From the Deep

Jonah 2 “¹ From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. ² He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. ³ You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
⁴ I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ ⁵ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. ⁶ To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. ⁷ “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. ⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. ⁹ But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” ¹⁰ And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”

The Lord sent a great fish—it was a divine appointment. Why a fish, though? He could have provided something that floated, ensuring Jonah clung to it before being washed ashore. This serves as an image of God’s judgment, yet Jonah’s survival also symbolizes salvation. It represents salvation through judgment.

Inside the fish, Jonah’s prayer was not for rescue from his predicament but for gratitude for being saved by the fish. He recognized that his survival was not mere chance but the work of God’s hand. The lesson here is that while the circumstances may have appeared dire from the outside, they were in fact God’s way of shaping Jonah, leading him to a point of realization and repentance.

Up to this point in the story, we have seen Jonah fleeing from the presence of God, but now he turns around, seeking to be in God’s presence. (verse 4).

Jonah’s prayer is filled with references to the Psalms

• V2 – Psalm 120:1
• V 3 – you hurled me into the deep – Psalm 69:2
• V 3 – the waves and breakers – Psalm 42:7
• V 4 – Psalm 31:22

Jonah’s trials brought him back to scripture, teaching us to turn to it for guidance, wisdom, comfort, and strength. We should embrace the truths of scripture, holding them close. Jonah, knowing God’s word by heart, had no Bible to reference inside the fish; instead, he relied on what was etched in his memory. Regularly reading scripture and attempting to memorize it, even if imperfectly, helps us internalize its fundamental truths within our hearts and minds.

Secondly, it is evident that Jonah was well aware of God’s expectations and was intimately familiar with the scriptures; nevertheless, he chose to rebel and sin. Knowledge alone is insufficient; each decision requires a deliberate act of obedience.

Self-Reflection: Do we know God’s truth and just know it or are we being transformed by it, reflected in the choices we make, both in the big and little things.  

V4 – Jonah recognises the break in communion and fellowship with God because of his sin. He longs for it. But he is hopeful and realises what he truly desires.

V9 – Salvation comes from the Lord (that is the main point). The Lord is sovereign over salvation. He alone is able, and He alone can save.

It is not for us to decide who is worthy of God’s grace and who is not. We did not do anything to earn salvation, may we not try to sit in the judgement seat to decide who is worthy, because none of us are.

What is missing from Jonah’s prayer – he does not confess his sin or express his desire to repent. He does not ask for forgiveness for disobeying. Jonah’s heart is not yet where it needs to be. Our prayers are not required to be flawless, and we have a much greater need of God’s grace than we realise. There is more work to be done in Jonah’s heart.

God is merciful towards sinners – that includes those who do not believe and someone who believes like Jonah. We are undeserving sinners.

The storm redirected Jonah. God doesn’t just let him walk away from Him and abandon Him, but He keeps Jonah. The near drowning is also God’s grace because Jonah needed to be humbled. It is noteworthy that Jonah is the only one in chapter 1 who believes in the true God, but he also is the only one who never calls out to his God. The storm wasn’t enough to get him to call out to his God. So, the drowning is what humbles him. He isn’t humble enough to call out to God until he’s at the bottom of the ocean and down to his last breath.

Self-Reflection: Sometimes it’s the discomfort that’s needed to bring us to where we need to go. God uses our discomfort to work in and on us. God’s grace is not getting what’s easy all the time, but what you need the most.

One of the major themes of the book of Jonah is that God is in control of all things. He sent the storm. He stopped the storm exactly at the moment Jonah was swallowed by the fish. He sent the fish. We see He directed the fish to the coast and caused it to vomit Jonah out.

We pause here and continue next week and delve into what transpires once Jonah is hurled from the fish.

God Bless.