Jon 1:17 | KingComments | STEP | When Jonah has been thrown into the sea, he does not drown. The LORD takes care of him. He sends a great fish to swallow Jonah. Then the LORD does His work in Jonah. God, Who keeps life in the womb before birth, can also keep a Jonah in the stomach of the fish. The fish swallows Jonah, not to devour him, but to protect him. God saves Jonah because He still wants to use him. The fact that Jonah spent three days and three nights in the fish can only be explained as a miracle. The Lord Jesus calls Jonah’s stay in the fish a sign ( ). The miracle is not so much that Jonah is swallowed by a fish and comes out alive again. Nor is it a fish made by God especially for that circumstance. God could have made Jonah a super swimmer. God does nothing like that. The miracle God does here is that He appoints the fish right there and at that time and that Jonah stays for three days in the fish to serve as a sign for the days that the Lord Jesus will be in the tomb. For the Ninevites, Jonah is a man who went through death and resurrection. There is, however, this difference between the Lord Jesus and Jonah: Jonah entered ‘the grave’ through disobedience, while the Lord came there through His perfect obedience. Jonah is rejected because of his unfaithfulness, while the Lord is rejected because of His faithfulness.

‏ Jonah 1:17

Jonah Saved

When Jonah has been thrown into the sea, he does not drown. The LORD takes care of him. He sends a great fish to swallow Jonah. Then the LORD does His work in Jonah. God, Who keeps life in the womb before birth, can also keep a Jonah in the stomach of the fish. The fish swallows Jonah, not to devour him, but to protect him. God saves Jonah because He still wants to use him.

The fact that Jonah spent three days and three nights in the fish can only be explained as a miracle. The Lord Jesus calls Jonah’s stay in the fish a sign (Mt 12:39). The miracle is not so much that Jonah is swallowed by a fish and comes out alive again. Nor is it a fish made by God especially for that circumstance. God could have made Jonah a super swimmer. God does nothing like that.

The miracle God does here is that He appoints the fish right there and at that time and that Jonah stays for three days in the fish to serve as a sign for the days that the Lord Jesus will be in the tomb. For the Ninevites, Jonah is a man who went through death and resurrection. There is, however, this difference between the Lord Jesus and Jonah: Jonah entered ‘the grave’ through disobedience, while the Lord came there through His perfect obedience. Jonah is rejected because of his unfaithfulness, while the Lord is rejected because of His faithfulness.