UBF Daily Bread

GOD SAVES THE SHIP AND JONAH

Passage: Jonah 1:8~17

Key verse: 17

⁸So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

⁹He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord,^(A) the God of heaven,^(B) who made the sea^(C) and the dry land.^(D)”

¹⁰This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)

¹¹The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

¹²“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”^(E)

¹³Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.^(F) ¹⁴Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man,^(G) for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.”^(H) ¹⁵Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.^(I) ¹⁶At this the men greatly feared^(J) the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows^(K) to him.

Jonah’s Prayer

¹⁷Now the Lord provided^(L) a huge fish to swallow Jonah,^(M) and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

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1. Running away from the Lord (8-12)

When the ship was breaking up in the storm, the sailors cast lots and found that Jonah was responsible. He confessed that he worshiped the God of heaven, the Creator of the land and sea. They were terrified because they knew that he was running away from his God. He told them to throw him overboard. He knew that the storm had struck them because of him.

2. The Lord prepares a great fish (13-17)

The men did not want to throw him overboard. They did their best to bring the ship back to land, but the sea was too wild. Finally, they gave in. They prayed and asked God's forgiveness, and threw Jonah overboard. Immediately the sea became calm. The sailors feared God and worshiped him. God himself took care of Jonah. He prepared a great fish to swallow him. God saves and trains even reluctant servants until they can obey him and do his work.

Prayer: Lord, help me to receive your mission and not run away from you. Help me not to be a burden to others.

One Word: God saves and uses reluctant prophets