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Daily Devotions

Jonah

Jonah 
Day 
Day 8

"The sea was growing more tempestuous"

Text: Jonah 1:11

THE QUERY OF THE MARINERS

The mariners were terribly afraid of the LORD God of Jonah. They were obviously lacking in knowledge and faith with reference to the God of Israel.

“Then they said to him,
‘What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?’-
for the sea was growing more tempestuous.”
Jonah 1:11

1. “The sea was growing more tempestuous”

a) The ship was still in danger.
b) The lives of every seaman were in danger of being drowned.

2. “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us”

a) The mariners were desperate.
b) Only Jonah who knew the LORD God would be able to provide an answer.
c) Their reasoning:
i) The storm had arisen because of Jonah.
ii) They did not know how to appease the anger of this great God.
iii) What was needed to bring about calm?

JONAH’S CANDID REPLY

Jonah knew the answer. He told the mariners candidly what must be done.

“And he said to them,
‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea;
Then the sea will become calm for you.
For I know that this great tempest is because of me.'”
Jonah 1:12

1. “Pick me up and throw me into the sea”

a) This must have sounded very startling to the mariners.
b) This was nothing short of consigning Jonah to death.

2. “Then the sea will become calm for you”

a) This was what the captain and mariners hoped for.
b) If the storm abated they would have a fighting chance to make it back to shore.

But could this be done only at the expense of sacrificing Jonah?

3. “For I know that this great tempest is because of me”

a) Jonah admitted guilt.
b) He had deliberately disobeyed the Lord by trying to flee from His presence and the storm had arisen.