6.So the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping ? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish."
9.He said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land."
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."
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.
The story of Jonah is a familiar one; perhaps one of the first Bible stories we learn as children. What I am discovering as I continue to learn is that those Bible stories we learned when we were small can act as the framework for so much more! God continues to reveal more and more of His truth to me through those same stories. I have learned so much more about the story of Jonah since those kindergarten days.
This semester, one of the new things I learned about in Jonah is the story of the sailors. Before I had always considered them as peripheral characters who just assisted in the story by throwing Jonah overboard. But this semester I learned that they are some of the most admirable characters in the book! While Jonah was running away from God, they were moving toward God. I love that in 1:6, before they know who Yahweh is, the sailors say, "perhaps your God will be concerned about us so we will not perish." Ironically, that is an exact description of God's character and actions. He cares about people- He loves them with a lovingkindness that goes beyond description. All people are going to perish without God, but He has provided a way of escape through Jesus Christ.
As the story goes on, Jonah introduces the sailors to Yahweh (1:9). The sailors recognize who He is, believe in Him, obey Him, and then dedicate their lives to Him! And God graciously provides salvation for them (from the storm, and eternally). I think it is amazing that the sailors believed despite Jonah's negative example. They even recognized God's sovereignty when Jonah did not (1:14). They obeyed God even though they did not understand why He wanted them to throw Jonah overboard (1:15). And because of the salvation they received, they revered the Lord and offered sacrifices and vows to Him (1:16). The sailors are truly admirable characters in the story of Jonah.
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