Jonah 1:4-6
Big Idea: God stirs up a storm to win the sailors to himself and to wake Jonah up from his spiritual stupor.
- God’s _________________ ___________
Jonah 1:4 (ESV) — 4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea…
Psalm 135:5–7 (ESV) — 5 For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
Acts 13:29–30 (ESV) — 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead…
Acts 2:22–24 (ESV) — 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Ephesians 2:1–5 (ESV) — 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins… 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
God’s redeeming mercy is found in the wind.
- Man’s ___________ ________________
Jonah 1:5 (ESV) — 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them…
The ancient Near East’s religious environment included devotion to a multitude of “protecting spirits, patron deities, lower echelon gods and goddesses and senior members of the Pantheon,” which gave rise to an extremely confusing situation. Perhaps the sailors felt that they had not reached their god or had gone through the wrong “channels” to contact their particular patron deity. Thus they also “threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship…”
Nothing these men could do could appease the justice and judgement of God.
Luke 8:22-25
Recounting the life of Jonah is not the ultimate goal of the book of Jonah. Pointing to, and magnifying Jesus Christ is the ultimate goal of not only this book but also all of history. The point of Jonah is always that Jesus is better.
God is in every circumstance.
Questions to Consider
- Reflect on Psalm 135:5-7. What is this telling us about God?
- Why is this important when we think about Jesus and the cross?
- How does the reality of God’s sovereign love comfort you?
- In what ways is God using the “wind” in your life to draw you closer to himself?
- How often do you turn to your own devices to appease the “wind”? What are some ways that you try to cope with difficult circumstances and don’t turn to the Lord? (eating, entertainment, etc.)
- What does trusting in Jesus through the hardships instead of turning to idols look like?
- How might you pray that you trust Jesus more in the midst of the “wind”?
