Jonah 2:1-10--Jonah's Prayer

Jonah 2
English Standard Version

Jonah's Prayer
2 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

“I called out to the LORD , out of my distress,
    and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
    and you heard my voice.
3 For you cast me into the deep,
    into the heart of the seas,
    and the flood surrounded me;
all your breakers and your waves
    passed over me.
4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away
    from your sight;
yet I shall again look
    upon your holy temple.’
5 The waters closed in over me to take my life;
    the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I went down,
    to the land whose bars closed upon me forever.
Yet you brought up my life from the pit,
    O LORD my God.
7 When my life was fainting away,
    I remembered the LORD,
and my prayer came to you,
    into your holy temple.
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols
    forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving
    will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
    Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

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Jonah prays expectantly.  Notice how he claims the LORD "answered" him in the past tense, even before he has made his prayer.  He believed that the LORD will hear and answer him.  He compares being in the belly of the fish to being in the Grave (Sheol)--what Jesus would later call "the belly of the earth."  That means that we can look Jonah's prayer here and get a sense at what the conversation between God the Son and God the Father might have been like right before the Resurrection.

Jonah was cast into the stormy sea, surrounded by the violent waves.  Jesus faced agony and crucifixion, surrounded by a mob of murderous people made up of both Jews and Gentiles.  All mankind reviled and rejected Him.  Jonah felt driven away from the LORD's sight.  Jesus cried out from the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"  (See Psalm 22 which bears this title and prophetically tells of all the suffering that Jesus will endure before anyone even knew about crucifixion).

Jonah was sure he was going to die, and he was pretty sure that he was going to go to what we would call hell (the place of separation and punishment), because he would have died in rebellion against the LORD.  However, in that moment, the LORD caused Jonah to remember Him.  Though Jonah was far away from the Temple in Jerusalem, the LORD heard his prayer and answered, for He is not like the gods that the pagans imagined that only sees and hears things within some realm of influence centered on a temple (and all those gods were false and had no real power, but Jonah is still drawing the contrast the LORD sees, hears and knows all, and His power extends over all people in all places in all times--even over those who are actively rebelling against Him).

Jonah repents of his wickedness, and then his heart turns towards those who are trapped in idolatry (like the people of Nineveh that the LORD wants Him to prophesy to).  They should not hope for mercy, lovingkindness, and steadfast, covenant love that endures forever.  This only comes from the LORD.  Jonah sings David's psalms of praise and offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise while in the belly of the fish and sings "Salvation belongs to the LORD."  (Palm 3:8, part of a psalm entitled "Save Me, O My God").

The LORD hears him and responds by commanding the fish to vomit Jonah up onto dry land.  We aren't told exactly where Jonah ends up, but the LORD gives Jonah a "do-over" and will repeat His call to Him to go to the people of Nineveh.  Let's see if Jonah responds differently this time when we look at the beginning of chapter 3 next time.