Jonah 1:7-12

Jonah 1:7 (KJV)

And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

 

In ancient times casting lots was a common practice when an important decision had to be made.  Acts 1:26 (KJV)   And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.  Matthias was chosen to be among the twelve disciples by means of casting lots.  Proverbs 16:33 (KJV)   The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.  This verse has absolutely nothing to do with gambling. So many think this verse is referring to gambling and it is not. The sailors cast lots and it fell upon Jonah as they were seeking the cause of the great storm which befell them. So these lots in the Bible were not gambling as one thinks of shooting dice. The lot was used when there was an uncertain decision which had to be made and they sought the Lord by this means for an answer. Every time the lots were used, it was used for the purpose of gaining an answer from the Lord. Lots in the Bible were never associated with any games of chance.

 

Jonah 1:8 (KJV)

Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

 

The men were desperate as the lot fell upon Jonah.  They really interrogated him greatly because they asked him a series of five questions they needed answers to in a hurry before the ship broke up and they were all drowned in the sea.  They wanted to know that since the lot fell on Jonah, they wanted to know if he was the cause of the storm or someone else he knows.  They wanted to know what his occupation was, maybe he was doing something that angered the gods.  They wanted to know where he came from and from what country he was born.  They also wanted to know the nationality of the people he was born into.  They really grilled him because they were frantic knowing that the ship could come apart at any time.

 

Jonah 1:9 (KJV)

And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

 

Jonah then answers their questions but his personal testimony does not match his actions which happens too many of us Christians.  We may claim we are Christians but do our actions and lifestyle match up to what we truly believe?  Jonah tells them that he is a Hebrew and that he fears the Lord.  If he truly feared the Lord, then he would be on his way to Nineveh instead of Tarshish.  He then gives the men a short lesson in creation that he serves the God in Heaven who created both the sea and the land.  No doubt someone probably prayed to Poseidon who was the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses.  Jonah tells them that it was the God of Heaven who created the sea and who controls it.

 

Jonah 1:10 (KJV)

Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

 

The sailors were in extreme fear for their lives and started to grill Jonah even harder.  They wanted to know why he had done what he did in trying to flee from the presence of the Lord.  Not only was Jonah being rebellious against the Lord but the truth now arises that he was almost bragging about the fact that he was running from God and that is how the mariners knew that the whole storm and the loss of all goods was his fault.  The men probably knew about the God of the Hebrews and how he delivered them from Egypt and how He helped them conquer the land of Canaan when they came out of Egypt and that may be the reason that they were so fearful.  They apparently knew that

it was futile to try and run from God and that is why they wanted to know why he did this?  Did he honestly think that he could hide his presence from the Lord anywhere on earth?

 

Jonah 1:11 (KJV)

Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

 

Since the mariners knew that Jonah was the definite reason that this tempest came upon them, they now asked him what should we do to you that the sea will calm down? The sea was wrought, meaning that it was getting higher and higher and the sea was still in a severe tempest meaning the waves were crashing against the boat, in other words the storm was getting worse.  Jonah had admitted that he was the reason this storm came upon them and the lots fell to him so there was no way that Jonah would be able to escape the consequences of his actions.

 

Jonah 1:12 (KJV)

And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

 

In his rebellion against God, it seems that Jonah was willing to go to the extreme and sacrifice his life instead of being obedient to God and going to Nineveh to preach.  He believed that if he was cast in the sea and that he died, then the sailors and the ship would be saved.  As a prophet he was sure that this action would quell the storm and then the ship could go on its way.  Jonah could not jump overboard himself because that would constitute suicide which would be another sin he would add to his already long list.  The mariners had to literally “hurl” him over the side of the ship into the sea.  He believed that until they threw him in the sea the storm would continue to intensify until the ship was lost and all lives with it.

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