Jonah: Bad Testimony [Bible Study]

Jonah 1:7-17 

What is worse than being exposed as a phony and fraud? Well, possibly waving back at someone in public who wasn’t actually waving at you, but still, being seen as a fake is pretty awful. We have seen that Jonah is sort of a fake. He sure claims the title of “Man of God” but his actions do not support this. We’ve seen so far that Jonah doesn’t care about the well being or the souls of others.  While the mariners were doing their best to protect their lives, Jonah was asleep at the bottom of the ship. We’ve seen that Jonah doesn’t care about prayer. While the mariners were fearful of losing their lives and called out in prayer  to their gods, he was sleeping. Jonah should have been praying, but he simply does not care. This lack of care, this being asleep at the wheel, is really hurting Jonah’s testimony so far. Jonah is flat out just a bad example of how a person of God should act. 

You may be wondering: “What is a testimony and why should a Christian care? We went over that in a recent post : “Why You Should Care How You Act [Christian Testimony]”.

As we continue on in our study through the book of Jonah, he continues to be everything a hero shouldn’t be. But eventually  we  will see even further on  through the story, that despite his complete failures people still end up getting saved. 

He obviously does not care that he is supposed to be representing God Almighty. He should be a prime example of what a man of God looks like, Jonah should be a man that people really look up to and want to be like. But instead the Gentile mariners are better than him in many ways. It’s sad when the people of the world outclass even God’s own people.

Let’s get this started… 

7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

Is this true Jonah ? Do you really fear the Lord? Sure seems like you don’t Jonah. And just as easily as I can see this fact thousands of years later so could the mariners face to face with God’s man. 

He says “I’m a Hebrew!  Of course I fear the Lord!” . How often do we pull this kind of stunt friend? How often are we quick to claim the Christian label when it’s convenient for us, and slow to claim the label when it’s inconvenient? “Hey you can trust me.. I wouldn’t lie to you I'm a Christian”. How often do our daily interactions actually backup these claims we make ? What if I claim that I am a Christian and therefore almost never lie.. but then I get caught as being one of the biggest liars anyone has ever met? That is a sad thought.. and it happens more then you would think. That my friend, is being a bad testimony. And just like the mariners could see through Jonah because his actions didn’t match his words, people can see right through you and I when our actions don’t line up with what we say. 

Matthew 15:7-9 

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

How humiliating ! Picture our Lord and Savior calling you a hypocrite ! Such an ugly word for such an ugly attribute. Such terminology cuts us to the bone! So let’s take that as motivation to do better ! Let’s not play charades, let's not put on an act,  let’s truly mean it when we say “I fear God” or “I follow Jesus “ 

Jesus knows when we are being real or fake, we can’t get anything past him! Even everyday people we encounter will see when we are being phony. Our kids will see right through us when we explain to them how important reading our Bibles are but yet they never have seen us open the Bible a day in our lives. Co-workers will see right through us when we claim to be hard workers, working as unto Christ, and yet we always cut every corner possible as long as it means less work for us.

People are on a hair-trigger to call Christians out, so when you sport that label on yourself you need to make sure you're living accordingly.. otherwise we’re no better than the Pharisees.. claiming to love God with our lips but having our hearts far from Him. 

Back to our main text in Jonah..

10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

Notice Jonah claims to fear the Lord but his actions do not match his words. The Bible tells us right here that the mariners actually did fear the Lord. Yet again in this story we see the mariners acting more godly than the man of God himself. 

You say “ok so they were very afraid…why is that a big deal?” This is a big deal when we examine the source of why they are afraid. They realize and understand that this predicament they find themselves in is a result of God's anger against Jonah. They look around at the foaming sea, the wind and the chaos, and they understand the God of heaven is not one you want to displease. 

Look at this verse..

Proverbs 9:10

 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

The mariners were approaching the right state of mind, and that begins with the fear of the Lord, THAT is the beginning of wisdom. It is people in life who think there is absolutely no consequence for their actions that have no knowledge. 

This godless world view today builds itself off a fake science that preaches we all evolved from animals. We are nothing but animals. The Bible teaches God made man in His image, and that he has value. The godless world view of today teaches that we are nothing but evolved animals, and that the only source of morality and right doing is what we decide is right as a society. The Bible teaches that God decides what is right and wrong. By the godless worldview what is really stopping someone from murdering another human being? After all, were just evolved animals right? Survival of the fittest! I mean slavery has been around forever, even here in the United States. In times past black people were seen as lesser human beings than white people. At that time…this was fine! No problem. By godless worldview logic this was absolutely acceptable because we as a society decided it was acceptable. 

Yet, the Bible teaches that God has determined what is right and wrong and He will hold us accountable. God is upset at murder, slavery, rape and violence because He has deemed those actions as wrong. And when we understand that we have committed sins, or wrong actions against God and that He holds us accountable for our actions, if we are smart we seek to repair this separation between us and the perfect Holy God. This reconciliation with our creator can only happen through Jesus Christ.

11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

Notice the desire for them to appease God. Whatever storms we find ourselves going through in our lives, whether we have caused them personally or we are just caught in the crossfire, we should seek to appease God. A fear of God will drive us to seek His loving arms. 

Perhaps a violent storm has been stirred up and it’s just nature, you just happen to be caught in it naturally, It has nothing to do with God being angry. I would submit to you that even still we should be calling out to the one who holds our safety in His hands. 

12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

On the surface, verse 12 may seem like Jonah is redeeming himself and becoming the hero he should have been all along. Sadly I don’t think this is the case. I do not think Jonah is so stirred up and emotional that his wrong doing is going to cause the demise of these innocent men, that he is willing to sacrifice himself for them. I think that he is being disobedient to God even to his own death. I think he would rather die than repent of his wrong doing. 

What a terrible place to be! When we wrong God it’s best to soften our hearts and turn to him in repentance. When we harden our hearts to a point where we would rather die than submit to God, that is a major spiritual problem. 

We see in verse 13 that even though the man of God did not care about the mariners lives, the mariners certainly care about the life of the man of God. They have absolutely no reason to try and spare Jonah here. They cannot defeat God. And yet they desperately try to come up with another solution besides throwing Jonah overboard to his death. Ultimately, although their hearts were in the right place, they failed. The storm was too violent to overcome. 

14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.

15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.

They had to throw Jonah over.There was no other way. But something special takes place. 

Let's look at this verse real fast first. 

Romans 1:18-20

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Nature itself reveals our Heavenly Father. All nature itself points to the fact that this isn't all by chance, everything is so perfectly designed, someone must be behind it all. Even if someone did not have a messenger of God or the Bible, yet they would still be without excuse because this very world itself bears witness of a divine architect. 

The mariners see this divine control over the winds and the sea, they see justice. At the same time, the sea is called the moment Jonah hits the water. They see the mercy of God, they see his willingness to stay His mighty hand and relent of the destruction and loss of life He can cause. And this leads them to getting saved. 

I truly believe the mariners got saved at this moment. God was revealed to them for who He is and I believe that they acted on this knowledge with genuine faith in God. They made vows and made sacrifices unto the Lord! Perhaps the vow was something along the lines “Lord, I want you to be my God! Please save me!”. 

The amazing thing is, these men got saved even with Jonah’s shortcomings. Yes Jonah should have been a better testimony, but even with his terrible testimony these men still witnessed and experienced the great power of our God and that was enough to lead them to call upon the Lord and be saved!

Now it's amazing that these men got saved, but is this the end of the story for Jonah? Let's look at the final verse in chapter 1…

17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Where did Jonah’s disobedience get him? Into the belly of a whale. How will he respond to this? We will see next time. 

But let's end with some application..

Have you had bad testimony? Have you been a bad Christian and a bad example? Perhaps during your christian life, or even before you became a christian, you messed up badly and did some things that left a blemish on your life. God can still use you friend! If you are alive and breathing God can still use you. Even though Jonah was a terrible testimony, even though he was asleep at the wheel and didn't care about anyone but himself…. the mariners were still able to see the goodness of God through the events that took place. Just like these mariners who came to the knowledge of the truth despite the messenger of God doing a terrible job, this world is full of people who are waiting to witness the power of God in their lives. You can help them! You're Not asleep at the wheel! You can be a messenger for God, and imagine the amazing works you can accomplish when you care about people, care about prayer, and care about your testimony. 

If you are not sure that you are going to heaven, please get this settled today by clicking here: How to Go to Heaven.

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