Moving through our reading program, we get to tackle Jonah this week. A fantastic book, often wrongly restricted to “the story of Jonah and the whale.” We can do better. Jonah is four chapters, and we’re done with the “whale” at the end of chapter 2.

And let’s get the “whale” out of the way quickly. What does the text say?

Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1.17, NIV)

The text doesn’t specify what kind of animal other than it was a “great fish.” Also, “the LORD provided…” It was most probably a one-off, specially prepared.

How did Jonah get there?

By going the opposite direction from where God sent him:

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. (Jonah 1.1 – 3, NIV)

Told to go northeast, over land, Jonah went southwest, over water!

The fish is not the only thing God provided in Jonah:

Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. (Jonah 1.4, NIV)

God not only controls the weather, he controls the dice!

Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. (Jonah 1.7, NIV)

God again controls the weather…and the fish:

Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1.15 – 17, NIV)

We’ll see in chapter 2 that God now has Jonah’s attention! Stay tuned.