Sermon Notes — Medina Community Church

The Passage · Jonah 1:1–16 · ESV

vv. 1–3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. vv. 4–6 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” vv. 7–9 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” vv. 10–12 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” vv. 13–16 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

My Notebook

Part One

The Flight

vv. 1–3

God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, a city known for extreme ¹ and the most feared military power in the ancient world. This is not a pleasant mission. Jonah knows exactly what he is being sent into.

The word “Tarshish” appears three times in verse 3. Nineveh is 600 miles northeast. Tarshish is 1,800 miles ² — the farthest point in the opposite direction. The repetition wants you to feel the completeness of the disobedience.

The phrase “from the presence of the Lord” brackets verse 3. This is not ultimately about Nineveh or the assignment. It is about Jonah fleeing ³ Himself.

Verse 3 uses the word “down” three times: he went down to Joppa, down into the ship, down into the hull. Every step away from God is a step ⁴. The narrator shows us the direction of disobedience in the very movement of the story.

“Jonah knew his theology and still ran. It is not the rebellion of someone who does not know better. It is the rebellion of someone who knows exactly who God is and has decided to run anyway.”

Reflect · Is there something God has made clear that you have been heading away from?

Part Two

The Storm

vv. 4–12

The Lord “hurled” a great wind. The same word is used when the sailors hurl the cargo, and later when they hurl Jonah. God is wielding sovereign power on full display. Jonah is sailing on ⁵ sea.

The storm is not primarily a judgment. It is a merciful ⁶. God is not trying to wipe out Jonah. He is following him. The disruption is the mercy showing up in an unexpected form.

The pagans pray on deck. The prophet of God sleeps below. A pagan captain has to wake Jonah and tell him to pray. The man of God is not praying. The man who should be speaking for God is the one being called to ⁷.

Jonah confesses in v. 9: “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” He knows the right answer. He is still running from that God, on that God’s sea. Our ⁸ can be one thing while our actions reveal another.

Jonah offers himself to be thrown overboard, but does not offer to ⁹ to Nineveh. It is possible to be willing to face consequences for disobedience and still not be willing to repent of it. Jonah may have preferred the sea floor to Nineveh. Hardness can run that deep.

“The storm is not what is recommended. But it is what will be used nevertheless. And the storm will disrupt the wrong direction long enough to turn you around.”

Part Three

The Sailors

vv. 13–16

Before they throw Jonah overboard, the sailors row hard trying to reach dry land. They do not want to take a man’s life. They exhaust every other option first. God closes off every ¹⁰ except one.

Their prayer to Yahweh is remarkable: “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” These pagan sailors pray with better ¹¹ than most people sitting in pews on a Sunday morning.

After the sea calms, the men feared the Lord exceedingly, offered a sacrifice, and made vows. The whole chapter is a ¹²: the prophet runs and the pagans worship. God used the disobedience of a prophet to bring pagan sailors to genuine worship of Yahweh.

“God’s mercy does not require Jonah’s cooperation. It lands exactly where He intends it to.”

Reflect · Who have you written off as beyond reach? What does this chapter say about that?

Conclusion

Where are you in this story?

If you are running, the storm is the mercy. God does not stop pursuing his own. The disruption is meant to turn you around. Right answers with a hard heart is still disobedience.

If you are watching someone else run, keep praying. The wondrous mercy of God reached the sailors even in the presence of a rebellious prophet. God uses disruption to bring people from chaos into worship.

“The mercy of God is wondrous because it meets unexpected people in unexpected ways.”

My Response · One thing I am taking from this message

Prayer