Jonah 2:1-10
Key Verse: 2:9

    In the last chapter Jonah ran away from the LORD when God called him to go to the great city of Nineveh. He was a prophet of God, but he needed more training so he could be used by God for God's world mission purpose. We learn how the Old Testament is silently pointing us to the Messiah Jesus. May God refine us through spiritual training into useful servants of God who are his instruments for world mission.

1. In my distress I called to the LORD (1-6)
    At the end of chapter 1 it says that Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. We don't know what kind of great fish. The blue whale is the largest animal on earth, though it doesn't usually swim in the Meditteranean Sea, and is a length of 33 meters (100+ ft.). It says he was alive inside the whale or whatever other kind of fish. Whales are mammals and must breathe whether through their blow hole or their mouths. He may have been lodged in the mouth in a corner perhaps with a piece of junk from the ship. Usually if a big fish like a shark encounters humans, it bites off arms and legs or whole parts of the body. Verses 1-2 say, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: 'In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.' " Jonah was alive inside the great fish. Maybe he slipped in and out of consciousness. In this extreme circumstance he began to pray to God. Up until this time he did not pray. He referred to this situation as "the depths of the grave." It seemed likely that at any moment he could slip and be chewed up or swallowed and become whale food. Jesus treated this event as a factual truthful account. Like Jonah, many have a false sense of security and wait until emergency situations to pray, like before a final exam or life threatening situation, like being diagnosed with cancer.
    
Verse 3 says, "You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me." Here Jonah admits that this event was God's discipline. Jonah confessed basic faith in the Creator God, but he was not obeying God in detail, and in fact rejected God's word. He could not be an instrument for God's world mission purpose. Many Christians also have faith in God, but are unable to obey the world mission command. They want to enjoy God's blessings; they stubbornly rationalize God's will through patriotism, tradition, and historical people, instead of the word of God. They convinced themselves that nationalism or tradition is always the same as God's will. Because of God's love, God disciplined his servant Jonah, so he could pray. Before he had his own kind of intellectual faith. Through this he learned to pray. He ended up in deep waters with lots of water swirling around him.
    
Verse 4 says, "I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' " Though he could die at any moment, he called on God, depending on his grace. There was no human rescue boat coming. He was at God's mercy. He prayed with resurrection faith, that though he was facing death, he believed he would worship God in his holy temple.

    In verses 5-6 he continues to discuss how threatening his situation was. "The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God." Death was surrounding him. The great fish was like a casket. "The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God." Jonah prayed with resurrection faith, saying "you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God." God was refining his servant through severe hardship. People want an abundant prosperous life. They'll do whatever is necessary to get the right visa. Often such a life leads to spiritual complacency and corruption. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, "though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Even the New Testament tells us how suffering refines our faith like gold. Pure gold must be refined through intense heat and fire. Life in the inside the great fish, taught Jonah to start praying and depending on God.

2. With A Song Of Thanksgiving (7-10)
    Jonah continued to pray from inside the great fish. In verse 7 he said, "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple." Jonah had faith that God was listening to his prayer. His faith was increased through this event. Before he didn't pray, and ran away from God. He said, "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Idolaters only rely on good luck and superstitions. Only God can forgive our sins. No idol ever forgave anybody's sin. No one was ever rescued by a piece of wood or a piece of gold.

    Verse 9 says, "But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD." Jonah couldn't do anything in the belly of a whale to get out through himself. He realized that he was completely dependent on God for salvation. He decided to sing a song of thanksgiving. He sang a song of thanksgiving, even though he was still in the great fish. Jonah focused on God. Jonah's divine training resulted in him singing songs of praise. We cannot underestimate the value of divine discipline. God trains his servants for their good until they are useful servants of God.

    Verse 10 says, "And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land." Suddenly the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land and his ordeal was over. It says "the LORD commanded the fish" to do so. It reveals that God is in control. God sent the fish to swallow him. God commanded the fish to release him. Everything is under God's control. This event is a picture of the death and resurrection. Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale. In Matthew 12:40 Jesus said, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Jesus regarded the episode of Jonah as absolute historical fact. Jesus would be in the tomb just as Jonah was waiting on God in the fish. The Old Testament is pointing to the resurrection of Jesus. To people the people of God we must have absolutely faith that God will deliver us. Our life is in God's hands. While we live on earth, we must sing songs of thanksgiving to God. We must believe that God will give us the final victory.