Here we go – Jonah chapter 2! We left Jonah swallowed by a great fish navigating the depths of the sea. What is Jonah thinking now? Is he having a change of heart?
One thing is certain: Jonah begins to Lament. His prayer from the belly of the great fish is a classic Hebrew lament. He cries out to God, appeals to God’s character, and vows to praise God for his deliverance. There seems to be at least a whimper of repentance (a turning around) in Jonah’s spirit.
There is a consistent message in the Bible that repeats over and over – ‘repent and be saved.’ Repentance means ‘to turn’. Repentance is to do a 180. Jonah, through the experience in the belly of the whale, seems to do a 180. And by the end of chapter 2 he is vomited (regurgitated) onto dry land. A rebirth. A new beginning. A fresh start. A 2nd life. Jonah 2.0.
So far the wind, the waves, the great fish all serve as a kind of rebuke for God’s people. They had forgotten what God had called them to do, ‘to be a light to the Gentiles.’ (Isaiah 42 and 49) Now that Jonah has a 2nd chance to walk in God’s call for his life – will he follow through?
This question is a good one for us too – now that we have a 2nd chance to walk in God’s call for our lives – will we?
Sunday is a comin’,
Pastor Mark