Salvation Belongs to the Lord

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, "I called out to the Lord , out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.' The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord , and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord !" And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. - Jonah 1:17-2:‬10 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

Is this story a historical fact or is it a myth? Or is it a metaphorical story? Is it a story of Jonah's recovery from sickness at sea at an inn called "The Fish"? Let's take in the details. This story has no embellishment. It is told in a matter of fact manner. Jesus even refers to this story in literal fashion. If you disbelieve this story, then all your faith is questionable. The question here is not how believable this story is. The question is whether we have a purely naturalistic perspective. The Christian worldview is supernatural. How so? The major foundation is based on a supernatural event, the resurrection of Jesus. No naturalistic explanations suffice.

Down in the depths

Jonah went and ran from God when called to go to Nineveh. He said he was in Sheol. Even though the sailors had thrown him in, Jonah attributed his state to God. God had brought Jonah to the depths of despair. This drive Jonah to prayer and to cry out for salvation. This was not severe punishment. This was severe grace. God needed to wake him up. During the height of the storm, Jonah alone did not cry out.. All the pagan sailors were calling upon their gods, but not Jonah, he was asleep. Jonah was in spiritual slumber and stupefaction. God brought him to the depths of the sea to cause Jonah to awaken and turn to God for salvation. For some, God must bring us to the utter depths before we turn to God.

Down in the fish's belly

Jonah's prayer is not a cry for salvation. What was it then? It was a cry of thankfulness. It was a cry of praise and exhortation. Jonah knew the fish was God's salvation. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days. Jonah knew that he deserved punishment for his actions. He knew that he deserved death. But God heard Jonah and saved him. Jonah recognized the grace of God. He recognized that God was granting rescue to a sinner in the throes of rebellion. Jonah knew that he would not be entirely cut off from God. Jonah's troubles are a sign that point to Jesus. Jesus was cast into the depths of Sheol. He was dead for three days and then came back to life, like Jonah was in the tomb of the fish's belly and then spit out to life.

Salvation is free. But humanity refuses to accept it. Why? Vain idols. They can be literal false gods or other things that we hope will save us. Our talents, our dreams... These idols require so much of us, we forget God's everlasting love, security, and life. Nothing else can give this to us. God gives us hope, grace, and life by bringing us into desperation and deliverance. This is the way of following Christ till we see Him again.

Out onto the dry land

God was devoted to Jonah. He could have been left in that fish. God gave the prophet a second chance, a new life. God had not given up on Jonah. Jonah still had more to learn. God was not finished with Jonah. God could've just marked Jonah as unreliable and moved onto a new prophet. Jonah had failed, but God was not done. God had more kingdom work for Jonah. So it is with us, God will use us weak sinners. Take heart, stand up, and get back into the work of the Lord.