Jonah 1:12-13 And he said to them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm to you… Let us not fail to admire all that was admirable in the conduct of this heathen crew. A nobler ship's company was never gathered together. No human voice cried across the deck of the labouring vessel that the man who pronounced this sentence upon himself must be taken at his word. With a humane self-restraint which did them infinite honour the sailors set to work at an attempt to save themselves without sacrificing their passenger: and it was not until that attempt had completely and manifestly failed that they reluctantly and reverently consigned him to the deep. I. THE NOBLE ATTEMPT OF THE SAILORS. 1. Notice the toil it involved on behalf of a stranger. 2. The risk to which it exposed them for the sake of one who had occasioned them loss. 3. It was a noble motive which prompted these men to make this attempt to save the prophet's life. They desired to show their sense of Jonah's own demeanour in relation to themselves, and to make a suitable response to it. 4. The failure of their attempt by no means detracts from the nobility of their conduct. It does not follow that they had nothing but their labour for their pains. They were morally the better for the purpose they had cherished of saving the prophet, and for the effort they had made to accomplish their purpose. II. CONSIGNING JONAH TO THE SEA. They handled the prophet as tenderly as the circumstances permitted. Look at the prayer these men offered before they put Jonah into the sea. 1. The prayer is replete with interest to those who regard it with attention. It was a prayer addressed to the true God by these heathen for the first time. It was a very earnest prayer. It was a prayer for their own preservation. It was a prayer for the prophet. 2. The reply to the prayer. "The sea ceased from her raging." This was a miracle. Miracles were signs. This was "a sign that Jonah was indeed a prophet of the Lord. A sign that Jehovah is the ruler of the sea. And a sign that God hears and answers prayer. (Samuel Clift Burn.) Parallel Verses 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. |
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