Jonah 1:17-2:10
“Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:10). I don’t recall ever preaching from this particular verse from the book of Jonah, but someday I think I may have to. Why? Because I find it to be so reassuring. This one verse, as quirky as it is, tells us a great deal about God and about faith.
For one thing this verse shows God to be Sovereign over all of nature, including large fish. All God has to do is to speak and the fish obeys. Here the Jonah account resonates with the story of creation as found in Genesis (i.e. Genesis 1:3). In each case God utters a word which causes events to unfold, whether large or small, universal or particular, having to do with all humanity or with a single individual. In short, God’s reign is both transcendent and eminent. God is Sovereign.
For another thing this verse makes clear the redemptive nature of God’s work. In having the fish spew Jonah ashore God demonstrates a desire to give the reluctant prophet another chance. (In truth, God has been giving Jonah additional chances all along, from the boat dock to the hold of the ship, from the ship to the water, from the water to the fish, and now from the fish to the shore.) And we should remember that the purpose of Jonah’s mission to Nineveh was to call the Ninevites to repent so that they, too, might find redemption. God’s treatment of Jonah is illustrative of God’s regard for humanity in general. God is redemptive.
Yes, Jonah 2:10 is an odd little verse, yet it carries with it a lot of insight into the nature of God.
Prayer: Lord we glorify you for you alone are sovereign over all creation and in you alone do we find redemption. May your name be forever blessed. Amen.
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