5<\/strong>. the mariners<\/em> ] The Hebrew word is formed from the word for salt<\/em>, and denotes those occupied with the salt sea. So we sometimes speak of a sailor as a “salt.”<\/p>\n See note on next verse, and for the whole description of their terror and their prayer comp. Psa 107:23-30<\/span>; Mat 8:23-27<\/span>.<\/p>\n every man unto his god<\/em> ] They were probably Phnicians, who had the carrying trade between Joppa and Tarshish. This would account for their multiplicity of gods. The crew, however, may have been composed of men of different nations. Comp.<\/p>\n “All lost! to prayers, to prayers! All lost!”<\/p>\n Shakespeare, The Tempest<\/em>, Act I. Sc. v.<\/p>\n the wares<\/em> ] It is doubtful whether this includes the cargo. It may only mean the furniture of the ship, moveables, spare tackling, etc. In St Paul’s shipwreck a similar course was taken (Act 27:19<\/span>), but the cargo was not thrown overboard till a later period (Act 27:38<\/span>). Jonah’s ship may have been, like St Paul’s, a corn ship. The export of corn from Joppa was very considerable. See 1Ki 5:9<\/span>; Eze 27:17<\/span>; Act 12:20<\/span>.<\/p>\n to lighten it of them<\/em> ] Rather, to lighten<\/strong> (the burden) from upon them<\/strong> (the mariners), i. e. to make matters easier for them. Comp. Exo 18:22<\/span>, where the same Hebrew phrase is rendered “it shall be easier for thyself.” Unto them<\/em>, R.V.<\/p>\n the sides of the ship<\/em> ] The Hebrew word is not the same as that rendered “ship” earlier in the verse. It occurs nowhere else in the O.T., but the verb from which it is derived signifies to ‘ cover<\/em> ’ or ‘ board over<\/em> ’ (1Ki 7:3<\/span>; 1Ki 7:7<\/span>), so that it is probably used to denote that it was a decked<\/em> vessel in which Jonah sailed, and that he had, as we should say, gone down below. The “sides of the ship” are what we should call the bottom of the ship, the part in which the two sides meet. The same expression is used of the innermost recess of a cave, the point of meeting of the two sides (1Sa 24:3<\/span>). Innermost parts<\/em>, R.V.<\/p>\n was fast asleep<\/em> ] Jonah had probably fallen asleep before the storm commenced, and slumbered too deeply to be roused by it, or by the commotion on board. Our Lord’s sleep amidst the storm on the lake (Mar 4:38<\/span>) furnishes at once a comparison and a contrast. Kalisch quotes in illustration of the heavy sleep of sorrow the case of the disciples in the Garden; “He found them sleeping for sorrow,” Luk 22:45<\/span>; and the words of Sallust, “primo cura, dein, uti grum animum solet, somnus cepit,” Bell. Jug.<\/em> c.71.<\/p>\n 5, 6<\/strong>. The conduct of the heathen mariners stands in striking and favourable contrast with that of the Jewish prophet. They call upon their gods and use every effort to save the ship. He, moody, miserable, and weary with mental conflict and bodily fatigue, is sunk in deep sleep, and has to be roused to consciousness and prayer by the reproaches of the heathen captain.<\/p>\n And cried, every man unto his God – <\/B>They did what they could. Not knowing the truth, they yet know of a Providence, and, amid religious error, know that there is an Object of reverence. In ignorance they had received one who offended God. And now God, whom they ignorantly worshiped Act 17:23<\/span>, while they cried to the gods, who, they thought, disposed of them, heard them. They escaped with the loss of their wares, but God saved their lives and revealed Himself to them. God hears ignorant prayer, when ignorance is not willful and sin.<\/P> To lighten it of them – <\/B>, literally to lighten from against them, to lighten what was so much against them, what so oppressed them. They thought that the ship was weighed down by its wonted lading, and they knew not that the whole weight was that of the fugitive prophet. The sailors cast forth their wares, but the ship was not lightened. For the whole weight still remained, the body of the prophet, that heavy burden, not from the nature of the body, but from the burden of sin. For nothing is so onerous and heavy as sin and disobedience. Whence also Zechariah Zec 5:7<\/span> represented it under the image of lead. And David, describing its nature, said Psa 38:4<\/span>, my wickednesses are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. And Christ cried aloud to those who lived in many sins, Mat 11:28<\/span>. Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will refresh you.<\/P> Jonah was gone down – <\/B>, probably before the beginning of the storm, not simply before the lightening of the vessel. He could hardly have fallen asleep then. A pagan ship was a strange place for a prophet of God, not as a prophet, but as a fugitive; and so, probably, ashamed of what he had completed, he had withdrawn from sight and notice. He did not embolden himself in his sin, but shrank into himself. The conscience most commonly awakes, when the sin is done. It stands aghast as itself; but Satan, if he can, cuts off its retreat. Jonah had no retreat now, unless God had made one.<\/P> And was fast asleep – <\/B>The journey to Joppa had been long and hurried; he had fled. Sorrow and remorse completed what fatigue began. Perhaps he had given himself up to sleep, to dull his conscience. For it is said, he lay down and was fast asleep. Grief produces sleep; from where it is said of the apostles in the night before the Lords Passion, when Jesus rose up from prayer and was come to His disciples, He found them sleeping for sorrow Luk 22:45<\/span> . Jonah slept heavily. Deep was the sleep, but it was not of pleasure but of grief; not of heartlessness, but of heavy-heartedness. For well-disposed servants soon feel their sins, as did he. For when the sin has been done, then he knows its frightfulness. For such is sin. When born, it awakens pangs in the soul which bare it, contrary to the law of our nature. For so soon as we are born, we end the travail-pangs; but sin, so soon as born, rends with pangs the thoughts which conceived it. Jonah was in a deep sleep, a sleep by which he was fast held and bound; a sleep as deep as that from which Sisera never woke. Had God allowed the ship to sink, the memory of Jonah would have been that of the fugitive prophet. As it is, his deep sleep stands as an image of the lethargy of sin . This most deep sleep of Jonah signifies a man torpid and slumbering in error, to whom it sufficed not to flee from the face of God, but his mind, drowned in a stupor and not knowing the displeasure of God, lies asleep, steeped in security.<\/P> <\/p>\n Jon 1:5<\/span><\/p>\n The mariners were afraid, and cried every one unto his god.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Fear driving men to God<\/strong><\/p>\n We see how in dangers men are constrained to call on God. Though, indeed, there is a certain impression by nature on the hearts of men as to God, so that everyone, willing and unwilling, is conscious that there is <\/strong>some Supreme Being; we yet, by our wickedness, smother this light which ought to shine within us. We indeed gladly cast away all cares and anxieties; for we wish to live at ease, and tranquillity is the chief good of man. Hence it comes that all desire to live without fear and without care, and thence we all naturally seek quietness. Yet this quietness generates contempt. Hence, then, it is that hardly any religion appears in the world when God leaves us in an undisturbed condition. Fear constrains us, however unwilling, to come to God. False, indeed, is what is said, that fear is the cause of religion, and that it was the first reason why men thought that there were gods; this notion is indeed wholly inconsistent with common sense and experience. But religion which has become nearly extinct, or at least covered over in the hearts of men, is stirred up by dangers. Of this Jonah gives a remarkable instance when he says that the sailors cried, each of them to his God. We know how barbarous is this race of men; they are disposed to shake off every sense of religion, they indeed drive away every fear, and deride God Himself as long as they may. Hence, that they cried to God, it was no doubt what necessity forced them to do. And here we may learn how useful it is for us to be disquieted by fear; for while we are safe, torpidity, as it is well known, creeps over us. Since, then, hardly any one of him self comes to God, we have need of goads; and God sharply pricks us when He brings any danger so as to constrain us to tremble. But in this way He stimulates us; for we see that all would go astray, and even perish in their thoughtless ness, were He not to draw them back, even against their own will. (John Calvin.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Fear at the prospect of death<\/strong><\/p>\n Pliny, who was a contemporary of the Apostle John, made some close observations of the animal world. Among other things he tells us of the mole–Moriendo incipit oculos aperire,<\/em> that is to say, the mole first opens his eyes in death. And such is really the case, for the moles eyelids, on account of his occupation, are closed all his life long, and only when lie is dying does he force wide open his small black eyes and look round upon the world, and up to the sky. Now, although the mole is not a favourite among men either for its usefulness or its beauty, we may be permitted to say that most human beings, created in the image of God, do just the same as the mole. Of them, too, it is true that, for the most part, they only truly open their eyes, that is, their inward eyes, in death. Then only, when about to leave the world and time, are their eyes couched; not till then do they learn to distinguish between what is something and what is nothing, what is vanity and what is true glory; and then, for the first time, they look up to the inexhaustible sources of eternal life, and discover, to their horror, that like deluded fools they have all along been pursuing what was only illusion, deception, or imposture. Yea, only in that hour do they who took so much pride in their own wisdom become wise in the sense which Moses meant when he prayed:<\/strong> So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. So late do they begin to seek the antidote to death. Thus we find the fellow-voyagers of the runaway prophet are full of dread and dismay at the gates of death. (Otto Funcke.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The superstitious infidel<\/strong><\/p>\n The man who, in ordinary circumstances, refuses a just and enlightened submission to the authority of God is, in the hour of calamity, of all others the most likely to degrade his nature and his name by the low and debasing services of a gross superstition.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Not, assuredly, in the superior understanding of its subjects. Were it even so, that the most acute individuals were found in the ranks of infidelity, still <\/strong>infidelity gains nothing unless it can either be shown that it is itself the cause of this acumen, or that it results properly and immediately from its exertions. Infidelity is the vice not of mature but of juvenile minds, or of those whose minds never open beyond the attainments of indiscretion.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Infidelity, in very many instances, derives its origin from the distorted views of religion, which superstition or bigotry present.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>The grand origin of all infidelity is the pride and pollution of the heart. Passion now usurps the authority over conscience, and the understanding submits to the will. What we strongly incline to we are easily persuaded to believe; whereas, a doctrine that opposes our desires, it is hardly possible to bear. The principles of infidelity may be held in the fullest harmony with indulged sensuality.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>By voluntary confession on his acceptance of the Saviour.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>By the despair which must follow the rejection of this salvation.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>By the degrading superstitions to which the infidel is constrained to apply.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Of its wisdom. Intellect is the boast of infidels.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Of its practical influence. The interests of society are concerned here.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>What is infidelity with respect to its ultimate comfort?<\/p>\n That is no religion for man which does not afford consolation. (James Simpson.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Seamen in storms<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Rouse us to consider them as Gods voice.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Lead us to submit to the catastrophes they produce.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>The dread of death.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Faith in prayer. Their prayer involved–<\/p>\n (1)<\/strong> Faith in the existence of divinity.<\/p>\n (2)<\/strong> Faith in the intreatableness of divinity.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>To put our confidence in God.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Of our moral condition.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>Of our duty to pray for our brethren on the sea. (Homilist.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n They cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea<\/strong>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The unavailing sacrifice<\/strong><\/p>\n Whatever sacrifices the sinner in the hour of trial may be disposed to make, nothing can avail him so long as unpardoned sin remains concealed in the heart.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>The awakened sinner may abandon, in the hopes of relief, his worldly companions. These were his treasure.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Conviction may even constrain the sacrifice of the most endeared and of the most inveterate habits of sin,<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>He sacrifices his prejudices.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>He sacrifices his personal ease.<\/p>\n 5. <\/strong>He will even sacrifice his worldly substance.<\/p>\n Verse 5. Cried every man unto his god<\/B><\/I>] The ship’s crew<\/I> were all heathens; and, it is probable, heathens who had each a different object of religious worship.<\/P> <\/P> Cast forth the wares<\/B><\/I>] Threw the lading overboard<\/I> to lighten the ship, hoping the better to ride out<\/I> the storm.<\/P> <\/P> Jonah was gone down<\/B><\/I>] Most probably into the hold<\/I> or cabin<\/I> under the deck; or where they had berths for passengers in the sides of the ship; something in the manner of our packets<\/I>.<\/P> <\/P> Was fast asleep.<\/B><\/I>] Probably quite exhausted and overcome with distress, which in many cases terminates in a deep sleep. So the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane.<\/P> <\/p>\n Then, <\/B>when this preternatural tempest fell-with all its violence into the sea, the mariners; passengers are not here named, who, unaccustomed to sea, might be too apprehensive of danger; but the men that were acquainted with the sea, and had seen many a tempest, and weathered many a storm, <\/P> were afraid, <\/B>heartily afraid, full of apprehensions that they should be wrecked. <\/P> Cried, <\/B>with loud voice and earnest petitions, as the manner of such men is, when danger awakens them to the duty they neglect whilst safe. Every man; not a man of them but feared, nor a man of them but cried out, by which it is evident it was a most dreadful storm. <\/P> Unto his god:<\/B> by this it appears that the ships crew was a mixture of men who worshipped several gods, and every one doth now cry to the god whom he worshipped: whatever god it might be, it was not he that did raise nor could allay the tempest. Cast forth the wares that were in the ship: when prayer to their false gods doth no good, but their danger continued and threatened them with foundering in the sea, to prevent this they lighten the ship, as is usual in such cases, and cast the wares out; not as sacrifice to the god of the flea, or as repenting of piracy, by which the goods were gotten, though some conjecture so, but the text tells us it was <\/P> to lighten<\/B> the ship that it may bear up its head and work with the sea better than when heavy laden. <\/P> But Jonah, <\/B>the greatest weight, and only danger to ship and seamen, <\/P> was gone down into the sides of the ship; <\/B>was under the hold in some cabin or other in the side of the ship, whither he went before the storm arose; <\/P> and was fast asleep; <\/B>in a very deep sleep, as the word imports. <\/P> <\/p>\n 5. mariners were afraid<\/B>thoughused to storms; the danger therefore must have been extreme. <\/P> cried every man unto hisgod<\/B>The idols proved unable to save them, though each,according to Phoelignician custom, called on his tutelary god. ButJehovah proved able: and the heathen sailors owned it in the end bysacrificing to Him (Jon 1:16<\/span>). <\/P> into the sides<\/B>that is,the interior recesses (compare 1Sa 24:3<\/span>;Isa 14:13<\/span>; Isa 14:15<\/span>).Those conscious of guilt shrink from the presence of their fellow maninto concealment. <\/P> fast asleep<\/B>Sleep is nonecessary proof of innocence; it may be the fruit of carnal securityand a seared conscience. How different was Jesus’ sleep on the Sea ofGalilee! (Mr 4:37-39<\/span>).Guilty Jonah’s indifference to fear contrasts with the unoffendingmariners’ alarm. The original therefore is in the nominativeabsolute: “But as for Jonah,<\/I> he,” &c. Comparespiritually, Eph 5:14<\/span>.<\/P><\/p>\n Then the mariners were afraid<\/strong>,…. Perceiving that the storm was not an ordinary, but a supernatural one; and that the ship and all in it were in extreme danger, and no probability of being saved. This shows that the storm must be very violent, to frighten such men who were used to the sea, and to storms, and were naturally bold and intrepid. The word used signifies “salters”, so called from the salt sea they used, as they are by us “mariners”, from “mare”, the “sea”; though R. Japhet in Aben Ezra thinks the commodity they carried in their vessel was salt:<\/p>\n and cried every man to his god<\/strong>: to help them, and save them out of their distress. In the ship it seems were men of different nations, and who worshipped different gods. It was a notion of the Jews, and which Jarchi mentions as his own, that there were men of the seventy nations of the earth in it; and as each of them had a different god, they separately called upon them. The polytheism of the Pagans is to be condemned, and shows the great uncertainty of their religion; yet this appears to be agreeable to the light of nature that there is a God, and that God is to be prayed unto, and called upon, especially in time of trouble:<\/p>\n and cast forth the wares that [were] in the ship into the sea, to lighten [it] of them<\/strong>; or, “the vessels” c, a word the Hebrews use for all sorts of goods, utensils, c. it includes, with others, their military weapons they had to defend themselves, their provisions, the ship’s stores or goods it was freighted with finding their prayers to their gods were ineffectual, they betook themselves to this prudential method to lighten the ship, that they might be able to keep its head above water. So the Targum,<\/p>\n “when they saw there was no profit in them;”<\/p>\n that is in the gods they called upon, then they did this; the other was a matter of religion this a point of prudence; such a step the mariners took that belonged to the ship in which the Apostle Paul was,<\/p>\n Ac 27:18<\/span>;<\/p>\n but Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship<\/strong>; into one of its sides, into a cabin there; the lowest side, as the Targum:<\/p>\n and he lay, and was fast asleep<\/strong>; even snored, as some versions have it: it may seem strange he should when the wind was so strong and boisterous; the sea roaring; the waves beating; the ship rolling about; the mariners hurrying from place to place, and calling to each other to do their duty; and the passengers crying; and, above all, that he should fall into so sound a sleep, and continue in it, when he had such a guilty conscience. This shows that he was asleep in a spiritual as well as in a corporeal sense.<\/p>\n c “vasa”, V. L. Vatablus, Grotius.<\/p>\n This narrative, in which Jonah relates in order so many circumstances, is not without its use; for, as we shall presently see, he intended to set forth his own insensibility, and to lay it before us as painted before our eyes: and the comparison, which is implied in the circumstances, greatly illustrates the supine and almost brutal security of Jonah. <\/p>\n He says first that the mariners (15) were afraid, and then, that each cried, that is, to his god and that they cast out into the sea the lading of the ship. As then they were all so concerned, was it not marvelous that Jonah, on whose account the sea was stormy, was asleep? Others were busy, they ran here and there in the ship, and spoiled themselves of their goods, that they might reach the shore in safety: they indeed chose to strip themselves of all they had rather than to perish; they also cried to their gods. Jonah cared for nothing, nay, he lay asleep: but whence came such a carelessness as this, except that he was not only become torpid, but that he seemed also to have been deprived of all reason and common feeling? There is no doubt then but that Jonah, in order to show this to have been the case, has here enumerated so many circumstances. <\/p>\n He says that the mariners were afraid. We indeed know that sailors are not usually frightened by small or common storms; for they are a hardy race of men, and they are the less afraid, because they daily see various commotions in the air. When, therefore, he says that the sailors were afraid, we hence gather that it was not a moderate tempest, for such does not thus terrify men accustomed by long expert once to all sorts of storms: they, then, who had been previously hardened, were disquieted with fear. He afterwards adds, that they cried, each of them to his god. Jonah certainly ought not to have slept so soundly, but that he might rouse himself at almost any moment, for he carried in his heart his own executioner, as he knew that he was a fugitive: for we have said before, that it was not a slight offense for Jonah to withdraw himself from the presence of God; he despised his call, and, as far as he could, cast off the yoke, so as not to obey God. Seeing, then, that Jonah was ill at ease with himself, ought he not to have trembled, even while asleep? But while others cried to their false gods, he either despised, or at least neglected the true God, to whom he knew he was disobedient, and against whom he rebelled. This is the point of the comparison, or of the antithesis. But we at the same time see, how in dangers men are constrained to call on God. Though, indeed, there is a certain impression by nature on the hearts of men as to God, so that every one, willing or unwilling, is conscious that there is some Supreme Being; we yet by our wickedness smother this light, which ought to shine within us. We indeed gladly cast away all cares and anxieties; for we wish to live at ease, and tranquillity is the chief good of men. Hence it comes, that all desire to live without fear and without care; and hence we all naturally seek quietness. Yet this quietness generates contempt. Hence then it is, that hardly any religion appears in the world, when God leaves us in an undisturbed condition. Fear constrains us, however unwilling, to come to God. False indeed is what is said, that fear is the cause of religion, and that it was the first reason why men thought that there were gods: this notion is indeed wholly inconsistent with common sense and experience. But religion, which has become nearly extinct, or at least covered over in the hearts of men, is stirred up by dangers. Of this Jonah gives a remarkable instance, when he says that the sailors cried, each of them to his god We know how barbarous is this race of men; they are disposed to shake off every sense of religion; they indeed drive away every fear, and deride God himself as long as they may. Hence that they cried to God, it was no doubt what necessity forced them to do. And here we may learn, how useful it is for us to be disquieted by fear; for while we are safe, torpidity, as it is well known, soon creeps over us. Since, then, hardly any one of himself comes to God, we have need of goads; and God sharply pricks us, when he brings any danger, so as to constrain us to tremble. But in this way, as I have already said, he stimulates us; for we see that all would go astray, and even perish in their thoughtlessness, were he not to draw them back, even against their own will. <\/p>\n But Jonah does not simply say, that each cried to God, but he adds, to his own god. As, then, this passage teaches, that men are constrained by necessity to seek God, we also, on the other hand, it shows, that men go astray in seeking God, except they are directed by celestial truth, and also by the Spirit of God. There is then some right desire in men, but it goes astray; for none will keep the right way except the Lord directs them, as it has been said, both by his word and his Spirit. Both these particulars we learn from the words of the Prophet: The sailors feared; men hardy and almost iron-hearted, who, like the Cyclops, despised God, — these, he says, were afraid; and they also cried to God; but they did not cry by the guidance of faith; hence it was, that every one cried to his own god. <\/p>\n When we read this, let it first come to our minds that there is no hope until God constrains us, as it were, by force; but we ought to anticipate extreme necessity by seeking him willingly. For what did it avail the sailors and other passengers, to call once on God? It is indeed probable that, shortly after, they relapsed into their former ungodly indifference; after having been freed from their danger, they probably despised God, and all religion was regarded by them with contempt. And so it commonly happens as to ungodly men, who never obey God except when they are constrained. Let therefore every one of us offer himself willingly to God, even now when we are in no danger, and enjoy full quietness. For if we think, that any pretext for thoughtlessness, or for error, or for ignorance, will serve as an excuse, we are greatly deceived; for no excuse can be admitted, since experience teaches us, that there is naturally implanted in all some knowledge of God, and that these truths are engraven on our hearts, that God governs our life, — that he alone can remove us by death, — that it is his peculiar office to aid and help us. For how was it that these sailors cried? Had they any new teacher who preached to them about religion, and who regularly taught them that God was the deliverer of mankind? By no means: but these truths, as I have said, had been by nature impressed on their hearts. While the sea was tranquil, none of them called on their god; but danger roused them from their drowsiness. But it is hence sufficiently evident, that whatever excuses they may pretend, who ascribe not to God his glory, they are all frivolous; for there is no need of any law, there is no need of any Scripture, in short, there is no need of any teaching, to enable men to know, that this life is in the hand of God, that deliverance is to be sought from him alone, and that nothing, as we have said, ought to be looked for from any other quarter: for invocation proves that men have this conviction respecting God; and invocation comes from nothing else but from some hidden instinct, and indeed from the guidance and teaching of nature, ( duce ac magistra natura ) This is one thing. <\/p>\n But let us also learn from this passage, that when God is sought by us, we ought not to trust to our own understanding; for we shall in that case immediately go astray. God then must be supplicated to guide us by his word, otherwise every one will fall off into his own superstitions; as we here see, that each cried to his own god. The Prophet also reminds us that multiplicity of gods is no modern invention; for mankind, since the fall of Adam, have ever been prone to falsehood and vanity. We know how much corruption must occupy our minds, when every one invents for himself hideous and monstrous things. Since it is so, there is no wonder that superstitions have ever prevailed in the world; for the wit of man is the workshop of all errors. ( quia ingenium hominis officina est omnium errorum ) And hence also we may learn what I have lately touched upon, — that nothing is worse for us than to follow the impulses of our flesh; for every one of himself advances in the way of error, even without being pushed on by another; and at the same time, as is commonly the case, men draw on one another. <\/p>\n He now adds, that the wares were cast out, that is, the lading of the ship; and we know that this is the last resource in shipwrecks; for men, to save their lives, will deprive themselves willingly of all their goods. We hence see how precious is life to man; for he will not hesitate to strip himself of all he has, that he may not lose his life. We indeed shun want, and many seek death because extreme poverty is intolerable to them; but when they come to some great danger, men ever prefer their life to all their possessions; for what are the good things of this world, but certain additions to our life? But Jonah tells us for another purpose that the ship was lightened, even for this, — that we may know that the tempest was no ordinary commotion, but that the sailors, apprehensive of approaching death, adopted this as the last resource. <\/p>\n Another clause follows: Jonah had gone down into the sides (16) , or the side, of the ship. Jonah no doubt sought a retreat before the storm arose. As soon then as they sailed from the harbor, Jonah withdrew to some remote corner, that he might sleep there. But this was no excusable insensibility on his part, as he knew that he was a fugitive from the presence of God: he ought then to have been agitated by unceasing terrors; nay, he ought to have been to himself the taxer ( exactor ) of anxiety. But it often so happens, that when any one has sought hiding-places, he brings on himself a stupor almost brutal; he thinks of nothing, he cares for nothing, he is anxious for nothing. Such then was the insensibility which possessed the soul of Jonah, when he went down to some recess in the ship, that he might there indulge himself in sleep. Since it thus happened to the holy Prophet, who of us ought not to fear for himself? Let us hence learn to remind ourselves often of God’s tribunal; and when our minds are seized with torpor, let us learn to stimulate and examine ourselves, lest God’s judgment overwhelm us while asleep. For what prevented ruin from wholly swallowing up Jonah, except the mercy of God, who pitied his servant, and watched for his safety even while he was asleep? Had not the Lord then exercised such care over Jonah, he must have perished. (17) <\/p>\n We hence see that the Lord often cares for his people when they care not for themselves, and that he watches while they are asleep: but this ought not to serve to nourish our self-indulgence; for every one of us is already more indulgent to himself than he ought to be: but, on the contrary, this example of Jonah, whom we see to have been so near destruction, ought to excite and urge us, that when any of us has gone astray from his calling he may not lie secure in that state, but, on the contrary, run back immediately to God. And if God be not able to draw us back to himself without some violent means, let us at least follow in this respect the example of Jonah, which we shall in its own place notice. It follows — <\/p>\n (15) מלחים, from מלה, salt, “salt-men;” so “mariners,” in our language, from mare , are literally sea-men; and sailors are sail-men. Nautae, in Latin, and ναυται in Greek, being from navis and ναυς, are properly, ship-men. — Ed. <\/p>\n (16) “Sides,” ירכתי, mean no doubt the lower parts. Jerome renders it, ad interiora navis ; the Septuagint, εις την κοίλην του πλοίου — to the belly cavity of the ship. — Ed. <\/p>\n (17) “We see in this instance the great danger in which unconscious sinners are often involved, that the solace sought by them departs from them, that a dead sleep remains, and even increases under God’s judgment, and that in the performance of duty the godly are sometimes more slothful than the ungodly.” — Ed. <\/p>\n CRITICAL NOTES<\/strong>.] <\/p>\n Jon. 1:6<\/span><\/strong>. What<\/strong>] He sleeps, they pray (Psa. 107:28<\/span>). God<\/strong>] Lit. the<\/em> God; other gods powerless (perhaps<\/em> the language of hope); Jonahs God could help them. <\/p>\n HOMILETICS<\/em><\/p>\n CONTRASTS IN THE VOYAGE OF LIFE.Jon. 1:5<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Fatigue and sorrow had some influence upon Jonah (Mat. 26:40-45<\/span>); but he seemed to be stupefied by sin, and for a time composed himself into deep sleep. The praying sailors and the sleeping servant indicate great contrasts in moral life.<\/p>\n I. Contrasts in the family<\/strong>. Diligent and idle, godly and ungodly children Some pray, and others live regardless of God. The parents are asleep when they ought to be alive to every duty, and set an example to their converted children. Children are careless when mothers and fathers continually pray for them. <\/p>\n II. Contrasts in the Christian Church<\/strong>. Many Christians are active and energetic, praying for the Holy Spirit and the revival of Gods work: others murmur and do little or nothing. They are asleep in Zion. <\/p>\n III. Contrasts in the world<\/strong>. We have Pagan piety reproving Christian indifference; Roman Catholic and ritualistic zeal shaming Protestant faith; heathens and Mohammedans provoking us to good works. Let us not sleep as do others.<\/p>\n THE SLEEPER ROUSED.Jon. 1:6<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n God had other messengers beside wind and storm. He often uses rough and uncouth means, very unlikely instruments. It was not a pious minister, but a wicked woman, who rebuked Bunyan for his profanity. Jonah was roused, not by a prophet of God, but a heathen captain, who suffered no one in common danger to desert his duty or hinder others from performing it. What meanest thou? &c.<\/p>\n I<\/strong>. What meanest thou?<\/strong> It is most unreasonable to sleep<\/strong>. The bird, the beast, and the insect, know their own interest better; flee from danger, and prepare for coming difficulty (Isa. 1:3<\/span>; Pro. 6:5-11<\/span>; Jer. 8:7<\/span>). Surely intelligent beings, Christian believers, may learn much from animal creation. II<\/strong>. What meanest thou?<\/strong> It is most risky to sleep<\/strong>. The ship is in danger of sinking. Thy own life and the lives of others are at stake. All hands must be at work. It is no time for sleep when the house is on fire. We should never sleep in self-security when men are perishing around us. III<\/strong>. What meanest thou?<\/strong> when others are asking thy prayers<\/strong>. Every man is longing for deliverance. <\/p>\n 1. Asked by those who have prayed to their gods in vain<\/em>. Each has looked to his idol, and depended upon resources which have disappointed. Men turn to you in penitence and bitter experience, and ask an interest in your prayers. Intercessory prayer is genuine charity. <\/p>\n 2. Asked by those who believe that your God can help<\/em>. The ship-master was convinced that Jonahs God might possibly be more powerful than any of the gods of the crew. This is the language of hope and earnestness. Perhaps<\/em> God may think upon us. The faith of awakened sinners should reprove our unbelief and neglect. We come not to a God unknown and unrevealed. There is more than perhaps upon which to ground our faith. We have warrant to pray, for God will hear; we are roused by circumstances around us to call upon our God in personal united supplication. Let us not sleep as do others.<\/p>\n HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES<\/em><\/p>\n Jon. 1:5<\/span>. Jonah was in a deep sleep, a sleep by which he was fast held and bound; a sleep as deep as that from which Sisera never woke. (The same Heb. word is used, Jdg. 4:21<\/span>.) Had God allowed the ship to sink, the memory of Jonah would have been that of a fugitive prophet. As it is, his deep sleep stands as an image of the lethargy of sin [Pusey<\/em>].<\/p>\n 1. A child of God may so miscarry through infirmity, negligence, and temptation, that he may be blameworthy and reprovable by a Pagan in the light of nature. Jon. 1:6<\/span>. What meanest thou?<\/em> Apply the words to the sinner. I. The condition indicated<\/em>. Sleep a state of<\/p>\n 1. Darkness; We see in this instance the great danger in which unconscious sinners are often involvedthat the solace sought by them often departs from themthat a deep sleep remains, and that in the performance of duty the godly are sometimes more slothful than the ungodly [Lange<\/em>].<\/p>\n A salutary admonition, from whatever quarter it may come, ought never to be despised [Lange<\/em>].<\/p>\n ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 1<\/p>\n Jon. 1:6<\/span>. Sleeper<\/em>. The saints sleeping-time is Satans tempting-time. No temptation so weak but is strong enough to foil a Christian that is napping in security. Samson asleep, and Delilah cut his locks. Noah asleep, and his graceless son has a fit time to discover his fathers nakedness. Thus the Christian asleep in security may soon be surprised, so as to lose much of his spiritual strength [An old Divine<\/em>].<\/p>\n (5) And cried every man unto his god.<\/strong>If Phnicians, the sailors would have their favourite deities in the national Pantheon; but they may have been a motley crew composed of various nationalities. For the panic comp. Psa. 107:23-30<\/span>, and Shakespeares Tempest,<\/em><\/p>\n All lost! to prayers! to prayers, all lost!<\/p>\n Wares.<\/strong>The Hebrew word is of general import for furniture of any kind, and so including all the movables in the ship. The cargo would probably, as in the case of St. Pauls shipwreck, be reserved till the last extremity.<\/p>\n To lighten it of them.<\/strong>This gives the sense, though the Hebrew idiom appears to mean, to give themselves relief.<\/em> (Comp. Exo. 18:22<\/span>, So shall it be easier for thyself; 1Ki. 12:10<\/span>, Make thou it lighter unto us.)<\/p>\n Sides.<\/strong>Rather, recesses.<\/em> The word is used of the inner part of the Temple (1Ki. 6:16<\/span>), of a cave (1Sa. 24:3<\/span>), of a dwelling-house (Psa. 128:3<\/span>).<\/p>\n Ship.<\/strong>The Hebrew is different from the word used earlier in the verse, and is peculiar to this passage. Its derivation from a root meaning to cover with boards, indicates a decked<\/em> vessel. Jonah had gone below into the cabin, the natural course for a man flying from a disagreeable duty. To stand on deck and watch the slow receding shore would have been mental torture.<\/p>\nFuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>Whence does infidelity originate?<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Trace infidelity in its results. Follow the history of the infidel to his ultimate manifestation. That sooner or later he will be revealed is what we are warranted to assume. In one or other of the following ways is his folly revealed.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>What judgment ought to be formed of such a system of principles?<\/p>\n
I. <\/strong>The mighty agency of God. The wind is a strange power in nature. The fact that storms are under Divine direction should–<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>The natural instincts of man. These men developed–<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>The strange vicariousness of suffering. The storm came on as a consequence of the sin of Jonah. The innocent suffer for the guilty the world over. The principle of vicarious suffering is a principle developed in the experience of all. We suffer for others, and others have suffered for us. A man may deny the justice of vicarious suffering, but he cannot deny the fact. The sufferings of mariners are strikingly vicarious. Let shipwrecks remind us–<\/p>\n
I. <\/strong>There are important sacrifices which, in the hour of trial, the awakened sinner will make.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Sacrifices so presented can never be accepted of God. They have no intrinsic value;–they are involuntary–unseasonable–selfish–unauthorised–unbelieving–and unholy. Such sacrifices may be made while sin remains safely concealed in the soul. Two things are requisite in order to our intercourse with God. Not only must iniquity be pardoned, but it must also be destroyed as to the influence which it exerts on the heart. By that method of salvation which the Scripture reveals, holiness is effectually secured. (James Simpson.<\/em>)<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
2. It is deeply censurable and absurd even to the eye of nature to be secure in trouble.
3. Natures light will acknowledge that he who is the true God hath power to deliver in extreme danger [Hutcheson<\/em>].<\/p>\n
2. Danger;
3. Insensibility;
4. and Death. Yet the awful condition of many. The anger of God is upon them. Death and judgment are drawing nigh. Yet they sleep on, wish not to be disturbed and roused to a consciousness of danger. II. The question pressed<\/em>. What meanest thou? To avoid the danger and run away from God? Is sleep better than anxiety, and sin than salvation? Do you mean to sleep as long as God and man will let you, and then just when the ship is sinking try to save yourselves? Will you rob God of your love and obedience, and expect him to interpose at last to save you? What meanest thou? Awake, thou that sleepest, and Christ shall give thee light.<\/p>\nFuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n