The Book of Jonah
Encountering God Series
“Deliverance from Death”
Jonah 1.17-2.10
Introduction
This morning we come to the part of the story in the book of Jonah that is arguably one of
most well-known sections of Scripture, Jonah in the belly of the great fish. As you recall
instead of heeding the Lord’s call for Jonah to go preach repentance to the Gentile people of
Nineveh, Jonah flees from the presence of the Lord by boarding a ship going twenty-five
hundred miles in the opposite direction to Tarshish. While at sea the ship encounters a
great storm that threatened the lives of everyone on board. The sailors discovered that it
was Jonah’s fault that this calamity had come upon them so they asked him what they
should do and Jonah told them that if they would pick him up and throw him into the sea
the storm would calm down.
Some of you have asked me why Jonah didn’t just throw himself overboard since he knew
that it was on his account that this great storm had come upon them. And my answer is that
Jonah did not throw himself overboard because he was a coward. As I told you a couple of
weeks ago, Israelites had virtually no or little experience upon the sea. They were mostly
landlocked lumberjacks. They found the sea or deep waters to be a source of anxiety. The
sea symbolized chaos and disorder. So even though Jonah knew that throwing him
overboard was the only solution, he was never going to throw himself overboard. Someone
else would have to do it.
So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. (1.15) The
sailors must have breathed a sigh of relief as they sailed away in calm weather but they
knew there was no hope for Jonah’s survival. Jonah bobbed up and down in the waves
gasping for every breathe as the ship sailed further and further out of his sight. This was
Jonah’s greatest nightmare. Who knows if Jonah even knew how to swim? We don’t know
how long it took for Jonah to start sinking and descending into the deep but we can imagine
it didn’t take long. But before we are given the details of Jonah’s plunge into the abyss,
God’s Word first declares his deliverance saying, “And the Lord appointed a great fish to
swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.” (1.17)
It is significant that the first thing we are told after Jonah is thrown into the sea is that the
Lord has already prepared a fish to save him from death. The Lord leaves us no doubt that
He was coming to Jonah’s rescue. This word “appointed” occurs three other times in Jonah
(4.6-8) and always indicates that God is directing affairs so to accomplish His holy will. The
term is translated in different ways like “prepared,” “provided,” or “ordained.” All of which
underscores God’s absolute sovereignty and His ability to control nature as He desires. The
fish’s swallowing Jonah is not to be seen as punishment for Jonah’s disobedience but as the
means by which God delivers Jonah from the clutches of death.
2
The Belly of the Whale
Jonah being shallowed by a great fish and surviving in the belly of a whale is one of the
most ridiculed stories of the Bible. Skeptics say that there is no way that a whale could
swallow a man and even if it could the man would certainly never survive three days and
three nights in its belly, as the Bible claims. However, some species of whales and sharks
are quite capable of swallowing a man whole. Among these are the sperm whale, the white
shark, and the whale shark, all of which have been found with whole animals as large or
larger than humans in their stomachs. There is always some air in the whale’s stomach
which is needed to keep the animal afloat. It would be very hot in the belly of a whale
(between 104-108 degrees) but survivable. Contact with the animal’s gastric juices would
easily affect the person’s skin, but would not cause a person’s death. However, there are
those who believe that Jonah did not live through this digestive nightmare and actually
suffocated and died in the great fish and then God brought him back from the dead when he
was vomited on the shore.
Those who believe in the God of the Bible will have little difficulty believing that such an
event actually happened. Especially, when the Lord Jesus states that the account of Jonah
and the whale was factual and uses the experience of Jonah in the belly of the whale as a
comparison to His experience with death and resurrection. (Mt.12.41) Brothers and sisters,
the Word of God is true and righteous altogether. (Ps.19.9) Let God be found true and every
man be found a lair. (Rom.3.4) Jonah being shallowed by a great aquatic animal and
surviving after three days and three nights is clearly portrayed in Scripture as a special act
of God, a miracle, and miracles are by definition impossible or at least improbable, and
therefore need no further explanation.
Brothers and sisters, I believe the Bible is the true and without error. What that means is
when God’s Word tells us that the Spirit hovered over the chaos of the waters and God
created all things from nothing by the word of His power in the space of six days, that’s
what happened. I believed that when God’s Word tells us that the Lord preserved Noah and
seven others from the worldwide flood by commanding him to build an Ark and to go into
it, that’s what happened. I believe that when God’s Word tells us that the children of Israel
cross over the Red Sea on dry land, that’s what happen. I believe that when God’s Word
tells us that the children of Israel crossed over the Jordan River on dry land, that’s what
happened. I believe that when God’s Word tells us that a metal axe-head floated on top of
the water, that’s what happed. I believe when God’s Word tells us that Jesus turn water into
wine, that’s what happened. I believe that when God’s Word tells us that Jesus walked on
water, that’s what happened. I believe that the whole debate surrounding Jonah in the belly
of the whale is nothing but a distraction from seeing the power of God to deliver His people
from clutches of death and the beauty of God’s grace working in the heart of a fugitive.
Jonah chapter two is a breakdown of Jonah’s experience after he was thrown overboard,
sunk to the bottom of the sea, shallowed and vomited by the great fish.
Hear now the Word of God.
3
1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said: “In my distress I called to
the Lord, and He answered me. From the depth of Sheol I called for help, and You listened to
my cry. 3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents
swirled about me; all Your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ 5 The engulfing waters
threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots
of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But You, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit. 7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered You, Lord,
and my prayer rose to You, to Your holy temple. 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols turn
away from God’s love for them. 9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to You.
What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” 10 And
the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (2.1-10)
Jonah’s Prayer
Verse one of chapter two begins by telling us that from inside the fish Jonah prayed to
the Lord his God. (2.1) All the action of chapter one has come to a full stop leaving Jonah
alone with his God. The busyness of catching an Uber to Joppa, finding the ship to Tarshish,
battling the great storm, throwing the cargo into the sea, praying to false gods, casting lots,
interrogating Jonah, and throwing him overboard is all in the past. Everything has come to
a full halt in order to leave Jonah alone with his God. Brothers and sisters, in our fast pace
world, we must leave time for the stillness of the soul. Take time for God before you end up
in a whale of a situation. Jonah’s prayer has two parts. In verses two through seven Jonah
describes his near-death experience. And then in verses eight and nine Jonah describes his
reaction to the beauty of God’s grace.
Jonah’s Near-Death Experience
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 depth of Sheol I called for help, and You listened to
my cry. (2.1-2) When Jonah cries for help from the depth of Sheol he is admitting that he is
facing death. Being cast into the sea was certainly one of Jonah’s greatest fears but facing
death as a fugitive from God was even more scary. The man used by God in the privileged
position as one of the Lord’s prophets now finds himself as a fugitive from God knowing
that he was about to drown. Jonah is in valley of the shadow of death and he is experiencing
great fear. It’s amazing how the prospect of death brings spiritual sobriety.
Even though the sailors were the ones who physical threw him overboard, Jonah knew full
well that all of this was the Lord doing and he cries out, “You hurled me into the depths, into
the very heart of the seas. (2.3a) The currents are swirling around him and the waves and
breakers are sweeping over him. (2.3b) The sailors leaving him stranded in the middle of
the Mediterranean wasn’t the problem. The problem was that Jonah felt banished from the
Lord’s sight. “ I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight.’” (2.4a)
4
Isn’t it strange what a near-death experience can do? Three times in chapter one we were
told that Jonah was fleeing from the presence of the Lord. Now, Jonah actually feels that he
has been banished from the Lord’s presence. You would think he would be happy but
instead he says, “yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.” (2.4b) As Jonah fights to stay
afloat, he has nothing to hold on to except his faith. So, he looks towards the holy temple
which represents God’s presence among His people and cries out to God.
As one who has had a near-death experience, I will tell you that faith is of ultimate
importance when facing death. Death is the last enemy each of us will face as the Lord’s
tarries and the only way to abolish the fear of death is faith in Christ. Brothers and sisters,
the name of Jesus should be on our lips when we are about to breathe our last breath. By
this time the waters engulfed Jonah. He is losing his strength and begins to drown. As he
plummets downward the seaweed wraps around his head. (2.5) He sinks to down to the
roots of the mountains and Jonah begins to realize that this will be his watery grave. (2.6a)
Jonah is on the brink of death for lack of oxygen and he knows his life fading away. Do you
see the progression? Jonah goes down to Joppa. (1.3) Jonah goes down into the ship. (1.3)
Jonah goes down below deck. (1.5) Jonah goes down to the roots of the mountains. (2.6)
Now when Jonah can sink no lower, the Lord intervenes and raises him upward. Jonah is
unaware that a great fish has just shallowed him alive. There are no vivid descriptions of
the fish or Jonah’s stay in it. All we know is that the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow
Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.” (1.17)
Jonah’s Reaction to the Beauty of God’s Grace
All that Jonah remembers from this dreadful experience is the beauty of God’s grace saying,
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of
grateful praise, will sacrifice to You. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say,
‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” (2.8-9) Jonah is not referring to the sailors when he
mentions those who cling to worthless idols. Jonah is referring to himself. As Jonah was
fleeing from the presence of the Lord, he was making his own god. A god that would let him
do what he wanted to do. A god that would let him go where he wanted to go. And a god
that would let him think the way he wanted to think. But by doing this Jonah had turned
away from God’s faithful love. And so do we. Remember, an idol is anything that takes the
place of God. Jonah might not have worshipped the idols of this world but he had certainly
substituted his relationship with the Lord with his own opinion and his own agenda.
Jonah had been behaving like a fool and now as his seeks consciousness in the belly of the
whale he confesses his foolish behavior. And as Jonah gasps for survival, he makes a
sacrifice of the precious oxygen and gives shouts of grateful praise to God. He recommits
himself to the vows he had previously made to God and declares that Salvation is from the
Lord! (2.8-9) We will see in chapter four that Jonah will still require the ongoing work of
sanctification but so do we. But for now, Jonah sees the beauty of God’s grace by God
miraculously saving his life from the ocean floor and returning him to dry land.
5
Deliverance from Death
I want you to see that verse seventeen of chapter one and verse ten of chapter two serve as
bookends for Jonah to tell his experience after being thrown overboard. “And the Lord
appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days
and three nights.” (1.17) “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry
land.” (2.10) But has anyone ever wondered why the Lord didn’t just transport Jonah like
He did to Philip the Evangelist in Acts chapter eight? (Acts 8.39-40) When at one moment
the Evangelist is baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch on the desert road to Gaza and the next
moment the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away . . . and Philip found himself in Azotus.
If the Lord wanted Jonah back on the mainland, why didn’t He just transport him to
Nineveh once the sailors threw him overboard? That would have been as miraculous as
three days and three nights in the belly of a whale and He could have avoided all this
controversy about the whale. Why didn’t the Lord miraculously transport Jonah to
Nineveh? I believe the answer is that Jonah’s experience of being shallowed by the whale
delivering him from death is a foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus Christ. As I shared with you
last week, there was an episode during Jesus’ earthly ministry where some Pharisees and
teachers of the law said to Christ, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A
wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of
the prophet Jonah. 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. (Mt.12.38.40)
Jesus’ reference to Jonah being three days and three nights in the belly of the whale is often
identified as a prophecy foretelling the number of days and nights Jesus would spend in the
grave prior to His resurrection. While that is certainly true, I want you to see that Jesus is
not just referring to the number of days and nights He would be in the grave but His
willingness to suffer the pain of death so that we would be deliver from fear of death.
Brothers and sisters, Jonah was casted into the sea by the hands of pagan sailors. Jesus was
nailed to the cross by the hands of godless men. (Acts 2.23) Something great than Jonah is
here! (Mt.12.41) Jonah willingly fell into the sea. Jesus willingly humbled Himself to death
on the cross. (Phil.2.8) Something great than Jonah is here! Jonah continued in the belly of
the whale for three days and three nights. Jesus continued under the power of death for
three days and three nights. Something great than Jonah is here! Jonah was delivered safe
from his watery grave. Jesus emerged victorious over death from the tomb. Something
great than Jonah is here! Jonah was vomited upon the shore to continue his ministry in
Nineveh. Jesus was resurrected to continue His ministry at the right hand of the Father.
Something great than Jonah is here! For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and
that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (ICor.15.3-4) Why did Christ
die? Why was Christ buried and rise on the third day? To assure me in times of personal
crisis and temptation that Christ my Lord by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and
terror of soul on the cross has delivered me from the fear of death. (adapted from the
Heidelberg Confession #44)
6
The story of Jonah and the whale is a remarkable picture of the deliverance from death that
foreshadows Jesus Christ who was delivered over to death for our sins, suffered the pain of
death for our forgiveness, and was raised from the dead for our justification. (Rom.4.25)
Brothers and sisters, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but
thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (ICor.15.54-57)
Closing Thought
Let us join Jonah today by giving shouts of grateful praise. Through Christ, let us continually
offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips and give thanks to His name. Let
us say aloud, “Salvation belongs to the Lord!”