Jonah 1:17 “1Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
I took this photo of the “Great Fish” statue in Joppa, Israel, just steps from the sea, in January 2023. There are frequent reports of whales just offshore in the Mediterranean there.
Consider the fact that the “Great Fish” was God’s loving discipline to stop Jonah from going the wrong direction to carry him to where he would full his calling.
Sometimes God allows Great Fish to swallow us. As unpleasant as that is, recognize that it is His merciful deliverance to bring us to where we need to be.
Also remember in Jonah 2:9-10 that his freedom came when he heard God’s voice the second time and answered, “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
I won’t pretend that being swallowed whole isn’t horrible, but that experience gave Jonah the wisdom and heart change that became part of the message he ministered to others.
Scripture says Nineveh’s people from king to commoner paid rapt attention and dressed in sackcloth to accept Jonah’s message. Why? They recognized the messenger had been through a life-transforming experience.
In history, several people have survived being swallowed by whales. In 1891, American seaman James Bartley spent 15 hours in a whale’s stomach before his crew mates caught the beast, saw movement in its stomach, and cut Bartley free. His skin had been burned by digestive acid and the hair dissolved from his body, but he lived. I’ve heard that after rescue, Bartley moved as far inland as possible so nothing reminded him of the sea because he never wanted to repeat that experience. Do you blame him?
Lord, help us hear and obey You the first time. If we don’t, thank you for working with us until we do learn what You intend!
This link tells the 1891 true tale of James Bartley, a modern Jonah. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2017/03/did-a-19th-century-sailor-get-swallowed-by-a-sperm-whale-and-survive/
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