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Based on Jonah 1:13-17
Total depravity is not the concept that man is as bad as he can be, for we all know that there are many degrees of evil among the lost, and this holds true even among the saved. Some redeemed people are less sinful than others, and some lost people are less sinful than others. Total depravity, when rightly understood, means that there is no part of man that has escaped the taint of sin. He is spoiled in every faculty. In body, soul, and mind he has fallen, and there is nothing left of purity that can be used in any way to merit salvation. It does not mean that he is worthless, for he is still of such great value to God that He would send His Son to die for His redemption.
If you looked at used cars and saw one with a poor body, worn tires, and cracked glass, but with a good motor, you might say there is some merit in it that makes it worthy of being purchased. It might be the other way around, and the motor is bad, but the body and tires may be very good. But a car that would fit the total depravity category has a poor motor, rusted body, worn tires, broken windows, clouded mirror, leaky tank, and some defeat in every part. In other words, there is nothing about it that compels you to admit that it merits escape from the junkyard. If it is kept and restored, it is only by grace. What would ever lead one to restore it? It would be because of the original nature and value of the car. It could be of great value again if restored.
This the idea behind God's salvation plan for man. Man has no claim on God's mercy. There is nothing about him that makes him worthy of a place in God's presence. If he ever gets there, it is only by God's grace. Man was once perfect and in fellowship with God, and if he is redeemed he can be restored to that original value and relationship. This means that man at his best is still evil and lost, but it does not mean that he is no good. On the contrary, he is still the most valuable creature in the world. He is valuable enough for God to make a way for him to be restored. He is still the only creature made in the image of God. He is like a Rolls Royce, or some other unique model. By its very uniqueness it opens the hope of being worth it to put labor into its restoration. What is once was it can be again, and that becomes a motivation to restore it.
The point I am getting at is that we must avoid carrying the concept of depravity to the point of absurdity and belittling the whole plan of God to redeem man. It was not an arbitrary act on the part of God to save men. He had planned to do so even before man fell because He knew that man had the capacity to be like His Son. Even in his depraved state he can do what is good in the eyes of God. Jesus said to His disciples, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more should your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them who ask Him?" If man who is evil can still do good, how much more can God, who alone is untouched by all sin. The book of Jonah is a clear revelation that just as good men can do evil, so evil men can do good. Let's look at this beginning with verse 13.
Jonah has been found guilty of sin against God, and of endangering the lives of everyone on the ship. Men of greater culture would have quickly agreed with his request to be thrown into the sea, but to our surprise these men who were so fearful are now willing to risk their lives for the sake of Jonah. Jonah must have felt quit small, for here were Gentile dogs, who were not a part of the covenant of God with Israel, and yet they would do for him more than he would ever consider doing for them. Even God's command could not bring him to bother with Gentiles, and now he sees Gentiles risking everything for his skin.
We don't want to get carried away to another extreme, so we must recognize this as a unique situation. Without a doubt the vast majority of pagans would have thrown him over just for the sport of it. The story is trying to convey, not that all pagans are just great guys after all, but that men are worth saving regardless of who they are, and to fail to try is greater sin than man's natural depravity. Jonah portrays that some pagans do have high standards of conduct, and are willing to make sacrifices to do what is humane. Calvin believes that the motives behind their attempt to save Jonah was true piety. They believed him to be a prophet of God, and they believed in his God, and they did not want to injure his servants.
It is of interest to note that Paul also received kindness from Julius, his pagan guard, while he was on a ship. Acts 27:3, "An Julius courteously and treated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends..." In both cases the kindness was rewarded. In both cases we see an example of the promise that even a cup of cold water given to Christ's servants will be rewarded.
Verse 14. The sailors rode hard, but to no avail, for the sea only got worse and there was no alternative but to throw Jonah over. Before they did, however, they prayed, and this time they all cried out to the Lord, and not to their own pagan small gods. Two times they mention the Lord in one sentence. Some people wonder if God hears the prayers of non-believers. It all depends on what you mean. These were pagans, but they believed, and God heard their prayer. God does hear the prayers of non-Christians if their prayer is one of belief. God is not afraid to do a favor for any sinner not yet saved. Jesus said that if we love only those who love us we are not God-like. God shows His grace to many before they become His children. Theologians call it prevenient grace.
This prayer was for salvation of the body and not of the soul, but it is not likely that they distinguished between the two. We see here an example of how God can use evil to bring forth good. Jonah disobeyed and did the opposite of God's will, and yet there was no loss, for by his act of evil he was led providentially to bring the knowledge of the true God to these men. Who knows how far it may have spread from them? When they arrived in Tarshis the story of their adventure, no doubt, spread like wildfire.
Notice that they say, "Lay not on us innocent blood." They had a conscience on this matter, and they did not feel right about killing a man. The law of God was written on their hearts. Like Pilate, they wanted on part of killing the innocent, but Pilate sought to wash his hands in water, and these men sought the forgiveness of God. It made the difference between salvation and damnation. As far as they were concerned, this was a matter between Jonah and God. They called him innocent as far as his relationship was to them. He had done nothing worthy of death against them. They threw him over, not by choice, but because circumstances compelled them. They recognize that God's will demands it.
Verse 15. So they reluctantly and with regret take up Jonah and throw him over. When God requires it, it can be right to take another life. The immediate effect proved that it was the only acceptable solution to their problem. It was an immediate confirmation that God had heard their prayers and granted their request. The sea ceased from its raging, and we see the first miracles of Jonah. The storm itself was not unnatural, but it was produced by natural causes such as wind. The sudden stop, however, was very unnatural. It was like the stilling of the storm by Christ, and it was recognized immediately as an act of God.
Verse 16. The pagans feared the Lord exceedingly. It was not the fear of death, or the fear of disobedience as before. Here was fear which was reverence. This was greater fear at the calm than at the storm since it was so obviously supernatural. The mystery of it would cause anyone to fear. The only response they could think to make was the obvious one of offering thanks by sacrificing to God. What they sacrificed is not known, but likely they had provisions for such a sacrifice, for it was common in the ancient world.
Many feel that they embraced the God of Israel and became proselytes. This is similar to the experience of Naaman after he was healed. He said in II Kings 5:17, "..for henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offerings or sacrifice to any god but the Lord." It is likely that Jonah must have met these men again later. He probably went back to the port at Joppa to purposely see them and let them know what happened, and also to hear of their reactions, for how else could he know of their decision to make vows to the Lord? We may very well see these sailors in heaven as examples of the good fruit that God can reap even from the disobedience of one of His servants. By trying to avoid Gentiles he actually ends up saving more than originally planned.
Many wonder if the vows were kept because it is typical of men to make promises when they are in danger, and then to forget them later when all is well. The one factor in their favor is that they made their vows after the danger was over. It was out of gratitude and not in order to placate God with the hope of escaping the danger. The record seems to speak highly of the piety of these pagans.
Verse 17. Men have gone to great length to try an escape the miracle in this verse. One even says that it means a ship picked him up which was called the whale, because a whale was its figurehead. Another says that a huge carcass of a whale floated by and Jonah took refuge on it. Others say it was all a dream he had in his troubled sleep, and others simply call it an allegory. Men have thought of every possible way to escape the obvious. Men have made so much fun of this event that sensitive scholars feel they must show that God really didn't do anything so silly. What they fail to consider, however, is that nothing could be more logical out in the middle of the sea to demonstrate, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to Jonah that it was not an accident but the grace of God that saved him. It is so sensible that all the substitutes are what becomes truly funny and ridiculous.
As far as the whale goes, there has been much ado about nothing. The word in Hebrew and Greek is a general term for all large sea creatures. It can mean a whale, but it is not limited to one. It could have been a white shark, for they have been known to swallow men. It could have been a whale too, for several species of them can also swallow a man. The biggest tragedy is that all the controversy over the whale has cause men to lose the primary message of the book. It is the mission emphasis of God's love and concern for all people. It reveals the folly of prejudice, and demands that we have a universal perspective. It is folly to debate details and never get out of the belly of the whale.
For the sake of accuracy, however, it is good to know just what the miracle is. Most take for granted that it was the swallowing of Jonah, but that has happened before, and so why would it be miraculous in Jonah's case? This was a case of special providence and not a miracle, because nothing impossible happened. The miracle consists in his preservation for 3 days, and then being spewed out. That is what is unnatural and an obvious sign of divine intervention. Jesus used this as an illustration of the greatest miracle of all-his resurrection. Like Jonah, he was in the grave of darkness, and, like Jonah, he was brought forth again to life. This is the true miracle of God. He saves from the impossible. It was not a miracle that the pagans were saved, however, for that was what we call the providence of God. God worked in their lives to spare them, because they were true examples of pagan piety.
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