The Miracle of Salvation
Chapter 2 of the book of Jonah sees a literary change from narrative to poetry.
Specifically it is a prayer that is split into 2 halves in terms of movement.
The first half (vv1-6) direction is downwards, a descent into water.
The movement of the second half (vv 6-10) is upwards, an ascent via the
fish onto dry land. We see both a descent to 'sheol’, the Hebrew
world of the dead, and then an ascent to salvation. Salvation is the over-riding
theme of this book for it tells of a God who longs to be compassionate
to people. He saves the Phoenician sailors in chapter 1, he rescues the
errant prophet Jonah in chapter 2 and he forgives the Ninevites in chapter
3 relenting of his promised judgement.
Jonah undergoes the salvation experience. First he comes to realise that he is in a position of utter hopelessness. Then, as he cries to the Lord, he is saved by God through the miracle of the great fish. Where man's resources come to and end God is only just beginning! As he marvels at his rescue, safe in the fish, so he prays.
The prayer is taken almost line by line from the Hebrew Psalter as Jonah applies the Scriptures that he clearly knows well to his own situation. Jonah refers to an earlier prayer, presumably a cry for help when he first entered the water and started drowning. He relives the point of crisis when only the miraculous intervention of God could do anything to help (v2-6a). We should note the irony in that having wanted to be rid of God in his flight to Tarshish, Jonah now finds himself destined to a place where he will be forever rid of God - or rather, God of him! Jonah realises that he is destined for hell from where there is no escape and he can only call on God for help.
Grace
Jonah has been disobedient. God orders circumstances so that he is
forced to desert his selfish wilfulness, confront his sinfulness and turn
back to God in supplication and surrender. As space is allowed for God's
grace, so it flows and new life comes from a situation that meant certain
death. Here we see a picture not only of God dealing with errant believers
but one of conversion too. God is the prime mover, not Jonah. It is God
who saves us, not we who save ourselves. Even at the last God will respond
to repentance and a call on his name. And so in v 6 we get the change of
direction for Jonah in the whole book, from down to up. Verses 8 and 9
are an appraisal of God’s salvation that echoes the process that the sailors
went through. Jonah recognises God’s sovereignty. God sent the storm, God
sent the fish, and later God will send a hot East wind. God also sends
human beings and Jonah finally recognises that he must go to the Ninevites!
God is omnipotent and there is no escape from him in our lives. Indeed,
the only right thing to do is run towards him! It is only our sinful imaginations
that tell us that it is a trap. In God is light, life and freedom. This
is the message of this chapter to the non believer.
The believer is equally challenged. Doug
Goins has this to say:
'[Some] of us have resisted the implications of really
knowing him because we are afraid of the cost of being faithful, obedient
disciples in our relationships; and we are also afraid of the possible
responsibilities we have toward the Ninevites in our lives, those we hate
and fear. Finally, there are those of us who have heard a specific call
like Jonah's to costly commitment, and we have been running away to Tarshish
ever since.'