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Daily Devotions

Jonah

Jonah 
Day 
Day 11

"So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea"

Text: Jonah 1:15

A FEARFUL DECISION

After praying earnestly to the LORD, the mariners got hold of Jonah and threw him overboard!

“So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea,
and the sea ceased from its raging.
Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly,
and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows.”
Jonah 1:15-16

1. “So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea”

a) This must have been a difficult decision for the mariners to make.

b) They were not sure how God would respond to this act.

c) But they felt that they had done everything they could but with no success.

d) Would the throwing of Jonah overboard be the real solution to the problem of this great storm?

2. “And the sea ceased from its raging”

a) The storm ceased immediately.
b) The sea was not raging anymore!
c) The ship and all on board had survived the storm.

3. “Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly”

a) The mariners had never experienced anything like this before.
b) A strange sense of great fear was felt in their heart.
c) This may be described as “the fear of the LORD”.

4. “And offered a sacrifice to the LORD”

a) Jonah may have explained to the mariners how Israel worshipped the LORD.
b) One form of worship was to offer a sacrifice.
c) It could have been a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD for sparing their lives.

5. “And took vows”

a) This may have been made by the mariners out of sheer fear.
b) God has never demanded vows to be made.
c) We are not told about the exact content of the vows made.
d) But this was not an uncommon practice in those days.
e) A vow is a solemn pledge that must be fulfilled by the individual who made it.