Thrown upon the LORD’s mercy
Application
- The LORD’s mercy keeps both “offender” and “offended” physically safe in midst of the storm—keeping back rightly deserved punishment in order to bring BOTH Jonah AND the sailors to repentance!
- We couldn’t deal with EITHER the original rage of the storm OR the previous increased rage of the storm—and certainly not this present rage of the storm, but the LORD can continue to increase the strength of the storm AND the power of His protection against the storm. ¿How long would we like to keep doing this futility?
- The LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:8 NASB) sent the violent storm to catch Jonah’s attention for repentance, and the crew repented with awesome reverence for the LORD with the immediate and complete “standing still” sea, AND they demonstrated their repentance through “sacrificing a sacrifice” and “vowing vows” to the LORD.
- Conclusion: “Thrown upon the LORD’s mercy” is a very powerful position, and it is the only position from which a person can surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior from sin.
Bible Text
(10) Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. (11) So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. (12) He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” (13) However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. (14) Then they called on the LORD and said, “We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased.”
-Jonah 1:10-16 (NASB)
(15) So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. (16) Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.