Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20081221.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Jonah: Replacing Heartless Nationalism With God's Universal Love
Part II: God's Correction Of His Servant's Heartless Disobedience
(Jonah 2:1-3:3a)
  1. Introduction
    1. Love for others is essential in God's eyes for a life of righteousness, cf. Matthew 22:35-40. Thus, if one of God's servants harbors a heartless unconcern for others to where he refuses to minister to their needs as assigned of the Lord, God addresses it with very sharp discipline!
    2. This was Jonah's experience in Jonah 2:1-3:3a, and we view it for motivation to care for others:
  2. God's Correction Of A Servant's Heartless Disobedience, Jonah 2:1-3:3a.
    1. By way of review, we recall how Jonah had tried to run from God's assignment to evangelize the people of Nineveh due to his heartlessness toward them (as follows), Jonah 1:1-17:
      1. God had called Jonah to arise and go to Nineveh, a great city, and to cry God's warning against it for its wickedness in an obvious effort to get its people to repent and avoid God's judgment, Jonah 1:1-2.
      2. The Ninevites were cruel Assyrians, and Jonah knew from the prophecies in Hosea 11:5 and Amos 5:27 that if they repented, God would preserve them and let them invade Jonah's people of Israel!
      3. Thus, not wanting these Assyrians to repent (Jonah 4:1-3), Jonah had disobeyed God's calling, taking a boat west to Tarshish away from God and from His assignment, Jonah 1:3.
      4. God had sent a strong storm to intercept the boat and have Jonah cast into the sea in discipline for his heartless waywardness only then to be swallowed by a special fish, Jonah 1:4-16, 17.
    2. Understandably, the terrifying experience of being in the belly of a great fish for three days and three nights had its effect, making Jonah repent of his heartless disobedience regarding Nineveh, Jon. 1:17, 2:1.
    3. That prayer details the trouble Jonah had faced in the fish, and how it led to his repentance, Jonah 2:2-9:
      1. Jonah reported he had cried unto God in his affliction in the fish, and God had heard him, Jonah 2:2.
      2. The mental, emotional and physical suffering Jonah experienced in the fish is noted in Jonah 2:3-6a:
        1. Jonah claimed he realized in the fish's belly that the fish had descended into the depth of the ocean, leaving him in danger of dying in the sea with no possible human hope of deliverance, Jonah 2:3.
        2. Realizing that he had thus been driven from God's sight in keeping with how he had originally tried to run from God (1:2-3), Jonah prayed to God in the Jerusalem temple for deliverance, Jonah 2:4a,b.
        3. Accordingly, God graciously saved him from the deep ocean, where, in the belly of the fish, seaweed had been wrapped around his head in a seemingly hopeless end for Jonah, Jonah 2:5-6a.
      3. Jonah relayed how that as his physical, mental and emotional life began to wane within him due to the terror of what he faced, and he had remembered God, he had prayed to Him in His temple, 2:6b-7.
      4. Accordingly, Jonah learned a lesson from this experience: those who depend upon vain idols for fulfillment as did the pagans forsake hope of God's loyal love, Jonah 2:8. Jonah realized in the belly of the fish that the only sure hope for deliverance i s to yield to God and worship Him alone!
      5. Thus, Jonah promised to offer a sacrifice and thank God for delivering him, and to pay his vows that were made in the fish, for deliverance from such dire troubles comes only from the Lord, Jonah 2:9.
    4. God heard Jonah's prayer, and directed the fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land, Jonah 2:10.
    5. Once Jonah safely arrived on land, God's word came to him the second time, directing him to do what God had initially assigned him to do: he was to go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach what God's Word had already told him to preach, Jonah 3:1-2!
    6. Affected by God's discipline of his time in the fish, Jonah obeyed, subjecting his heartlessness for the people of Nineveh to God's will by going to that city to preach in obedience to God's Word, Jonah 3:3a!
Lesson: Since Jonah harbored heartless animosity for the Assyrians God had called him to evangelize, and so tried avoid that assignment, God severely disciplined him into repenting of his disobedience!

Application: To avoid God's severe discipline, (1) may we fulfill the assignments He gives us regardless how unsavory they may seem to be, and (2) may we have compassion on those God calls us to help in accord with His will regardless how unlovable the parties involved may seem to be.