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