Jonah's Salvation

I am sure that most of you have heard the Bible story of “Jonah and the Whale.” There has been a lot of discussion about this story – Did it really happen or is it an allegory? If it really happened, was it a “great fish” or a “whale”? Well, since the purpose of Barnabas Notes is to offer encouragement, I do not intend to spend a great deal of time on this aspect of the discussion. Let me say, for the record, I find nothing in this short book of prophecy to convince me that this is just some “fish story” that never really happened. Nor does it make a great deal of difference to me if it was a “great fish” as some versions have it, or a “whale” as some others translate the word. Since it was appointed or prepared by God (Jonah 1:17), it could have been a Guppy for all the difference that it makes.

The real import of Jonah’s story, as far as this issue of Barnabas Notes is concerned, is how we understand God’s relationship with Jonah. There are few Bible stories that offer as vivid a picture as Jonah being swallowed by this creature and then being vomited up on the beach. Most of us probably think that such as experience served to teach him a lesson, and apparently, he did learn not to run from God. Jonah obeyed God the second time He commanded him to go to Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-3). However, I want to suggest something that may sound radical to your mind. Have you ever considered that the whale/fish was Jonah’s salvation and not his punishment?

Jonah had been thrown overboard. He would have died had not God sent this great animal. I do not mean to suggest that the belly of this thing was a pleasant place to spend a weekend, but Jonah did not die and was given the time he needed to repent of his sin. He started praying in that belly (you would have too, and so would I). I want you to pay particular attention to Jonah’s prayer. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said, “I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice” (Jonah 2:1, 2). Did you catch that? He was still in the belly of the fish/whale when he said God answered him (past tense).

How is this encouraging to us? Life can sometimes be overwhelming, can it not? We may find ourselves sinking “to the roots of the mountains” (Jonah 2:6), or so it seems. It is not unusual for many of us to cry out to the Lord when we are so threatened. However, when things change, they may seem to be for the worse. What!? Did God not hear my cry? Why has He sent this new calamity? It just might be that God knows that to get my attention I need a “time-out.” Try to view the difficult times that come in your life as opportunities to trust in God, rather than thinking that God has let you down. God wants you to be truly and eternally happy and that may mean some unhappiness here in this life. If you will put all your faith and trust in Him, He will not let you down because He loves you. And so do I, by the way.

Donnie Bates