RUSSELL SANDERS
8-16-2020
JONAH PART 7
Ch 1:8-10 (NKJV)
As the sea was raging, the mariners cast lots to determine who was at fault for “the god’s” judgement that was upon them. The lot fell upon Jonah.
They said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is the trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people (group) are you?” (vs. 8 NKJV)
They wanted to get to the root of the problem. They wanted to know everything they could about this fare-paying passenger in hopes of finding an answer to their dilemma. Verse 9 says “And he (Jonah) said to them, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD (YHWH), the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ “
What? The One who made the SEA? This was very terrifying because their entire livelihood was made at sea! And this was the very god that had been provoked! They likely thought “It could not be any worse than this.” What in the world are we going to do?
In verse 10 it says, “Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, ‘Why have you done this?’ for the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD (Jehovah) because he had told them.”
Jonah confessed everything. He “came clean” with them and (as we shall see in v. 13) they respected him for that. They also knew this was no ordinary “god” with whom they were dealing.
When we are blatantly disobedient to Him, it opens a gate for Satan to afflict us as God “steps aside” from protecting us. When we know that we are walking outside of His will, we can expect neither His protection nor His blessing until we come into repentance.
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