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Jonah and the Fish - The Book of Jonah · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,
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  Speaker 1: and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up
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  Speaker 1: before me. Jonah 1-2 My God, when I hear the
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  Speaker 1: whisper of your voice like a cool breeze, I will
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  Speaker 1: heed your commands and come into alignment with your heart's desire.
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  Speaker 1: I will not take the position of Jonah in my life,
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  Speaker 1: by looking out for myself and ignoring the plans you
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  Speaker 1: have for me. Through my obedience, I am securing myself
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  Speaker 1: from being thrown overboard in the storm of life and
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  Speaker 1: from causing others to suffer as a result of my disobedience.
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  Speaker 1: No matter how reluctant I might feel, through my faithfulness
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  Speaker 1: to you, no fish will be needed to get me
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  Speaker 1: to the place you've called me to go. Instead of
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  Speaker 1: being thrown up, I will grow up and acknowledge that
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  Speaker 1: you are in control of my life. And as I
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  Speaker 1: submit to your ways, deliverance and purpose will follow. Instead
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  Speaker 1: of being thrown up, I will grow up and acknowledge
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  Speaker 1: that you are in control of my life. And as
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  Speaker 1: I submit to your ways, deliverance and purpose will follow.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for making prayer a priority
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  Speaker 1: in your life. To hear the Bible come to life,
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: stay tuned for The Bible in a Year, brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by Bibleinayear.com.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Jonah and the Fish In our last story, we said
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  Speaker 2: goodbye to the prophet Elisha. Along with the prophet was
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  Speaker 2: the end of the era of kings. The nations of
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  Speaker 2: Judah and Israel continued to wrestle with God. Their hearts
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  Speaker 2: were in a continual state of drawing near and far
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  Speaker 2: from him. Soon a great threat would arise to take
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  Speaker 2: Israel captive. This was a threat they were not prepared for.
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  Speaker 2: Now we learn about the prophet Jonah Unlike the prophets
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  Speaker 2: before him and after him, Jonah was a prophet that
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  Speaker 2: actively ran away from the Lord's calling on his life.
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  Speaker 2: Soon Jonah would be consumed by his own disobedience and
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  Speaker 2: learn the true meaning of closeness to God in the
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  Speaker 2: belly of a giant fish, inspired by the book of Jonah.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In yesterday's scripture, we heard of
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  Speaker 3: the downward spiral of Israel, who under King Jehoaz and
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  Speaker 3: later his son Jehoash, continued to turn to foreign gods,
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  Speaker 3: facing defeat after defeat from outside enemies. Israel would soon
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  Speaker 3: face a great fall like they had never seen before
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  Speaker 3: as God judged them for their stubbornness and sinful behavior. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear about an unwilling prophet by the name of Jonah,
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  Speaker 3: who was sent to a wicked people to call them
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  Speaker 3: to repentance. God's call for Jonah to preach in Nineveh
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  Speaker 3: will highlight just how merciful our God is, not only
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  Speaker 3: to the Jewish people, but to everyone. Let's listen now
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  Speaker 3: to the reading of God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: Jonah watched as the gentle tide rolled in from the sea.
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  Speaker 2: The morning breeze was cool on his face and filled
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  Speaker 2: his lungs with fresh air. He watched the water rise
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  Speaker 2: and fall to the rhythm of the tide. Jonah was
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  Speaker 2: a man who valued his peace. Although he was a
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  Speaker 2: prophet of God, he was not like Elijah or Elisha.
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  Speaker 2: Jonah valued harmony above all. During the crisis of King Jeroboam,
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  Speaker 2: Jonah prophesied that he would win all of his battles
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  Speaker 2: and bring victory to his kingdom. He did this because
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  Speaker 2: he did not want to tell the king something he
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  Speaker 2: did not want to hear. Jonah saved his own reputation
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  Speaker 2: and safety. The prophet Amos eventually rebuked him and told
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  Speaker 2: the king that he would certainly lose his battle and
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  Speaker 2: his kingdom. Jonah was not ashamed of these things. He
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  Speaker 2: knew that he must look out for his own peace
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  Speaker 2: and his own comfort first. So Jonah sat, staring out
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  Speaker 2: at the sea, enjoying his blissful morning without quarrel or stress.
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  Speaker 2: Jonah closed his eyes and allowed the morning sun to
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  Speaker 2: shine on his face. He could hear the waves slowly
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  Speaker 2: crashing on the shore and the sound of birds chirping
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  Speaker 2: in the air. With his eyes still closed, Jonah could
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  Speaker 2: hear another peculiar sound. A whisper came in with the breeze.
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  Speaker 2: The voice was gentle but clear and strong. Jonah could
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  Speaker 2: sense the presence of God drawing closer.' Arise,' God said.
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  Speaker 2: Jonah's forehead began to wrinkle as he listened to the words.
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  Speaker 2: Go inland to the great city of Nineveh. They have
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  Speaker 2: fallen into a great deal of wickedness. Go and point
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  Speaker 2: out their evil so they can repent. Then the voice
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  Speaker 2: of the Lord trailed off with the breeze. Jonah opened
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  Speaker 2: his eyes and stood to his feet. No, Jonah thought
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  Speaker 2: to himself, absolutely not. Jonah would not help the wicked
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  Speaker 2: people of Nineveh. Jonah had a deep-seated hatred for them.
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  Speaker 2: Pain and contempt harbored in his heart like an old
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  Speaker 2: ship without a sail. He would not preach the word
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  Speaker 2: of God to them. He would not help them. He
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  Speaker 2: would not allow them to be spared. Jonah knew they
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  Speaker 2: deserved to die, and he wanted no part in whatever
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  Speaker 2: redemptive plan he had in store. So Jonah boarded a
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  Speaker 2: ship to Joppa that was setting sail for Tarshish. He
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  Speaker 2: paid the fare and ventured off with a crew of
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  Speaker 2: Gentile sailors. Tarshish was the furthest city from Nineveh. There
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  Speaker 2: he would seek safety from the uncomfortable and dangerous call
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  Speaker 2: of God. Jonah watched Israel become smaller and smaller as
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  Speaker 2: they sailed away. Jonah sighed and decided to go down
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  Speaker 2: and sleep. As Jonah slumbered, clouds were rolling in from
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  Speaker 2: the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The waves began to
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  Speaker 2: chop at the side of the boat. The clouds grew
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  Speaker 2: darker and thunder echoed across the waters. Lightning struck dangerously
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  Speaker 2: close to the ship and the wind began to howl
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  Speaker 2: with gratefulness. Jonah could not outrun God. The sailors tugged
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  Speaker 2: at the ropes trying to keep the sails from tearing
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  Speaker 2: to shreds. The boat was taking on water and the
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  Speaker 2: waves were threatening to destroy the entire vessel. Each sailor
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  Speaker 2: grew more and more fierce. They had never experienced such
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  Speaker 2: a storm. Each man prayed to his own god, desperately
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  Speaker 2: asking for mercy. As the frightened mariners prayed for their lives,
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  Speaker 2: Jonah was fast asleep in the brig, content in his
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  Speaker 2: disobedience to God. The captain burst open the doors and
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  Speaker 2: awoke Jonah.' How could you be sleeping?' the captain wailed.'
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  Speaker 2: Get up! You better be praying to your god as
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  Speaker 2: we are praying to ours!' Perhaps yours were actually answer.
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  Speaker 2: Jonah rose from his cot and walked up to the deck.
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  Speaker 2: He fell forward as the waves shook the boat. Jonah
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  Speaker 2: looked up and saw a mighty tempest surrounding him. The
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  Speaker 2: cold wind felt like a razor blade on his face,
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  Speaker 2: and the rain drummed against the wood of the ship.
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  Speaker 2: Jonah knew what was happening. God had found him. There
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  Speaker 2: would be no escape. The crew gathered lots to see
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  Speaker 2: who was responsible for the unprecedented storm. They cast them
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  Speaker 2: onto the deck, and the lot fell on Jonah. They
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  Speaker 2: looked at him in disgust. Who are you? they shouted.
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  Speaker 2: Tell us why this evil has come upon us. Where
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  Speaker 2: do you come from, and why are you here? Jonah's
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  Speaker 2: lips quivered slightly. He looked at the men and said,
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  Speaker 2: I am a Hebrew. You worship gods of water, wind,
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  Speaker 2: or land. But I worship the God who has made
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  Speaker 2: the water, wind, and land. And I am running from him.
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  Speaker 2: The men were exceedingly afraid. They were harboring a man
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  Speaker 2: who was fleeing the almighty creator of the sea. Even they,
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  Speaker 2: in their limited knowledge of God, knew that Jonah made
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  Speaker 2: a big mistake joining them. What are we supposed to
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  Speaker 2: do with you? they asked. Jonah looked out at the
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  Speaker 2: vast sea raging. It was growing more violent by the minute.
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  Speaker 2: These sailors would be underwater in less than an hour
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  Speaker 2: unless Jonah did something. He took a deep breath and said,
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  Speaker 2: Throw me in. The men gasped for a moment. Pick
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  Speaker 2: me up and hurl me into the sea. The storm
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  Speaker 2: should quiet after that. Lord, forgive us and do not
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  Speaker 2: hold this man's life against us. The men cried out
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  Speaker 2: as they threw Jonah into the water. Jonah was hurled
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  Speaker 2: into the air and then surrounded by the raging sea.
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  Speaker 2: The men repented and bowed before God. They worshipped him
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  Speaker 2: and made vows of devotion to him. The Gentile men
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  Speaker 2: had more repentant hearts than Jonah himself. The waters continued
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  Speaker 2: to thrash in every direction. Jonah swam to the best
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  Speaker 2: of his abilities. but was eventually consumed by the dark
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  Speaker 2: and vast ocean. He fell deeper and deeper into the depths.
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  Speaker 2: Jonah closed his eyes, embracing his inevitable demise. Even now,
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  Speaker 2: surrounded by a storm, Jonah was happy he wasn't in Nineveh.
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  Speaker 2: As Jonah was ready to welcome death, a large shadow
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  Speaker 2: loomed over him. He opened his eyes in terror. A
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  Speaker 2: gargantuan fish was swimming towards him. Jonah screamed, but the
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  Speaker 2: sound was trapped by the water surrounding him. And in
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  Speaker 2: an instant, he was consumed by the scaly gray. Jonah
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  Speaker 2: awoke in darkness. He could barely move and could see
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  Speaker 2: nothing around him. The stench of rotting fish and stomach
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  Speaker 2: acid filled his nostrils. He could hear nothing but his
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  Speaker 2: own panicked breathing. For hours he lamented his own undoing.
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  Speaker 2: He tried to escape with no success. He was trapped
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  Speaker 2: in an underwater tomb. Hours passed. Then a day. Hunger
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  Speaker 2: and thirst consumed him, and he could feel his joints
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  Speaker 2: beginning to cramp in place. Yet there was this peace
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  Speaker 2: that Jonah felt during the second day. Surrounded by darkness,
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  Speaker 2: Jonah began to feel the presence of God. Joy welled
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  Speaker 2: up inside Jonah, and he began to sing to the Lord.
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  Speaker 2: I called to God in my time of need, and
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  Speaker 2: he answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried,
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  Speaker 2: and he heard. You cast me into the depths, O Lord.
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  Speaker 2: You threw me into the heart of the seas, and
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  Speaker 2: your waves crashed over me. I am driven away from you,
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  Speaker 2: but I will set my eyes upon your temple. The
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  Speaker 2: waters have closed in to kill me. The deep has
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  Speaker 2: surrounded me. The weeds are wrapping around my neck. Yet
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  Speaker 2: I will praise and give thanks to you, my God.
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  Speaker 2: On the third day, as Jonah accepted his place with
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  Speaker 2: God and the sea, he felt a surge come through
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  Speaker 2: the belly of the fish. Rumbling surrounded Jonah, and he
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  Speaker 2: looked up to see a faint light. The fish threw
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  Speaker 2: Jonah up, and once again he found himself surrounded by water.
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  Speaker 2: It consumed him. but he could still see a light
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  Speaker 2: above him. He swam towards it. His bones were sore
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  Speaker 2: and his body was weak, but he swam with all
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  Speaker 2: his might. Then Jonah emerged out of the water. He
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  Speaker 2: gasped for air. The sun was shining brightly, and Jonah
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  Speaker 2: could see the soft sand only a few yards away.
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  Speaker 2: He clawed his way to shore and basked in freedom.
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  Speaker 2: A tired laughter came across Jonah as he allowed the
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  Speaker 2: gentle breeze to tickle his face again. He was spared
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  Speaker 2: for a purpose, a purpose he was still reluctant to accept.
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  Speaker 3: Today's scripture is a very familiar story to so many people.
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  Speaker 3: It is God's word about a prophet by the name
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  Speaker 3: of Jonah. We discover very quickly that not all prophets
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  Speaker 3: were as obedient or quick to obey as great men
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  Speaker 3: like Nathan or Elijah or Elisha. who spoke God's truth
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  Speaker 3: to people powerfully, knowing very well that it could even
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  Speaker 3: cost them their lives. These were faithful men from the start.
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  Speaker 3: But Jonah was nothing like these men. So when God
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  Speaker 3: called him to go to a Gentile land, a very
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  Speaker 3: violent and wicked city called Nineveh, and to call the
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  Speaker 3: people there to repent and to revival, what did he do?
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  Speaker 3: Did he object or ask God why or share his
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  Speaker 3: fears or frustrations with God? No, he ran. He was
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  Speaker 3: a runaway, would-be prophet. Now before we judge him too quickly,
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  Speaker 3: how many times have some of us run from the
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  Speaker 3: will of God in our lives? How many times have
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  Speaker 3: we refused to obey God? But Jonah wasn't acting just
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  Speaker 3: out of self-preservation. God was calling this man to go
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  Speaker 3: to the Gentiles. They were enemies, very violent enemies of Israel.
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  Speaker 3: Surely they deserved whatever judgment and devastation was coming their way.
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  Speaker 3: Why would God want to save the wicked Ninevites anyway?
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  Speaker 3: So instead of obeying God, Jonah headed to the nearest
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  Speaker 3: port and caught a ship in the opposite direction of Nineveh,
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  Speaker 3: a boat headed to Tarshish. It, of course, was a
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  Speaker 3: very futile attempt to run from God, because it is
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  Speaker 3: impossible to run from God. And it wasn't long before
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  Speaker 3: the Lord came after him. His boat ride away from
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  Speaker 3: God's will soon hit rough seas. The vessel was tossed
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  Speaker 3: about in a storm, in the waves, terrifying the sailors,
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  Speaker 3: who began praying to their false gods. They woke up Jonah,
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  Speaker 3: who somehow managed to sleep through the terror, and urged
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  Speaker 3: him to pray to his own god, lest they all die.
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  Speaker 3: But pray as they might, the seas just got rougher
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  Speaker 3: and rougher. Desperate, the sailors decided to cast lots to
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  Speaker 3: decide who was responsible for their situation, someone to blame.
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  Speaker 3: And of course, by that time, Jonah most certainly knew
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  Speaker 3: it was all his fault. He was the runaway, and
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  Speaker 3: he was the problem. And when they cast lots, this
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  Speaker 3: was confirmed. So Jonah confessed. He came clean and said
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  Speaker 3: that he served the Hebrew God, the creator of the
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  Speaker 3: sea and the dry land, and he was fleeing from him.
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  Speaker 3: Jonah knew that there was only one solution. He was
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  Speaker 3: to be thrown overboard to save the men and satisfy
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  Speaker 3: God's judgment. The sailors at first resisted this suggestion. doing
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  Speaker 3: all they could do to row the boat to safety
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  Speaker 3: and calm, but all of their efforts were in vain. Finally,
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  Speaker 3: they gave in, and they threw Jonah into the sea. Immediately,
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  Speaker 3: the waters were stilled. All was calm. Even in this moment,
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  Speaker 3: God had shown these pagan sailors that he was indeed
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  Speaker 3: God of heaven and earth, of the land and the seas,
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  Speaker 3: of the sun and the storms. They fell before God,
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  Speaker 3: offering sacrifices and vows to this one God, who could
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  Speaker 3: calm the raging seas. One day, the disciples of Jesus
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  Speaker 3: would witness this same God in the person of Jesus Christ,
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  Speaker 3: calming the seas and stilling the storm. When he said, peace,
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  Speaker 3: be still. Jonah, of course, would have been lost, drowned
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  Speaker 3: in the deep waters, had God not mercifully provided a rescue.
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  Speaker 3: Jonah 1.17 says this, And the Lord appointed a great
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  Speaker 3: fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the
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  Speaker 3: belly of the fish three days and three nights. You
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  Speaker 3: might think that being swallowed by a giant fish was
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  Speaker 3: God's punishment, when in reality it was God's rescue plan.
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  Speaker 3: Was it terrifying?
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  Speaker 1: Of course.
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  Speaker 3: Was it very unpleasant? Yes, without a doubt. But what
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  Speaker 3: was the alternative for Jonah? Being swallowed by the deep,
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  Speaker 3: dying alone and never having fulfilled his purpose in life,
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  Speaker 3: or to find in God a rescue plan? The fish
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  Speaker 3: was a second chance for Jonah. And as he awoke
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  Speaker 3: in the belly of the fish, he sang a song
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  Speaker 3: of praise and adoration to God. Just like the Ninevites,
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  Speaker 3: Jonah did not deserve to be spared his gruesome fate.
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  Speaker 3: And yet as he worshiped God, he sang to the Lord,
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  Speaker 3: salvation belongs to the Lord. And that is a great
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  Speaker 3: truth that we always must remember, that salvation always comes
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  Speaker 3: from God. At God's command, the fish threw Jonah up
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  Speaker 3: on the shore. Perhaps now this reluctant prophet was ready
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  Speaker 3: to announce to the people of Nineveh that they also
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  Speaker 3: could repent and find salvation in God. That's what we'll
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  Speaker 3: find out in tomorrow's reading. Dear God, we thank you
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  Speaker 3: that you are always the God of the second chance
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  Speaker 3: and as many chances as we need when we truly
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  Speaker 3: confess our sins and come to you. We thank you
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  Speaker 3: for the cross and the promise of salvation. We know
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  Speaker 3: that salvation comes from you and you only. Thank you
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  Speaker 3: for your son, Jesus Christ, who died, who was buried,
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  Speaker 3: and on the third day rose again so that this
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  Speaker 3: good news message could be delivered to the whole world. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
• 18:23
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  Speaker 3: and life. God bless you and have a great day.
• 18:53
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