So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”

Jonah cried out, “Salvation is of the Lord,” so Jehovah sent a fish to deliver him.

So the Lord spoke to the fish,

Jehovah’s commands to His irrational creatures are more readily obeyed that His commands to His cogent creatures.  The great fish obeyed Jehovah, but Jonah did not.  Jonah would still be at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea if the great fish had said, “Not me.”  No, he just fanned his tail, took a deep dive into the Mediterranean Sea, and did the will of God.  

The fish knew right where to pick up Jonah, and he knew exactly where to put him – on the right continent and in the right country.  He could have dropped him off in Italy, Spain, or North Africa.  The Mediterranean Sea is a couple of thousand miles long.  God does not relinquish His sovereignty over nature or His creatures. 

It must have been damp, dark, dank, and clammy inside that fish.  There were probably a couple of crabs, a few fish, and an octopus in the fish’s belly.  What a place of discipline! 

God directed the fish to deposit Jonah on the coast of Israel after a three-day return journey.  The fish disgorged Jonah on dry land.  The process of emitting Jonah must not have been very pleasant, but he must have delighted to see that dry, solid ground again. 

and it vomited Jonah onto dry land

The Lord delivered the sorriest of all prophets and put him back on “dry land.”  Surprised and stunned, Jonah now sat on the Mediterranean shores of Israel.  He could now do the will of God and go to Nineveh.  We can almost see the dust fly to Nineveh– but Jonah did not have all the rebellion out of his spirit yet.  That took more than a drowning.

PRINCIPLE: 

When we come to the end of ourselves and throw ourselves on the Lord, then He delivers us. 

APPLICATION: 

God has committed Himself to work in us until Christ comes again.

Php 1:6, “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…”

The Lord not only saves us but also keeps us until He ultimately makes us like the Lord Jesus.  The Lord not only saves the sinner, but He also saves the saint. 

He 7:25, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

The purpose of all chastening is to make us more useful for the Lord.