The Whales: If I
Could Talk To The Animals
“Now the LORD had
prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah (and he) was in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights.“ (Jonah 1:17)
Few stories spark
incredible marvel, on one side, and complex cynicism, on the other side, like
the story of Jonas’ three day venture in the belly of the whale. Now whether our concept of whales have been
formed at Sea World with Shamu, “Free Willy” at the movies, or television
documentaries, you have to admit, they are astounding creatures. The idea of a
person being swallowed by one has been evaluated through the years.
Maybe you’ve heard the
story. Little Sally was
transferred from Christian school to public school. On her first day in the
class the teacher introduced herself as "Mrs. Crump" and then said,
"Today we’re going to study about Zoology and the first subject in Zoology
we’re going to study will be whales. Does anyone know anything about
whales?" At first no one raised their hand. Then Sally raised her hand.
Mrs. Crump said, "What do you know about whales Sally?" Sally said,
"Jonah was swallowed by a whale!" Mrs. Crump said, "That’s
nonsense! The throat of the whale is too narrow to swallow a man! Where did you
get that foolish belief?" Sally said, "That’s what my Bible
says!" Mrs. Crump said, "Your Bible is wrong! As I said, a whale’s
throat is too narrow to swallow a man. What do you think now?" Sally
thought for a minute and then said, "I guess I’ll have to wait until I get
to heaven and ask Jonah himself what happened." Mrs. Crump thought she’d
be smart and asked Sally, "What happens if Jonah isn’t there to ask?"
Again, Sally thought for a minute and then said, "Then I guess YOU will
have to ask him."
One man’s trust is
another man’s trial. It is a true story that you never have to
doubt. It was settled once and for all
when Jesus affirmed it. Jesus validated and endorsed its genuineness when he
said of Himself, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s
belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of
the earth.” Matthew 12:39,40 (KJV) It is a reference to His death and
resurrection. Case closed!
Now whether it happened
is not up for debate.
Well first of all, there are two classes of whales. There are some with teeth
and some that are called baleen whales. Baleen whales don't actually chew their
food; they don't even have teeth. They just run krill and other small animals
through this structure that is called baleen. Let me just say it is not out of
the realm of possibility that a whale could, in fact, swallow a human. Some
whales are larger than a school bus. The blue whale can even grow up to 90
feet. There are whales that are bigger than that. In fact, scientists have
studied this. There is in the very first stomach in some of the whales (not all
whales are the same) a 21-foot cubic chamber shaped like an egg, that is the
first place they strain out some of the items that come in. You could easily
fit a human inside that 21-foot chamber. A 450-pound giant squid was found
inside a sperm whale, which is one of the whales with teeth, fully intact. So a
small human is totally possible.
But what kind of “great
fish” swallowed Jonah is still a topic of discussion. The New Testament verses already quoted use
the word, “whale.” In the original Hebrew and Greek the word translates as
“sea-serpent or “sea-monster.” There is one more thing to consider. No whales
have ever been found in the Mediterranean Sea where the Jonah incident takes
place. So whether you use the word “great fish” or “whale,” Jonah’s three- day
captivity inside this ocean creature remains factual.
Whatever kind of fish you wish to swallow, the prophet writes the word miracle over it. What happened to Jonah was a miracle. We serve a God of miracles. And He often works a miracle when we find ourselves in our own, “Inside the Whale’s Belly” experience. Now you can see what I am about to do with this story. I am going to switch from the “literal” to the “figurative” or what is sometimes called the “spiritual.” Actually I will use the entire story as a metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing, is used to designate another. Jesus used this in much of his preaching. They are called “parables.” A parable is a simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson. Jesus referred to flowers, trees, fields, etc., and gave them a spiritual or moral twist to make His point.
Thus the great fish—and I am going to use the word whale because it is the more familiar term—the whale becomes the focal point of our story and I am using it to represent the place in our life of a severe test, a great trial of our faith. It is a place of testing our commitment to the Word of God. It is a place of testing our resolve to serve the Lord despite hardships, disappointments, and adversities.
Whatever kind of fish you wish to swallow, the prophet writes the word miracle over it. What happened to Jonah was a miracle. We serve a God of miracles. And He often works a miracle when we find ourselves in our own, “Inside the Whale’s Belly” experience. Now you can see what I am about to do with this story. I am going to switch from the “literal” to the “figurative” or what is sometimes called the “spiritual.” Actually I will use the entire story as a metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing, is used to designate another. Jesus used this in much of his preaching. They are called “parables.” A parable is a simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson. Jesus referred to flowers, trees, fields, etc., and gave them a spiritual or moral twist to make His point.
Thus the great fish—and I am going to use the word whale because it is the more familiar term—the whale becomes the focal point of our story and I am using it to represent the place in our life of a severe test, a great trial of our faith. It is a place of testing our commitment to the Word of God. It is a place of testing our resolve to serve the Lord despite hardships, disappointments, and adversities.
Sometimes God has to go
to the most extreme measures to get our attention and get us to follow Him. Have you ever noticed
that everything in the Book of Jonah obeyed God except for Jonah? Think about
it. The waves, lots, storm, fish, vine, and the worm all obeyed God. It took
Jonah longer to repent before God than it did the entire city of Nineveh. It is
interesting to note that in chapter three when Jonah changed his mind, the
people of Nineveh changed their mind, and God changed His mind and did not send
His judgement.
How much longer will it be before we obey the will of God? The third principle of preparation for the greatest spiritual awakening in history is that we must:
How much longer will it be before we obey the will of God? The third principle of preparation for the greatest spiritual awakening in history is that we must:
1. God loves us too much to let us wander: “The Lord prepared a
great fish to swallow up Jonah” (1:17).
2. God sets a timeframe for challenges: The Lord had a set
time in mind for this event to unfold—there was a time for it to begin and
there was time for it to end. He set the boundary, the parameters. It was
“three days and three nights.” (1:17 KJV)
3. God is the manager of all circumstances: While He doesn’t start them all, He will control them all.
3. God is the manager of all circumstances: While He doesn’t start them all, He will control them all.
Inside the whale’s belly is the place that tests our testimony and confession that God is really good; that God really does love us; that He really cares about us; that He will not put more upon us than we can bear. If we follow Him, we will fulfill our task.
Reflections:
1) Name some “whale
belly’s” you’ve found yourself in.
2) How did God get
you out of these trials?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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