The
“mariners” aboard the ship traveling to Joppa were
“exceedingly afraid” when they discovered that Jonah was
the reason for the storm that was upon them. They knew “he fled
from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them”,
and in chapter one and verse eleven of this prophesy, the
“mariners” ask Jonah “what do we do unto you?”
where we read:
Then said
they unto him, What shall we do unto you, that the sea may be calm
unto us?
for the
sea wrought, and was tempestuous.
The
verse began, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto
you,...” The writer began with the words, “The said they”
which refers to the “mariners uttering, speaking and declaring”
“what do we do” or “fashion, accomplish, make, produce
or attend to” “unto you” which means Jonah. We can
imagine the fear that drove these men to discover a way by which they
might escape from their troubles.
The
verse goes on to say, “... that the sea may be calm unto us? for
the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.” The writer added, “that
the sea” or “the large body of water in which the shipped
sailed” “may be calm” which means “be quiet, silent,
ceased and settled down” “unto us” which refers to the
“the mariners and the shipmaster” “for the sea” or
“the large body of water in which the shipped sailed” “wrought”
which means “speedily spread and tossed up and down”, “and
was tempestuous” which means “raging, tossing, was troubled
and sore”. The “mariners” desired for the “sea”
to “calm down” because it was “raging” and had the
potential of destroying not only the ship but also the men
themselves.
When
we meditate upon the words in this verse, we can imagine the
“mariners” desire to have their conditions altered. Their
lives were in peril, and Jonah was the cause of it. Certainly they
desired a solution to their troubles, and they longed for the seas to
be “calm” again. Are there “raging” seas in our lives
that have been caused by others? Are there storms occurring because
we disobeyed God in some manner? Have we been the victim of another
person's willful disobedience to Jesus Christ and now are
experiencing “winds and waves” because of it? If so, we should go
before the LORD Jesus in prayer, and ask Him by His Holy Spirit “what
do we do?” so the seas may be “calm” once again. May
the LORD lead us to seek His face while the seas are “raging” and
the “winds” are blowing in our lives.
Next
time we see the “mariners” ask
Jonah what they should do with him, so read ahead, and we shall join
together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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