Jonah 1:17
Big Idea: God sovereignly appoints a fish to swallow up Jonah. The fish is the instrument that God uses to bring Jonah to the end of himself and to cry for mercy from his God.
Two things we know for sure:
- We know where the Fish _____________ ______________
Jonah 1:17 (ESV) — 17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah…
Psalm 74:13–14 (ESV) — 13 You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
The word [appointed] is used four times in the Book of Jonah and always points to the Lord’s power to accomplish his will. Here it shows his sovereignty over the creatures of the sea; in 4:6 it shows his power over plants; in 4:7 it shows his power over crawling creatures; and in 4:8 it shows his power over the wind. While God indeed may have prepared a special “fish” for Jonah, the text only indicates that God summoned the fish, common or special, to be at that place at the exact moment of need.
We know that the fish came from God.
Psalm 115:3 (ESV) — 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
Psalm 135:6 (ESV) — 6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
All of God’s sovereign control is an exercise of God’s loving care.
- We know where Jonah _______________ _____________
Jonah 1:17 (ESV) — 17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
“As to whether a man could survive in a whale’s stomach, the Encyclopedia Britannica maintains that he certainly could, though in circumstances of very great discomfort. There would be air to breathe, of a sort. It is needed to keep the animal afloat. But there would be great heat, about 104-108 degrees F. Unpleasant contact with the animal’s gastric juices might easily affect the skin, but the juices would not digest living matter, otherwise they would digest the walls of the creature’s own stomach.” – James Boice
Discomfort can often be the instrument that God uses for the most benefit in your life and in history.
Matthew 12:38–41 (ESV) — 38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Jesus endured the pouring out of God’s wrath and suffered eternal death so that we might enjoy eternal life.
Questions to Consider
- What are the two things we know for sure from this passage?
- Is it a comfort to know that God is in control of every circumstance you find yourself in? Why or Why not?
- Is discomfort a good thing? How did God use it in Jonah’s life? How is he using it in yours?
- Can you think of a time recently when you felt very uncomfortable? What was God seeking to teach you through it?
