Jonah 1:17-2.10

Jonah chapter 1 verse 17 through chapter 2 verse 10 now 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 then Jonah prayed unto the Lord is God out of the of the fish’s belly and said I cried by reason of mine affliction of the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I and thou heardest my voice for thou hast cast me into the deep in the midst of the seas and the floods come past me about all thy billows and thy waves passed over me then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look again toward thy holy temple the waters come past me about even to the soul the depth closed me round about the weeds were wrapped about my head I went down to the bottoms of the mountains the earth with her bars was about me forever thou hast brought up my life from corruption O Lord my God when my full soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee into thy holy temple they that observed lying vanities forsake their own mercy, but I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay 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. And then if you would, Matthew, the book of Matthew chapter 12, verses 38 to 41. Matthew, Matthew chapter 12, Matthew chapter 12, Matthew verses 38 to 41. Then certain of the scribes and the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. And he answered and said unto them, an evil, an adulterous generation seeketh after a sign. But there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights, the whale’s belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it. Because they repented at the preaching of Jonas. Behold, a greater than Jonas is here. God bless to us, his sacred and holy word this morning. Jesus, after his resurrection, told his disciples, all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. But where is Christ mentioned in the book of Jonah? What text can you point to that it has a prophetic utterance in it? What we do learn is that Jonah himself? is a type of Jesus Christ from the New Testament. His life resembles vital truth concerning Christ, and it was purposely designed that way by the Lord our God. Our Lord said that Jonah was a type of his own resurrection from the dead. Our Lord said that the story of Jonah provides a profound, prophetic picture, if you would, of our Savior, a historic illustration of what would happen to the Son of God himself. Christ’s comment here sets forth an analogy between himself and Jonah, at least three areas. Verse 40 indicates a type. Verse 41 indicates a contrasted parallel because because the Ninevites repented, but a greater than Jonah is here, and we find that the people of Christ Day were not repenting. And then he says, Jonah is a sign in verse 39. So there is a resemblance between Christ and Jonah, which verse, our purpose is this morning, I’ll just simply call a type, that Jonah is a type of Jesus Christ. And I’ll take it based on the words, as Jonah, as Jonah, so shall the son of man. So let’s take a few minutes this morning and make a comparison between Jonah and Christ. Because I think that’s exactly what our Lord would have us do. And this is what his point is, I think, in this text in Matthew. Now let’s start with this idea. How is Jonah a type of Christ’s death and resurrection when he didn’t actually die? He thoughts on that. Yes, Russell. But he was no longer in the land of the living. In the fish’s belly here, as far as he is concerned, he’s as good as dead and buried. For all intents and purposes, his life has been forfeited. So the picture is there for us. His life is king. canceled. And for three days and for three nights. He swished around, if you would, like a cork in the belly of this great fish or the whale. It’s a very unique and strange grave. What about the resurrection? How do we see a resurrection in Jonah here? What happens? He gets vomited out. Yeah. Someone had said this was the first amphibious. landing but the truth of the matter is to portray him being brought up from the death from death to the land of the living again and so that’s that’s what’s portrayed here for us in this vomiting out and so we have this idea he’s taken out of the land of the living he’s buried by being thrown into the sea and then swallowed by the fish he’s there for three and a half three days three nights and then he’s resurrected back again, yes. Well, we’re going to take this pretty far here. So here he is. He’s resurrected in this sense. So we have a picture, at least, of death barrel and resurrection in Jonas’ case. Now, here’s what’s really interesting. I want you to look with me at the book of Acts, chapter 2 verses 29 to 31. Now this particular passage is Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. I want you to look carefully at the wording that you used regarding Christ’s death, burial, and so forth here. He says, men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he was both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us under this day. Therefore, being a prophet, in knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that from the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. Now, I want you to compare verse 31 with what we read in the book of Jonah in verse 2 and verse 6. Tell me what you see similar. He’s using the language for it, isn’t he? Yeah, and he, you know, but also, you know, Jonah’s body, Christ didn’t. So what about verse 2 in verse 6, this passage in Matthew, or Acts, excuse me? Yes, he uses the phrase hell here. Now, so Johnny uses the word hell, or the, word is Hades. It’s in the Hebrew, it’s shiel, but the Septuogen, it’s Hades, and corruption. Hell is the, or shield, is the place of departed spirits. This word can be used for either the good or the bad, but it is the unseen world beyond this life. In other words, the idea is this is where the soul abides after death. So he’s indicating to us as far as he’s concerned, he sees himself as out of the land of the living. Corruption speaks of the grave. This is the entombment of the body now that the soul has departed and we see it decays where it rots. And so the corruption is spoken on. And this is the very language that Jesus uses in the New Testament. So it is used of Jesus in the New Testament. So this is interesting also, just to see the parallel between these two with regard to the picture that’s being portrayed. Yes, Russell. Yes, Peter indicates to us, it applies to Christ here, because David, you know, is buried and his body has seen corrupt. You’re right. So, hang on, in a type, you… True. The picture is here for us. So Jonah’s life here is forfeited, it’s canceled, it’s taken away, but it’s restored. So he has sort of a new life after getting vomited out. And so we have this idea. And isn’t this, in a sense, the gospel in a nutshell? For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to scriptures, as 1 Corinthians 15 tells us. So the length of days and nights, the language of hell and corruption, the symbolism of death, burial, and resurrection, all make Jonah, in a sense, here, a unique type of Christ. I think that’s what we can gain from this. Any other thoughts on that particular area? That’s a pretty easy parallel with regard to what Jesus says in the new testament. All right. Now let me… Yes, Russell. I wonder if the… When Christ was raised from the dead, Yes. We’re going to talk about that. I’m going to talk about that in a minute. Yeah, it had to have an effect upon people, I think. You’re right. How is it that the death of both Jonah and Christ were pre-planned by God? How do we know that Christ’s death was pre-planned by God? So you’re an axe, you know. Let’s look at verses 22 and 23 here. Maybe that would help. since we’re already there. You men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, the man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. And there are many passages we could look at and see that Christ’s death was preordained. He was the lamb slain before the foundation of the law. world as far as God’s purpose was concerned. Now, how do we see that Jonah’s death here was pre-planned also? What do we see here? God has prepared the great fish ahead of time, right? It’s not a spur of the moment event. It’s not as if God had to make hasty arrangements after Jonas went down to job and decided to take this ship to Tarshus. as if you were caught off guard. And somehow, rather, he had to make arrangements afterwards. It was not as though Jonah had a head start on God, you know, and God had to somehow cut them off at the pass or something. Nothing like that. Yes, Russell. Sure. Because Christ hadn’t. Well, that’s one of the things that they’ve been attacked viciously for because of that. I mean, basically Christ’s death was a secondary thought. He wouldn’t have thought. If he, according to their plan, Israel should have accepted Christ and therefore the kingdom would have been ushered in according to the dispensationalists, and he would never have died on the cross, which indicates to us that their whole plan for everybody before Christ must have been that you could get to heaven without a sacrificial death of Christ, which is totally contrary to everything that we have about the prophecies of Christ concerning his work on the cross. and so forth given to us in the Old Testament. Everything was leading up to his death. Even Jonah is a type. Why would you give a type if it wasn’t going to happen? I mean, none of this makes any sense. I mean, you basically would be saved by keeping the law, according to dispensational viewpoint. What did Christ? Yeah, I don’t. They were trying to make him an earthly king, which I think his point was I’m not like, my kingdom isn’t like the kingdoms of this world. And so they had one idea of the kingship and he had a completely different idea of what it should be. It’s a spiritual kingdom I was talking about. They have it restored after the, you know, what they call the times of the Gentiles. But here we have this sea monster, you know, particularly grown by God ahead of time. Jonah was predestined to be in the belly of the world. He was predestined because he was going to be a type of Christ and God purposed that he would be a type of Christ. He had to be able to say with Joe, for he performed the thing that he appointed for me. So Jonah here is entombed in the will’s belly. It was the outworking of God’s eternal plan. Everything being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after his own will. The counsel of his own will. So Christ says that, that he came to do the will of the Father. And that will was delayed on his life. A body thou hast prepared me, we read him saying. And why was a body prepared for Christ by the Father? As Hebrews 1010 tells us, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ, Jesus. So the death of Christ was eternally pre-planned. God prepared in advance. take a place. And in a sense, Jonas was as well in this text. Any thoughts on this before I move on to another thought here. How can it be said that both Jonah and Christ died as an act of God’s judgment? You know, there are prophets that we have that in a sense they had the play act. Ezekiel, for example, had to lay on one side for 390 days. is a sign of God’s judgment on the Northern Kingdom. It was a symbolic act. Josea was commanded to marry a prostitute in order to portray Jehovah’s love for an unfaithful Israel. And while Jonah is symbolizing the death, the burial, and resurrection of Christ, there’s something more to it than play acting. Because Jonah was in the belly of the fish because of God’s righteous anger against His sin. whereas Josea and Ezekiel, their sin is not taken into account. They were actually play acting, giving a picture, if you would, of what God was going to do. Whereas in Jonas’ case, he’s not only being a pitcher for us or a type, but there’s a sense in which he falls under God’s righteous judgment. And so death is a just power. penalty for him. That’s why he says, throw me overboard. He expects to die. He knew this was what he deserved. Now, in the case of Christ, he didn’t have any sin. He was sinless. So how is it that his death is the judgment of God or the wrath of God being poured? How do we see that in this story? Why did that happen? Sins are… Right. Christ death is… more than a nice symbolic gesture. He was actually a substitute, as you have mentioned, for his people. I like the old theological term for Talmud, it’s the word satisfaction. It’s found in the book of Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 11, where we read that he shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. God demands a just payment for sins. His justice has to be satisfied. And Christ’s death satisfied the justice of God for those for whom he died. And that was his purpose, is to save his people from their sins. So he purchased them a new heart, regeneration. He purchased them a new record, forgiveness. But he provided for their sin debt, expiation. He provided for the satisfaction of God’s wrath, which was propitiation, and the restored believer now has reconciliation with God and fellowship with God. For Christ also has suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, as 1. Peter 3.8 indicates. How is Jonah’s death a sacrificial death? We’ve touched on all this before, but just briefly, by way of review. How is it a sacrificial? What happened with Jonas? Yes. Right. He died in order to spare the others. And that I picture is a picture that we can see. It’s like a substitutionary death in that sense. It’s not a perfect picture, as you’ve indicated. Not all types are perfect, but they should have some similarity to the actual antiteite. So here we’re. we have God’s wrath is turned away. The sea calms, as soon as John is thrown overboard, God’s wrath is turned away and they’re spared. In fact, we find them to actually save. The indication is that these sailors repent. Now, how can it be said that both Jonah and Christ, well, let me put it this way, how can it be said that the death and resurrection of both Jonah and Christ opened the door of the gospel to the Gentiles? he can take those both near and far off and draw them to himself. And so the Great Commission is given after Christ’s resurrection to go out into all the world and preach the gospel. For his kingdom would be a worldwide kingdom. And so we see through his death, Barrow and Resurrection, we see the Gentiles now being gathered in. That was the direct result of Christ’s death, bear on resurrection. What about Jonah here? This takes us back to not only the guys on the ship, but what else happens? He goes to Nineveh, and the Nineveites were Gentiles. They were the Assyrians, right? They were the enemies of the people of God. Now, one can imagine that when Jonah went there, he was a hellfire and brimstone preacher. You know, God’s going to overthrow you in 40 days. And if you want to know, something about the rathes, of God, look what happened to me. But even in his story, even if he didn’t even get to all the details of God’s mercy and forgiveness, just his story alone and how he was spared by the Lord, by God’s mercy and given forgiveness, that alone seems to be an indication of maybe if we repent, God would be merciful to us. and so we see them repenting. I mean, God, of course, worked in their hearts to bring this about, but we see repentance brought about. Whether, you know, Jonah wasn’t too thrilled about it, so we know it wasn’t his, you know, purpose to motivate them to actually repent. His purpose was, hey, you’re going to get destroyed, and you ought to be destroyed. But his whole life story, when we look at it, is, talks about mercy and forgiveness. That’s how he was able to come and speak to them. And so that in itself gave him an indication that there would be some, perhaps way of mitigating the situation of the judgment. And I think that’s what we can find here. So that in this story, we see Gentiles being brought in salvation. It’s somewhat ironic. Yeah. Yeah, he could talk about God’s right. wrath, you know, in sending the storm, and him getting swallowed up by the fish, and he could talk about all that. But the bottom line is, God spared him. There was mercy with the wrath of God upon it. And so here, the wrath of God is upon the city and the people there, and there is possibility of mercy, and they repent, and they find the mercy of God. Any other thoughts on this? I thought we should take a little time and think about the comparison. here between Jonah Christ. Is there anything you think of that perhaps that I haven’t touched on here that would be useful? Right. Well, why don’t we close with a word of prayer? And I’ll ask Russell.