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Jaws of the Sea



















Sliding around his slimy, slippery, and rank submarine, seasick Jonah had a bit of time for reflection.  For hours he lay atop the blubbery floor of his pitch black cell, as wave after wave of a lovely crill-and-water concoction swept over him.

Jonah was given a divine instruction, and that was to preach the gospel to Nineveh, one of the most notoriously corrupt cities of that era.  Disobeying the command of God, he boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, a city the opposite direction from his heaven-appointed destination.

A terrible tempest arose, threatening to sink the creaking craft and hurtle it to the depths of the sea.  Terrified of their approaching doom, the sailors begged their gods for deliverance, as the jaws of the heaving swell waited to swallow them alive.  When this proved to be of no avail, they cast lots to determine who had brought this calamity upon them.  Upon Jonah the lot fell, and having probably come to a realization of his error, and overcome with guilt, he requested to be thrown into the raging sea, proposing that his departure would calm the tempest.

 "So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging." 
Jonah 1:15

 Let's pause this fascinating story for a moment.  Jonah had already attempted to flee to Tarshish to escape from preaching to the city of Nineveh.  Now we find him wanting to be thrown into the gills of the furious sea.  Why?  Perhaps his guilt was so great he desired to put an end to his own life.  He didn't know that God had a plan to rescue His fearful servant.  So why didn't Jonah just repent rather than ask to die a horrible death by drowning (or so he thought)?  

 You know, in our lives, often we do the same thing.  We disobey God once, and then rather than repent, we try to hide form God and end up getting ourselves in a less-than-ideal situation as did Jonah.  Though lacking the blubbery walls, our spiritual struggles are essentially identical.  We try to hide from God. We enter our jail cells, slam the door shut, lock it, and throw the key away.

 And... I'm going to end right here.  Part 2 coming soon!

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