sea did not quieten down till Jonah was thrown overboard. That was God’s intention.

We all possess a natural inclination to rebel against God. Our obedience to God requires from us a willingness to surrender to Him, but it is only in and through the Lord that we are sustained. Like Jonah, we might think that choosing our ways is akin to running to another destination, but in truth, disobedience leads us away from God, ultimately to a spiritual death. Unless of course the Lord intervenes.

The Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, again we see His sovereignty, we saw it over the wind and the waves, and now over the fish of the sea.

Self-Reflection: Is disobedience costing you? Is there something that God has been impressing on you or speaking to you and you are either delaying in your obedience or choosing to not listen.

What does it mean to ‘Function in Faith in God without true fear of God’. Is the fear of God evident in your life?

We pause here. Next week, we see the prophet thrust three days and nights into the belly of a fish, forced to reckon with his actions that led him there.

God Bless.