We are on day five of the Alaskan adventure and we got up at 6:30 a.m. to see Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Little chunks of ice were floating in the water. An otter was on one of the floating chunks, basking in the sun. And the view of the mountains and glacier were just amazing! Words cannot do it justice. We have many pictures and would share them with you all – but we know that most people don’t care to see the pictures of someone else’s vacations. Understandable! Just ask and we will be happy to show as much or as little of the scenes.
From here, we headed to Juneau, the capital of Alaska, and the opportunity to go on a whale sighting expedition. Several days before we left for Alaska, there was an Instagram post showing a whale sighting tour where the whale breached the water beside the ship, rubbing its massive body along the starboard side, busting off the side as people plummeted into the sea and those remaining on board were screaming. Was this real or a hoax? No idea but it was enough to give you pause and concern about your own expedition.
I’m pleased to report that no whale got cozy with our vessel. We are alive and well and can say that we’ve seen whales a lot closer than we would have ever expected to be. One whale gave us quite a show, surfacing several times, blowing its spout into the air, and even completely breaching the water. The guide said that behavior was completely unusual, and our tour saw something others don’t typically see. Naturally, being so close to the whales makes you think of a Bible character who had an up-close-and-personal time with a “great fish.”
Jonah 1:15-17 says, “So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. (16) Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. (17) Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Notice that the Bible doesn’t use the word whale. It says, “great fish.” The Hebrew words really clear this up. The Hebrew for great has a multitude of meanings and the context of the passage helps you know which definition applies. In this case, great means large. The Hebrew word for fish is even clearer. Are you ready for this? Fish means – fish. No specifics are given.
It’s not until we turn to the New Testament that a bit of clarity is give – kind of. Using Jonah’s experience to describe the timing of his death and resurrection, Jesus says in Matthew 12:40, “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.” The word for whale can mean whale but it can also mean sea monster or huge fish.
Now, the Bible tells us that the Lord Jehovah prepared this large fish. What does that mean? The word means that He appointed or told this great sea creature to swallow Jonah. Can you imagine the Lord whispering in the mind of this fish, “Look down there! Go get it!”
As a kid, I’ve always pictured Jonah either getting swallowed mid-air as he was thrown overboard or scooped up from the surface of the water. Jonah 2:3-6 seems to indicate that Jonah didn’t get swallowed until he hit rock bottom – literally. “For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. (4) Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. (5) The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. (6) I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.”
This time in the great fish’s belly was a revival meeting where Jonah got real with the Lord. Jonah 2:1, 7-9 says, “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly… When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. (8) They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. (9) But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
What happens next paints all sorts of humorous pictures in our minds. “And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” (Jonah 2:10)
The summation of the story goes like this. Jonah preaches to the Ninevites. They repent. Jonah gets angry with God for saving them and wishes he had died rather than seeing this. The end. We know nothing more of Jonah beyond this book.
What we can learn from Jonah’s story can be summed up in simple bullet point fashion.
- You might be running from God today, disobedient to His call and plan for your life.
- God just might be preparing something to get your attention.
- You better repent before you are swallowed up in God’s chastening.
- When you are restored, DO what the Lord commanded.
- And don’t re-backslide. Be thankful for a faithful God who calls all men to repent.
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.” (Acts 17:30)
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