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And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. Jonah 2:10-3:4 The gracious miracle...

Jonah 2:1-10 One of the most remarkable things about Jonah’s prayer is that most of the prayer is quotation from the Psalms. He quotes from Psalm 120:1 (v. 2), Psalm 42:7 (v. 3), Psalm 31:22 (v. 5), Psalm 69:1 (v. 7), Psalm 142:3 (v. 8), Psalm 3:8 (v. 8) and Psalm 31:6 (v. 9). Calling God his own mercy (v. 8) is also a reference to Psalm 144:2. These quotes not only show a close acquaintance with the Psalms on Jonah’s part but also demonstrate the power of the Psalms both as the Word of God and as a divine...

Only Luke is with me. II Timothy 4:11 A previous article on Onesiphorus (April 1, 2021) laid out the dire circumstances that accompanied the apostle Paul during his final days. These circumstances were the backdrop of his final epistle, a second letter to Timothy who was laboring in Ephesus. Before Paul was to leave this life and join the throng of just men made perfect, he delivered some final requests and greetings to those who were near and dear to his heart. Onesiphorus often refreshed Paul toward the end of his life (II Tim. 1:16), but as Paul faced the...

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. 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. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight: yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the...

Jonah 1:17 The story of Jonah’s being swallowed by a “great fish” is often ridiculed by unbelievers. It even figured in the famous Scopes trial in 1925 in an exchange between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. Darrow, counsel for the defense of John Scopes who was accused of teaching human evolution contrary to Tennessee law, asked Bryan: “But when you read that Jonah swallowed the whale—or that the whale swallowed Jonah…how do you literally interpret that?” To which question Bryan, the counsel for the prosecution, answered: “When I read that a big fish swallowed Jonah…I believe in a God...

The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: but, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. II Timothy 1:16-17 A plunge into the clear water of Lake Michigan on a hot, summer day. A cold glass of lemonade after working in the garden. A long, hot shower after a grueling day of work. Refreshment. You may relate to these illustrations, or ones similar, when you think of what brings you refreshment. We experience this in many different ways, but spiritual...

Jonah 1:4-17 That God turns all things to good is evident in the salvation of the sailors who threw Jonah into the sea. We know nothing of these men, who they were and where they were from, how many of them there were, or what gods they worshiped. We know only that God used Jonah’s disobedience and flight for their salvation, and that therefore they too were among God’s chosen, among the few outside of Israel who were His in the Old Testament. When their voyage began these sailors were still heathen men. While the storm raged they still prayed...

Jonah 1:4-17 The doctrine of the perseverance or preservation of saints is beautifully illustrated in what happened to Jonah when he tried to escape his commission to Nineveh. God does not and cannot forsake His own or leave them to perish. He always rescues them from their disobedience and sin and brings them to repentance and new obedience. God, who has chosen His own from eternity, redeemed them by the blood of His Son, and sent His Spirit to work in them, cannot forsake them without being unfaithful to Himself. Abandoning them to their own sinfulness would mean that His...

But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be...

[Note: In our editors’ notes for the new volume year (Oct. 1, 2020), we neglected to mention that Mr. Bruinooge has joined the SB staff under this rubric. We apologize and welcome him as a regular writer.] Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. Philippians 2:25 When we receive praise as Christians, our first reaction is often self-satisfaction. We are pleased that others are pleased with us. We need the constant reminder that all spiritual abilities and gifts are...