Jonah had refused to go to Nineveh because he resented the fact that God might show grace to these enemies of Israel (See 4:2). But God graciously caught Jonah with a whale. If you go to the whaling museum in Eden in southern NSW, you will read the incredible true story about a man who was swallowed by a whale and survived for fifteen hours in its belly! So, Jonah’s experience is not so outlandish. When he was in the belly of the ‘big fish,’ which for obvious reasons we presume was a whale, Jonah seems to have assumed that he was in the place the Israelites called ‘Sheol’ (the abode of the dead). Jonah knew that he deserved what had happened. He had pronounced judgement on himself when he told the sailors to cast him into the sea (1:12). When the whale vomited Jonah up, he realised he wasn’t in Sheol, but rather that God was giving him another chance. So, he too was now experiencing God’s grace and mercy. It’s easier to show grace to others when you recognise how needful you are of it yourself. Jonah remained somewhat resentful towards the Ninevites, but the story is given to us to show how unreasonable Jonah was in such resentment. God’s people are to be ministers of God’s grace to others. We can only fulfil this role as we recognise how much grace we ourselves have received. Grace is undeserved favour. Who is God calling you to show grace to?
Think about who you need to forgive.
Read Jonah 2
