So they cried out to the LORD: "Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man's life! Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased." So they cried out to the LORD:The sailors, who were likely polytheistic, recognized the power of the God of Israel. This moment of desperation led them to call upon the LORD, indicating a shift from their own gods to the God of Jonah. This reflects the biblical theme of God revealing Himself to the nations, as seen in other instances like the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5. Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life!
The sailors' plea highlights their fear of divine retribution for Jonah's disobedience. This echoes the biblical principle of collective responsibility seen in stories like Achan in Joshua 7. It also underscores the seriousness with which they regarded the sanctity of life, a value deeply embedded in the Mosaic Law. Do not charge us with innocent blood!
This phrase reflects the sailors' concern about being held accountable for Jonah's death. The concept of "innocent blood" is significant in the Old Testament, as seen in Deuteronomy 19:10, which emphasizes the importance of justice and the consequences of shedding innocent blood. The sailors' plea for innocence parallels Pilate's washing of his hands in Matthew 27:24, distancing himself from the responsibility of Jesus' death. For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased.
The sailors acknowledge God's sovereignty and His control over the situation. This recognition of divine will aligns with the broader biblical narrative of God's ultimate authority, as seen in passages like Psalm 115:3. It also foreshadows the New Testament understanding of God's will being accomplished through Jesus Christ, as expressed in Ephesians 1:11. Persons / Places / Events 1. Jonah- A prophet of God who was commanded to go to Nineveh but fled in the opposite direction, leading to the events on the ship. 2. The Sailors- Pagan mariners who were caught in a storm due to Jonah's disobedience and sought divine intervention. 3. The LORD (Yahweh)- The God of Israel, whom the sailors eventually recognize as sovereign and powerful. 4. The Sea- Represents the chaos and danger that ensues from Jonah's attempt to flee from God's presence. 5. The Storm- A divine intervention used by God to redirect Jonah and reveal His power to the sailors. Teaching Points Recognition of God's SovereigntyThe sailors' plea acknowledges God's control over the situation, teaching us to recognize His sovereignty in our lives. The Power of PrayerThe sailors' prayer demonstrates the importance of turning to God in times of crisis, even for those who may not initially know Him. Responsibility and RepentanceThe sailors' concern about shedding innocent blood reflects a moral responsibility, urging us to consider the consequences of our actions. God's Mercy and GraceDespite Jonah's disobedience, God uses the situation to reveal Himself to the sailors, showing His willingness to extend grace to all. Divine Purpose in TrialsThe storm serves a greater purpose in God's plan, reminding us that our trials can lead to spiritual growth and revelation. Bible Study Questions 1. How do the sailors' actions and prayers in Jonah 1:14 reflect a change in their understanding of God? 2. In what ways does the account of Jonah and the sailors challenge us to trust in God's sovereignty during difficult times? 3. How can we apply the sailors' example of prayer and seeking God's mercy in our own lives? 4. What does Jonah 1:14 teach us about the importance of taking responsibility for our actions and their impact on others? 5. How can the themes of repentance and divine intervention in Jonah 1:14 be seen in other parts of Scripture, and how do they apply to our personal spiritual journey? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 107:23-30This passage describes sailors in distress at sea, crying out to the LORD, who calms the storm, similar to the sailors' experience in Jonah. Acts 27:13-44Paul's shipwreck experience parallels Jonah's account, highlighting themes of divine sovereignty and human response to God's will. Matthew 12:39-41Jesus references Jonah, emphasizing repentance and the sign of Jonah as a foreshadowing of His own death and resurrection. People Amittai, Jonah, TarshishPlaces Joppa, Mount Esau, Nineveh, TarshishTopics Account, Accountable, Ah, Beg, Beseech, Blood, Cause, Cried, Cry, Crying, Destruction, Die, Ear, Earnestly, Hast, Hold, Innocent, Killing, Lay, Man's, O, Overtake, Perish, Please, Pleased, Prayer, Seemed, Sin, Taking, WhereforeDictionary of Bible Themes Jonah 1:14 8278 innocence, teaching on Jonah 1:3-15 5517 seafaring Jonah 1:4-17 5828 danger Jonah 1:11-15 8328 quietness Jonah 1:13-14 9614 hope, results of absence Library Guilty Silence and Its Reward
Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great, city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before Me. 3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 4. But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureChristian Graces.
FAITH. FAITH! Peter saith, faith, in the very trial of it, is much more precious than gold that perisheth. If so, what is the worth or value that is in the grace itself? Faith is so great an artist in arguing and reasoning with the soul, that it will bring over the hardest heart that it hath to deal with. It will bring to my remembrance at once, both my vileness against God, and his goodness towards me; it will show me, that though I deserve not to breathe in the air, yet God will have me an heir …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan Whether Divination by Drawing Lots is Unlawful?
Objection 1: It would seem that divination by drawing lots is not unlawful, because a gloss of Augustine on Ps. 30:16, "My lots are in Thy hands," says: "It is not wrong to cast lots, for it is a means of ascertaining the divine will when a man is in doubt." Objection 2: There is, seemingly, nothing unlawful in the observances which the Scriptures relate as being practiced by holy men. Now both in the Old and in the New Testament we find holy men practicing the casting of lots. For it is related …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Careless Sinner Awakened.
1, 2. It is too supposable a case that this Treatise may come into such hands.--3, 4. Since many, not grossly vicious, fail under that character.--5, 6. A more particular illustration of this case, with an appeal to the reader, whether it be not his own.--7 to 9. Expostulation with such.--10 to 12. More particularly--From acknowledged principles relating to the Nature of Got, his universal presence, agency, and perfection.--13. From a view of personal obligations to him.--14. From the danger Of this …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of the natural man is neither Sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's will-its servitude-is essential to a just estimate of his depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human nature is something which …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation, …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Jonah
The book of Jonah is, in some ways, the greatest in the Old Testament: there is no other which so bravely claims the whole world for the love of God, or presents its noble lessons with so winning or subtle an art. Jonah, a Hebrew prophet, is divinely commanded to preach to Nineveh, the capital of the great Assyrian empire of his day. To escape the unwelcome task of preaching to a heathen people, he takes ship for the distant west, only to be overtaken by a storm, and thrown into the sea, when, by …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Jonah 1:14 NIVJonah 1:14 NLTJonah 1:14 ESVJonah 1:14 NASBJonah 1:14 KJV
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