Jonah 1: Jonah’s Disobedience & Disappearance

[Introductory Comments: Chapter 1 (or Part 1) tells how Jonah has the rather dubious distinction of having been swallowed by a fish – later to tell the tale!]

• v.1-3 God calls Jonah who runs away
• v.4-6 The Lord threatens the ship
• v.7-10 When the sailors seek the reason for the storm, Jonah is revealed
• v.11-13 Jonah asks to be thrown overboard but they resist
• v.14,15 When they eventually do the storm calms
• v.16,17 The crew turn to God and God has a big fish swallow Jonah

v.1-3 God calls Jonah who runs away

v.1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 

v.2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 

v.3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. 

[Notes: Jonah is clearly a prophet who hears God speak to him. [Activity No.1 of God] He hears God tell him to go to Nineveh and preach against its sin. The size of the task almost overwhelms Jonah and so he decides to run away to Spain via Joppa.]

v.4-6 The Lord threatens the ship

v.4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 

v.5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 

v.6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” 

[Notes: The storm that arises is no accident and is attributed to God. [Activity No.2 of God]. The superstitious sailors call on their gods but to no avail. Jonah is completely at peace and asleep! The sailors wake him and tell him to call on his god.]

v.7-10 When the sailors seek the reason for the storm, Jonah is revealed

v.7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 

v.8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 

v.9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 

v.10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) 

[Notes: As the storm continues, they do what we so often do, look round for someone to blame, and so draw lots to find out who it is. Amazingly the lots falls to Jonah. [Activity No.3 of God?] Jonah testifies about the Lord and they question him further.]

v.11-13 Jonah asks to be thrown overboard but they resist

v.11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” 

v.12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” 

v.13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 

[Notes: They appeal to him and this phlegmatic prophetic says it is his fault and the only way to deal with the problem is to throw him overboard. They don’t like that thought and try to row ashore – to no avail.]

v.14,15 When they eventually do the storm calms

v.14 Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.” 

v.15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 

[Notes: They appeal to Yahweh for forgiveness but throw him overboard and immediately it becomes calm. [Activity No.4 of God]

v.16,17 The crew turn to God and God has a big fish swallow Jonah

v.16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. 

v.17 Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

[Notes: The crew acknowledge the Lord but meanwhile the Lord provides a large fish [it may have been a whale] to swallow him where he remains for three days and nights. [Activity No.5 of God] [NB. There have been reports of such things happening and the people surviving.]

For those who may wish to make a study of this chapter, to perhaps think some more about what you have been reading, use the link below: