The Desolation 0 (continued)
Jonah Swalloved by a Fish. JONAH II. ITis Prayer of Faiih to Ood, tributert a storm that overtook them to his presence In sltlon was not without a suflicient reason; It was calenlated to aftect not only Jonah, but also Nineveh and Israel. The life of a prophet was often marked by experiences which m.ide him, through sympathy, best suited for discharging the prophetical function to his hearers and his people. The infinite resources of God in mercy as well as judgment are prefigured in the dcvourer being transformed into Jonah's preserver. Jonah's condition under punishment, shut out from the outer world, was rendered as much as possible the emblem of death, a present type to Nineveh and Israel, of the death in sin, as his deliverance was of the spiritual resurrection on repentance; as also, a future type of Jesus' literal death for thi.' ship (ct. Jlor. 0(i. a. 2. 2IS). 8. The guilty Individual being iliscoveit'U is interrogated so as to make lull confession with his own mouth. So in Achan's case (Joshua
7. lit). 'J. t ain ail Hebrew—he does not say "'an Israelite." For tills was the name used among themselves; " ilebrew," among foreigners (Genesis 40. 15; Exodus 3. 18). I fear (lie Lord—in profession: his practice belied his profession : his profession aggravated his guilt. God . . . Avliicli . . . made tlie sea—appropriately expressed, as accounting for the tempest sent on the sea. The heathen had distinct gods lor the "heaven," the "sea," and the "laud." Jehovah is tlie one and only true God of all alike. Jonah at last Is awakened by the violent remedy from his lethargy. Jonah was but the reflection of Israel's backsliding from God, and so must bear the righteous punishment. The guilt of the minister is the result of that of the people, as in Moses' case (Deuteronomy 4.
sin, and resurrection by the .Spirit of God. tiiree days and three nights—probably, like the Antitype, Christ, Jonah was cast forth on the land on the third day ( Matthew
12.40); the Hebrew counting the first and third parts of days as whole twenty-four hour days.
21). This is what makes Jonah a suitable type of Messiah, who bore the imputed sin of the people. 10. "The men were exceedingly afraid," when made aware of the wrath of so powerful a God at the flight of Jonah. Wliy Iiast thou done this 7—If professors of religion do wrong, they will hear of it from those who make no such profession. 11. What shall wn do unto thee!—They ask this, as Jonah himself must best know how his God is to be appeased. " We would gladly save thee, if we can do so, and yet be saved ourselves" (v. 13, 14). 13. cast me . . . Into the sea—Herein Jonah is a type of Messiah, the one man who oit'ered Himself to die, in order to allay the stormy flood of God"s wrath (cf. Psalm 09. 1. 2, as to Messiah), which otherwise must have engulfed all other men. So Caiaphas by the Spirit declared it expedient that one man should die, and that the whole nation should not perish (John 11. 50). Jonah also herein is a specimen of true repentance, whicli leads the penitent to "accept the punishment of his Iniquity" (Leviticus 26. 41, 43), and to be moi e Indignant at his sin than at his sut Teriug. 13. they could not—(Proverbs 21. 30.) Wind and tide—God's displeasure aad God's counsel—were against them. 14. for
CHAPTER II.
Ver. 1-10. Jonah's Prayer of Faith and DeliveeANCE. 1. his God his still, though Jonah had fled from Him. Faith enables Jonah now to feel this; just as the returning prodigaljiays of the F'ather, from whom he had wandered, " I will arise and go to my Father" (Luke 15,
18). out of the fish*8 belly—every place may serve as an oratory. No place is amiss for prayer. Others translate, " when (delivered) out of the fish's belly.'' English Version is better, it. His prayer is partly descriptive and precatory, partly eucharistical. Jonah incorporates with his own language inspired utterances familiar to the Church long before in v. "2, Psalm 120. 1 ; in v. 8, Psalm 42. 7; in v. 4, Psalm 31. '22; in v. 5, Psalm 69. 1 ; in v. 7, Psalm 142. 3, and
18. 6; In v. 8, Psalm 31, 6; In v. 9, Psalm 116. 17, 18, and 3. 8. Jonah an inspired man thus attests both the antiquity and Inspiration of the Psalms. It marks the spirit of faith, that Jonah Identifies himself with the saints of old, appropriating their experiences as recorded In the word of God (Ps.alm 119.50). Affliction opens up the mine of Scripture, before seen only on the surface, out of the belly of Uell—Sheol, the unseen world, which the belly of the fish resembled. 3. thou hadst cast . . . thy billows . . . THY waves—Jonah recognizes the .source whence his suH'erings came. It was no mere cham-e, but the hand of God which sent them. Cf. Job's similar recognition of God's hand in calamities. Job 1.21; 2. 10; and David's, 2 Samuel 16. 5-U. 4. cast out from tliy sight tills man's life— t. e., for taking this man's life. Innocent blood—do not punish us as thou wouldst punish the shedders of innocent blood (cf. Deutejouoniy 21. S). In the caseof the Aulitype, Pontius Pilate washed his hands and confessed Christ's innucence, " I am innocent of the blood of this just person." But whereas Jonah the victim was guilty and the sailors innocent, Christ our sacrllicial victim was innocent and Pontius Pilate and all of us men were guilty. But by imputc Uion ot our guilt to Him and His righteousness to us, the spotless Antitype exactly corresponds to the guilty type, thou . . . Lord, hust done as it pleased thee—that Jonah has embarked in this ship, that a tempest has arisen, that he has been detected by casting of lots, that he has passed sentence on himself, is all thy doing. We reluctantly put him to death, but it is thy pleasure It should be so. 15. sea ceased . . . raging—so at Jesus' word (Luke 8. 24). God spares the prayerful penitent, a truth illustrated now In the case of the sailors, presently in that of Jonah, and thirdly. In that of Nineveh. 16. oit'ered a sacri Ace—they offered some sacrifice of thanksgivings at once, and vowed more when they should land. Glassius thinks It means only, "They promised to olfer a sacrifice." 17. prepared a great lish—not tfrealed specially for this purpose, but appointed in His providence, to which all creatures are suljservicnt. Tlie lish, through a mistranslation of Matthew Ti 40, was formerly suppr)sed to he a whale; there, as here, the original means "a great fish." The whale's nei k is too narrow to receive a man. BocuAKT thinks, the dogfish, the stomach of which Is so large that the body of a man In armour was once found In It (HiEKOZO. 2. 5. 12). Olixeva, the shark. [Jebr.] The cavitij in the whale's throat, large enough, according to Captain ScoKKSBy, to hold a ship's jolly-boat full of men. Amirai.e., from thy favourable regard. A just retribution on one who had fled "from thepresence of the Lord " (eh. 1. 3). God's presence, which once he regarded as a burden, and from which he desired to escape, now that he has got his desire, he feels it to be his bitterest sori-ow to be deprived of. He had turned his back on God, so God turned His b.ack on liiin, making his sin his punishment, toward thy holy temple—in the confidence of faitli he anticipates yet to see the temple at Jerusalem, the appointed place of worship (1 Kings 8. 38), and there to rencler thanksgiving. [Henderson.] Rather, I think, "Though cast out of thy sight, I will still with the ci/e of faith once more look in prayer towards thy temple at Jerusalem, whither, as thy earthly throne, thou hast desired thy worshippers to direct their praj'ers." .5. even to the soul—i. e., threatening to extinguish the animal life, weeds—he felt as If the sea-weeds through whicli he was dragged were wrapped about his heail. G. ll>ofto«ns of . . . mountains their extremities where tliey trrmimUe in the hidden depths of the sea. Cf. Psalm IS. 7, " the foundntions of the hills "
(Psalm IS. 15). earth wllli her burs was about me—earth, the land of the living, is (not "was") shut against me. for ever—so far as any elT'orl nfmine can deliver me. yet hasttliou brought up my life from corruption—rather, "thou bringest . . . from the pit." [MAt.'REU.J As iir the previous clauses he expresses the hopelessness of his state, so In this, his sure hope of deliverance through Jehovah's Infinite resources. "Against hope he believes in hope," and speaks as if the deliverance were actuall.v being accomplished, llezekiah seems to have iuoorporatod cle in any view Is need,ed, and we have no data to speculate further. A "sign" or mhacle it Is expressly called by our Lord in Matthew 12. Kesplratlon In such a position could only be by miracle. The miraculous interpo684