10.
O JEHOVAH, my God. Jonah 2:6 A beautiful acknowledgement of the LORD in whose hands he was now completely surrendered. But for his stubbornness and resistance to the call of God on his life, we would not have the history of his experiences. Nor the example that is all too common to all. Deep, deep trouble and difficulties in life cause people to turn to the Lord for help. Fortunately for humanity, The LORD is a refuge and help during those hard conditions that we face in life. Ps. 9:9.
His soul fainted. His physical functions came to an abrupt halt. He could no longer breath. No oxygen was being supplied to his blood. He was actually suspended in a living death. Alive, yet dead. Dead, yet alive. Jonah 2:7 The same Hebrew word is used by Isaiah in reference to the youth who had fainted, having been caught, as a wild bull, in the net of the Lord. The cause was an utter lack of spiritual emphases. Therefore, “they are full of the fury of the LORD and the rebuke of thy God. Isa. 51:20 Most definitely Jonah was suffering the consequences of rejecting the will of the Lord. He was dealing with a God who was most displeased with his decisions and actions. Be sure your sin will find you out. Num. 32:23.
I remembered the Lord. Strange how so often the Lord is the last source of help to be sought. He would still have been on the run had the Lord not placed Jonah in the current most unhappy circumstances in which we find him. The Lord had not forsaken him, he had forsaken the Lord. Jonah is assured that his prayers were heard and that they had been received of the Lord. Jonah 2:7
Jonah made a terrific observation of that which had brought his current problem upon him. The individual who follows after and believes a lie, in the ultimate, has forsaken their opportunity to rejoice in the mercy of the Lord. Jonah 2:8 Jonah lied to himself in believing that he could disobey the will of the Lord and escape the consequences of such an act. The thoughts and ways of man are empty and futile when compared to the thoughts of the Lord. A prophet is one who must have the true word of the Lord in his heart to declare it to the people. Jonah’s heart and self will deceived him and brought upon him the judgment of the Lord. The instructions of the Lord are that the prophet with the word, is to speak that word faithfully. Jer. 23:38 Jonah had learned his lesson very well. He is now experiencing a complete turn about. He will now, verbally offer sacrifices of praise and worship unto the Lord. We take note, that in his horrible state of affairs, he has vowed to do the will of the Lord. He also recognized that his only hope of a deliverance of any kind was in the hands of the Lord. Therefore he declared that salvation was of the Lord. His hope of liberty and freedom was in the Lord’s hands alone. Jonah 2:9.