Jonah's prayer of faith
Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,
Jonah 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
Even in the belly of the fish, in a place as a grave, Jonah knew that God heard his prayer and would deliver him. Jonah knew the Psalms and prayed the Psalms to the Lord. If we want the Lord to answer our prayers we repeat his word. He honours his word above his name.
Psa 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. (see Jonah 2:4)
Psa 120:1 A Song of degrees. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
Jonah 2:3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
Psa 42:7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
Jonah 2:4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
Jonah 2:5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.
Lam 3:54 Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
Apparently there was seaweed with Jonah in the fishes belly. A dark and fishy dungeon, a holding place for a reluctant servant. No, this is not pergatory. There is no pergatory in the Bible. This was not a literal hell to escape from. There is no escape from hell.
Jonah 2:6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
Jonah was encompassed within the bars of the ribs of the fish. His prayer is remarkably calm, considering his situation. We have a promise of peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Jonah 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.
The LORD was his strength, although physically unable to visit the temple, Jonah visited God's Holy presence in his spirit. We have this privelege because of Jesus.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Psa 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
Out of the Whale
Jonah 2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
They that live in the way of empty lies, forsake their own mercy. God is truth and in him is salvation, mercy, and all blessings. Jonah in prayer in a swimming grave has need for truth and reality. It was no time for foolish thoughts and man made religious thoughts. In darkness we reach for something to hold onto, we seek the light of truth. How many of those who play games with God would hold onto their folly when all of their clever thoughts accompany them to a dark prison. Many are in darkness acting as if they were in light. How great is the darkness for the spiritually blind.
John 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
John 9:40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
John 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
Jonah wishes to obey the righteous acts of a servant of the LORD; sacrifice and vows paid. But what of obedience? He got into this trouble because of disobedience. Hear the words of Samuel to king Saul.
1 Sam 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1 Sam 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Jonah 2:10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
The LORD spoke and the whale puked out a lukewarm prophet upon the dry land. This sounds like what Jesus said about the lukewarm church.
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Jonah must have been a sight, smelly, maybe wrinkled dishwater skin, the stomach acids maybe bleaching his skin, but on good dry land. Guess which land? No doubt Assyria, but Nineveh was 375 miles inland from the Mediteranean sea. Plenty of time to get cleaned up and to determine to walk in obedience to the LORD. It is time for God's people to get cleaned up from sin and rebellion, it is time to get serious about obeying our Lord. Each one must leave darkness and as Jesus, walk out of the mouth of the tomb as new creations, servants of the Most High God.
Superragman@aol.com
Jonah Chapters
Jonah 3
Jonah 1 Table of Contents
Eaglewings Ministries
Eaglewings Testimonies