Jonah 1:17 - God’s Sovereign Compassion

This week on Proclaiming His Word, we’re turning our attention to Jonah 1:17 and considering what this short book reveals about the Sovereignty and Compassion of God. Jonah may be known as the wayward prophet, but this story isn’t ultimately about him — it’s about the Lord who rules over all creation and yet chooses to show mercy toward it.

From the storm that raged on the sea to the great fish that swallowed the prophet, every detail reminds us that God is directing His creation toward His glorious purposes. And even more incredible is that His sovereign rule is matched by His deep compassion. He is the same God who calls, forgives, and restores.
Join me as we look to this faithful God who is both Sovereign and Compassionate. Let’s dig in and look to Jesus, our true hope!

Transcript

3 - Jonah 1:17 - God’s Sovereign Compassion

Intro

• Please take your Bibles and turn with me to Jonah chapter 1 and find verse 17.
  • Today is our third week in this short book, and today our time together will be considering the book of Jonah in a broad sense.
• I want you to know that I had not intended to go this direction today but instead wanted to continue looking at this wayward prophet.
  • However, the Lord led differently and just as Jonah was subject to His will so also are we today.
  • Therefore as we look at this book this morning, as we consider some broad lessons my prayer is twofold…
  • I pray that…
    • God would be Glorified… and
    • We would be Santified…
  • We will begin with reading just one verse but then we will go through this book to observe how what is true in one verse is true throughout the tale of Jonah.
• With that let’s read Jonah 1:17 and open in prayer…

Jonah 1:17

• Let us start off with a quick recap of what we have seen about this book and then also consider how the rest of the story unfolds…
  • This book begins with Jonah being given a straightforward command…
    • In verse 2 he is told to…
      • “Arise, go to Nineveh… and call out against it.”
    • He was to preach and call them to repent, to tell them of the judgment that was coming upon them.
  • Instead of obeying, we find this wayward prophet trying to flee from the presence of God.
    • He heads down to Joppa and finds a ship heading to Tarshish…
    • He goes down into the ship and falls fast asleep…
  • Only to be awoken by a pagan sea captain urging him to cry out in prayer to his God.
    • We are told that a storm had overtaken this ship and they had done everything they could to survive.
      • However, the ship was still threatening to break apart.  
    • The only thing left was for each person to cry out to his god just hoping that one of their deities would hear and show mercy.
  • Though Jonah is commanded to pray we do not find him praying…
    • However, he does own up to this all being his fault as he tells these pagan sailors to cast him overboard.
    • Though they were reluctant to do so, near the end of chapter 1, they cried out to the Lord, cast Jonah overboard, and offered sacrifices to God.
  • Jonah may have thought at this point that his life was over, that the Lord was finished with him.
    • It was at this point that he was then swallowed by a large fish and was found there for three days and three nights.
    • After which he is vomited up on shore and again commanded to call out against Nineveh, this time he obeys.
  • He preaches throughout the city a simple message and people respond with faith and repentance and God relents from the disaster that He intended to bring against them.
    • This is where we would expect the story to end with the prophet rejoicing that his word had been obeyed.
    • Instead we find a pouting prophet upset that the people listened to his call to repent.
  • God continues to interact with Jonah by appointing a plant, a worm, and the wind to affect his prophet.
    • Unfortunately the book ends with Jonah still being upset that God would forgive the people.
    • A truly sad ending to such a miraculous story.
• However, as I stated, Jonah will not be our direct focus today instead our focus will be how God Sovereignly and Compassionately interacts with His Creation.
  • To see that it is more than just this verse let’s back up and consider how this theme is found throughout this book.
  • Go back up to verse 2 and let’s read it together…
    • Jonah 1:2, 4, 15, 17
    • Jonah 2:10
    • Jonah 3:2, 10
    • Jonah 4:6, 7, 8
• Quite a few verses, but make note of the theme that is found throughout…
  • Do we not see that though this prophet tries to flee, tries to disobey, that God shows that He is the one who directs?
  • Do we not find that even in the rebellion that is found in this book that God shows compassion towards his creation? 
    • Of course, that is exactly what we see happening throughout this book. 
  • Which means that even though when we think of Jonah we think of this disobedient and wayward prophet, it is still not a story about him.
• Even in his disobedience we can see clearly the Sovereignty of our God and the Compassion of our God.  
• It is this we will be focusing on how…
  • God is Sovereign over His Creation… And how…
  • God is Compassionate toward His Creation.  
• Let us begin with the first and most obvious that…

God is Sovereign over His Creation

• It is without question as you read through Jonah who is in control and these verses make it abundantly clear.
  • The Lord appointed Jonah to preach…
  • The Lord appointed the storm to get Jonah’s attention…
  • The Lord appointed the fish to swallow Jonah and vomit him out…
  • The Lord appointed Jonah a second time to preach…
  • The Lord appointed a plant to cover Jonah…
  • The Lord appointed a worm to eat the plant…
  • The Lord appointed an east wind and the sun to be against Jonah…
• In every step of this book we are reminded that God is the Lord of His Creation, He directs the flow of it…
  • From the grand scale of a massive storm to a worm sent for His purpose, the Lord Rules over His Creation.
  • Which is what makes Jonah’s rebellion across this book such an interesting thing.
    • The Lord called pagan’s to Himself upon the ship…
    • The Lord called the Ninevites to Himself with the preaching of the prophet…
    • The Lord bends nature to His Glorious will…
  • Yet Jonah, the One in this book who truly knew God tried to disobey the Lord.
• The funny thing is that even in his disobedience we find that God is still Sovereign over the life of this wayward prophet.
  • Jonah ends up, even though reluctantly, preaching to the Ninevites, in this God shows that He is going to accomplish His purposes.
  • Can I tell you that it is not something we see only in the story of this prophet?
    • Throughout the Word of God we see His hand directing human history to bring about His Glorious Purpose.
    • He raises a nation to bring about His Word and send forth His Son to Redeem a people for Himself.
    • He does this with such precision and attention that even a prophet's disobedience plays into His purpose.
  • Consider what Jesus said of Jonah in…
    • Matthew 12:40 - “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
    • Track this with me…
      • God sent Jonah, but Jonah rebelled against God…
        • So God sent a fish to swallow Jonah, clearly the Lord could have made this work on any timetable he wanted.
        • However, three days and three nights seem to be good enough.
      • Which just so happens to be a perfect illustration of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
    • It is like the Lord directed human history to cause everything to point to His Son.
  • Even this disobedient prophet.
• The Sovereignty of God is such a crucial concept for us to consider and it is relevant on several fronts, let’s consider a few together…
  • God’s Sovereignty means that we are not a cosmic accident.
    • Our secular world that we live in and are a part of will tell us that we are nothing more than a happy accident.
      • They will claim that you exist merely because things aligned at just the proper time and in the proper way.
      • They have failed to realize that just because we can explain how something happened…
        • Does not mean that there was not someone or something directing it.
      • Just because we can explain the beginnings of life with biology does not mean that God has not directed the creation of new life.
    • Hear me today on this point, you exist by the will of the Father.
      • You have been appointed to this life and it is not a mistake or a happy accident.
        • You are a living breathing being made in the image of the God who created you.
      • By His mighty hand He has directed the flow of history to give you life.
      • If for nothing else today be encouraged by this fact…
        • You exist today, your heart continues to beat in your chest and air continues to fill your lungs solely because the Creator wants to sustain your life.
      • If, for whatever reason, He desired to cause you to cease to exist…
        • He could simply cause your heart to stop and there would be nothing that you could do about it.
      • We are totally and completely subject to His will.
    • Let’s take it one bit further, this is not just something true in the physical sense.
      • Not only has He given you life but He has directed you so that you would be able to hear the Good News of the Gospel.
      • Of the billions of people that have existed over the course of human history.
        • Many of which never heard of Christ, never heard of the hope found in the cross.
      • You are privileged to hear, know, read, and understand the message of Hope found in the Gospel.  
    • What a humbling concept to take in…
      • Not only do you exist but you have existed in a time and place where the Gospel is made known.
        • Think about this, how much did you affect that in your own life?
          • You did not have any control over where you were born, to whom you were born, or when you were born.
        • You could not have willed yourself to hear the Gospel.
      • Do you think that was an accident?
        • No, it was again a reminder of the Sovereign hand of a Glorious God who calls people to Himself.
      • It is a humbling thing to dwell upon how little control you have had over your own existence. 
    • Now I want to be clear on this, it is not that we are ignoring the responsibility of man…
      • Instead we are dwelling upon, focusing on, the way scripture presents the control of our God.
    • This is good for us to consider because as believers this doctrine shapes many other important truths.
    • Let’s consider that…
  • God’s Sovereignty means that we can have confidence in our prayers, confidence in our salvation, confidence in our eternity.  
    • When I say and use the word Sovereign I am referring to His…
      • Complete and total control over His Creation, that He is the One who possesses total authority and is in subjection to no one and nothing.
      • It is the understanding that all things fall under His Rule and Reign and nothing escapes His watchful eye.
    • So, let’s consider for a moment that God is not Sovereign over His Creation…
      • If He is not Sovereign that means He is subordinate to it, that He is limited by it, that He is not in control.
        • Maybe He cares deeply about His Creation He just cannot fully affect it.
      • If that is the case, if He is subject to this Creation then let me ask you…
        • Do we have any reason to place any confidence in our prayers?
          • If God is not Sovereign, what power does He possess to change our circumstances?
          • Let’s take it a step farther…
          • It God is not Soverign…
        • Do we have any confidence in our salvation?
          • Do we have any reason to think that our salvation is secure if Creation is not subject to Him?
            • Of course not…
            • If He is unable to direct the flow of history why would we think that He could keep us secure?
          • Keep considering this with me…
        • If God is not Sovereign what reason should we think that we will be secure into eternity?
          • There is no reason to think that if He cannot oversee Creation now that He will magically oversee it once we step into eternity.  
      • You see, it is a terrifying thing to consider that God is not in control over His Creation.
  • Can I share with you though that the Bible is clear on this topic?
    • Our God is indeed in complete and total control over the entirety of His Creation.
      • There is not one singular part of His Creation out of line.
        • Every molecule, every atom, every electron is in complete and total subjection to Him and His Purpose.
      • When I say that I want you to know that it is more than just a created order…
        • The created order certainly exists, our world is governed by the Laws that He has established.
        • We have discovered these Laws because of repeated tests and observations.
      • What we are recognizing today is not simply this order but that this order is subject to Him.
        • If He wants to heal, He is able…
        • If He wants to walk upon the water, it is not too hard for Him…
    • This is where our confidence in our prayers and our salvation and our eternity is found.
      • That He can and does take our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh…
      • That He can and does hear our prayers and works to answer our prayers for His Glory…
      • We serve a God that rules over every aspect of this Creation.
        • The fish bow to His will…
        • The demons cower before Him and can only affect that which He allows…
        • The sun, moon, and stars dance above our heads all in their proper place testifying that God is Glorious.
      • So in this, believer, I hope you have confidence before Him.
        • Consider the scripture…
    • Romans 8:28 - “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
      • This verse is rooted in His Sovereignty, that He is able to take all things and work for His Glorious Purpose.
      • Again, consider Jonah and how God used even His disobedience to prove this verse true.
        • Though Jonah fled and disobeyed…
          • God called a group of pagan sailors to Himself.
        • Though Jonah was cast into the sea…
          • God saved him by a fish for which he dwelt three days and three nights.
          • This being a foreshadowing of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
        • Through Jonah’s disobedience God showed Himself to be merciful, gracious, and sovereign.
      • Now I want to be clear, this does not justify Jonah’s wrongdoing but shows how God is able to take all things and work together for His Glorious Purpose.
        • Of course the most clear event for which He did just that was the cross of Christ.
        • The Father took the bloody, unjust death of His Son and brought about hope for man.
      • So that anyone who would place their faith in the Name of Jesus would be saved.
  • Practically, what does this mean for us today, as we consider the Sovereign hand of our God?
    • It means that when we see the world in chaos, when we see the church suffering, when we experience suffering ourselves…
      • We do so with a realization that it is something that has passed through the hand of our God.
        • Believer, take comfort in the fact that nothing comes your way that is outside of the Sovereignty of God.
        • Believer, there is nothing that you experience that will not be used by God for your good and for His Glory.
      • We have a sure peace that cannot be shaken because we realize that all things will work out as He sees fit.
    • In that there is one other point to mention, understanding His Sovereignty also means that we understand that we cannot mess it up.
      • We are called to obey Him and as we do it is important we know that we do not have to hold all the answers…
      • We do not have to know all the perfect sayings and arguments for God…
      • We obey as we are called to and we leave God to do the work that only He can do.
    • Let me point something out on this…
      • You may notice that I do not very often plead with people during the invitation time of our service.
      • This is the exact reason why God is able to bring about conviction and salvation during that time, afterwards, or in the middle of the night as the Word is brought up in a person's mind.
      • It is not my job to talk someone into following Christ, it is my job to share the hope that is found in Him and then to get out of the way and let God do what only He can.
    • So I urge you to take comfort in that, is there someone that you should tell about Christ.
  • Then tell them about the hope in Him and leave God’s work to Him, and take comfort in the fact that you are not important enough to mess up what God wants to do…
    • Jonah is a reminder of that for us… 
• It is possible though that you may be feeling as though the Sovereignty of God is not a comforting thing.
  • If that is where you are at right now I want to marry up the Sovereignty of God with the Compassion of God.
  • Again we could consider the book of Jonah in a broad sense, think with me all the ways in which we see how…

God is Compassionate toward His Creation

• It can also be considered from the opening verses of this book.
  • Why would God call Jonah to go and call out against the Ninevites?
    • Would it not be because of the compassion He had towards them?
    • Is it not why Jonah was resistant to preaching in the first place?
  • Jonah realized that God was going to show compassion toward these people if they repented.
• Yet it is more than that…
  • God shows compassion to the pagan sailors who worshiped other gods, much like you and me, they had no control over where they were born and what they were exposed to.
    • Yet God used Jonah’s disobedience to compassionately call these men to Himself.
  • God showed compassion on Jonah by not striking him from the moment of his disobedience.
  • God showed compassion in the large fish that swallowed Jonah…
  • God showed compassion in the plant that he caused to cover Jonah…
• Though it is seen in the book of Jonah, it is a characteristic of God that is found throughout the Word of God…
  • When Adam sinned and rebelled against the One who breathed life into him what did God do?
    • Did He not, with compassion, cast them out of the garden and cover over their nakedness?
  • When the Israelites sinned in worshiping a golden calf, though God would have been completely justified in wiping them out, what did he do?
    • Did He not show compassion toward them and allow them to live?
  • When His people dwelled in their land and sinned against Him did He not send prophets to call them back to Himself?
  • Did He not continue to show compassion in sending His own Son into His Creation?
    • I think of Jesus looking at the crowds, the Bible tells us that He was compassionate towards them…
      • Matthew 9:36 - “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
  • Did He not show compassion as He caused the sin of man to fall upon His perfect Son?
    • Where He hung upon the tree and paid a way for us?
  • Does He not still show compassion to us today?
    • Do you not have before you the Word of God?
    • Do you not know the Gospel of His Son?
    • Can you not see the way God has compassionately shown His love toward you?
• Here is the remarkable thing, God is not only Sovereign over His Creation He is compassionate towards it as well.
  • Marvel at that, rest in that, what an amazing thing…
    • Though we have sinned against Him and deserve nothing but His Holy and Righteous Judgment.
    • He has instead desired to show us compassion…
  • Do not take this for granted, do not take this lightly…
• It is important I remind you that His compassion though great is not promised for ever…

Closing

• As we close at this point I will simply ask you to consider once more how He has directed you to this point today…
  • Then with that I want to ask you, do you know this compassion, have you received this grace that He has offered you?
  • If not then I urge you to believe in this Gospel, repent of your sins and be saved today.
  • If you have then I urge you to speak the hope you have in Christ to someone who does not have that hope today.  
• Yield yourself to the Spirit of God today, let’s pray.