Jonah 2:8–10 (NKJV)
“Those who regard worthless idols
Forsake their own Mercy.
But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay what I have vowed.
Salvation is of the LORD.”
So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
The previous passage showed Jonah understanding the truth of who God is. This passage shows Jonah pledging fealty. Rebelling against the LORD isn’t just wrong; it’s an epic fail.
Jonah is remembering that those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy.
So now his rebellion has turned into a promise of service. With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed.
He needs this. What’s coming next is going to be tough.
But now he’s ready.
God obviously created the storm that threatened to destroy the ship and got Jonah thrown overboard, but He is lord over much more than that.
Consider Jonah’s rebellion. Jonah needed to go through that. The lesson he learned (relearned, really) will get him though the coming trials. So, it makes sense that God masterminded that too.
We don’t have a problem with the idea that God caused a storm—even insurance companies call them acts of God—but Jonah’s rebellion? Could God have foreordained Jonah’s rebellion against God?
Absolutely. Just as the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He hardened Jonah’s.
But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses. — Exodus 9:12 (NKJV)
We’re can’t fully understand God’s perspective—we’re stuck inside space and time—but we can at least recognize our limitations and realize that these limitations don’t apply to God.
Everyone is going to have a time when they question God’s choices. Things are sure to happen that we disagree with. Even if we pray about it—fervently, frantically, desperately—the desire of our hearts can be denied.
Sometimes we get to see why. Sometimes we aren’t given that privilege.
