Jonah and
the Sovereignty of God
Selected
Portions from Jonah 1-4
The
doctrine of the Sovereignty of God stands out very clearly all through the Book
of Jonah; all the 4 chapters of the Book of Jonah explicitly reveal that Jonah
was under the sovereign guidance of God.
What
is the sovereignty of God?
Arthur Pink, a Reformed theologian of the
last century, defines the sovereignty of God in the following way, “To say that
God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is
to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of
heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand
or say unto Him, What doest Thou? (Dan 4:35). To say that God is sovereign is
to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and
earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purposes, or resist His
will (Ps 115:3). . . . Such is the God of the Bible” (The Sovereignty of God, 20-21).
The
Sovereignty of God simply means God supremely reigns over the things of the
world, and over the affairs of men. All things happen according to the
sovereign counsel of God. It is like the needles of a clock rotating because of
the mechanism inside of the clock. The sovereignty of God is like the mechanism
inside of the clock. Whatever happens around is like the needles just rotating.
In
Jonah’s life, and in God’s dealings with the people of Nineveh, we see the
sovereign hand of God.
God’s Sovereignty in the Storms of
Life (1:4-16)
The
moment when Jonah disobeyed God and ran away from God, God was in action so
that Jonah would not escape as the way he wanted, but fall in line with the
will and plan of God.
·
So we read in 1:4, “But the LORD
sent out a great wind into the sea . . .”
·
Again we read in 1:7, “and the lot
fell upon Jonah.” God’s hand was upon the dye.
·
There was no escape for Jonah, but
had to be thrown into the sea.
The
storm was nothing but the Lord’s judgment upon Jonah for his disobedience and
defiance to the will of God for his life.
>>
The beautiful part of the turn of events and the sovereignty of God is that the
judgment on Jonah turned out to be salvation for the crew members of the
ship—sovereign judgment releases God’s mercy!
·
Even when God exposes sin, and
punishing the guilty, salvation can be found.
>>
Even for Jonah, in the midst of punishment, God prepared for his salvation
(1:17) (Ps 51:9-12).
Quite
often, our struggles are opportunities for God to open the salvation doors to
others.
·
The Philippian jailor’s salvation
(Acts 16).
·
There are many stories that says the
missionaries had to give their lives that the entire village or colony be
converted to the saving knowledge of God.
>>The
storms of life have their divine purpose. We should never disregard the storms
of life. God works through mysterious ways.
God’ Sovereignty in the Afflictions
of Life (2:1-10)
Jonah
went through a great affliction, he was thrown into the stormy sea and ended up
in the belly of the fish, and his experience was as if he was in hell (2:2). But
it was by the hand of God (2:3).
So
that he could experience the salvation of the Lord, and boldly say, “Salvation
is of the LORD” (2:9).
·
In verse 6, Jonah could see the hand
of God delivering him, “yet you have brought up my life from the pit.”
>>When
we are in complete dark situations, we could clearly sense the grace of God
shining mightily on us.
God’ Sovereignty in the Salvation of
Life (3:5-10)
Nowhere
is God’s sovereignty more clearly demonstrated than in His salvation of the
lost.
God is
free to bestow His saving mercy on whom He pleases. God says, “I will be
gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show
mercy” (Ex. 33:19b; Rom. 9:15).
This is
the picture we see in chapter 3 of Jonah as the Lord so graciously dealt with
the people of Nineveh (vv 5, 10).
·
People of Nineveh, though known for
their absolute wickedness, found the grace of God, and became recipients of
God’s salvation.
>>We
should never give up praying for the salvation of the people around, no matter
how wicked they are.
God’ Sovereignty in the Appointments
of Life (4:6-8)
God
“appointed” or “prepared” Jonah’s life or things around Jonah.
Divine appointments – The word translated as
“appointed” (“prepared” in KJV) appears four times in the book of Jonah, in
each case with God as the subject. God appointed a fish (1:17), a plant (4:6);
a worm (4:7); and an east wind (4:8).
Our
God is a God of appointments. He appoints or prepares our destiny. He plans our
lives. Our life is a Big Clock. The mechanism inside of the clock is the divine
decrees/plans for our lives. The dial outside is the everyday affairs of our
lives, which can only happen because of the mechanism inside moves. This does
not mean that we are like robots or puppets. We have our own wills, and
desires, but all are subjected to the Sovereign Will and Plan of God for our
lives. It is because He is our Maker, and we are His handiwork. The Maker knows
us well, and the best for our lives.
>>God is the one who prepares our lives, and we should
humbly allow Him to fulfil His plans for our lives. We should fall in line with
His plans for us; never run away from God’s plan, as the way Jonah did.
Conclusion/Applications
What does sovereignty of God mean to us? Rest in God, Relax in Him, Rejoice in
Him, & Remain in Him.
Apostle Paul says in Acts 17:28, “in Him we live,
and move, and have our being.”
C
H Spurgeon comments on the Sovereignty of God in Christians’ life:
"There is no attribute of God more comforting to His
children than the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty. Under the most adverse
circumstances, in the most severe troubles, they believe that Sovereignty hath
ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that
Sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children of
God ought more earnestly to contend than the dominion of their Master over all
creation - the kingship of God over all the works of His own hands - the throne
of God, and His right to sit upon that throne."
