The Obedient Storm and the Sleeping Prophet Text: Jonah 1:4-6
Introduction: The Sovereignty of the Wind
We live in an age that has a deep and abiding allergy to the absolute sovereignty of God. Men want a God who is a sort of respectable, celestial consultant, one they can call upon in a pinch, but who otherwise keeps His distance. They want a God who reigns but does not rule. But the God of Scripture is not this tame deity of the modern imagination. He is the Lord, Yahweh, the one who does whatever He pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. And in the book of Jonah, we find that this is a truth that absolutely everyone and everything understands, with one glaring exception, the prophet of God himself.
Jonah has received a clear command from God to go to Nineveh, and he has responded with clear, deliberate disobedience. He has paid his fare and boarded a ship to Tarshish, which is in the exact opposite direction. He is running from the presence of the Lord. But as we see in our text, running from the presence of the Lord is like trying to run from the air you breathe. God is not a local deity, confined to the borders of Israel. His jurisdiction is the cosmos. When a man runs from God, he is not running from a location, but from reality itself. And reality has a way of catching up with you.
In these verses, God decides to interrupt Jonah's getaway. He does not send a gentle reminder or a quiet suggestion. He hurls a storm. This is not random weather. This is a divine appointment. This is God's response to His disobedient servant. And in this maelstrom, we see a stark contrast between the frantic, terrified piety of the pagans and the comatose rebellion of the prophet. The pagans know something is wrong, and they are crying out to their gods. Jonah knows exactly what is wrong, and he is fast asleep.
This passage is designed to show us the utter futility of rebellion and the inescapable reach of God's sovereign hand. It is a lesson for Jonah, a lesson for the sailors, and a lesson for us. You cannot outrun God, you cannot hide from God, and when He decides to get your attention, He knows how to make the winds and the waves obey.
The Text
But Yahweh hurled a great wind on the sea, and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship gave thought to breaking apart. Then the sailors became fearful, and every man cried to his god, and they hurled the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down below into the innermost part of the vessel, lain down, and fallen deep asleep. So the captain came near to him and said to him, "How is it that you are deeply sleeping? Arise, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish."
(Jonah 1:4-6 LSB)
The Divine Tempest (v. 4)
Our text begins with God's direct and forceful intervention.
"But Yahweh hurled a great wind on the sea, and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship gave thought to breaking apart." (Jonah 1:4)
The first word here is crucial: "But." Jonah had a plan, a ticket to Tarshish, and a determination to flee. "But Yahweh." This is the great conjunction of the Christian life. Our sin has its logic, our rebellion has its trajectory, "but God." He interrupts. He intervenes. He is not a passive observer of human affairs. The word for "hurled" is a violent one. It is the same word used for Saul hurling his spear at David. This is not a gentle breeze. This is a sovereign, targeted act of war against Jonah's disobedience.
Notice who is in charge. It is Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, who hurls the wind. The sea is not ruled by Poseidon or some other pagan deity. It is ruled by the God of Abraham. The wind is not an impersonal force of nature; it is a servant sent on a divine errand. In this book, we see a consistent pattern: the wind obeys God, the sea obeys God, the great fish obeys God, the plant obeys God, the worm obeys God, and even the pagan Ninevites obey God. The only thing in this story that is stubbornly disobedient is the man of God. This is a profound irony and a sharp rebuke.
The storm is so severe that the ship "gave thought to breaking apart." The Hebrew personifies the ship, as if even the inanimate object was in a state of terror and on the verge of disintegration. This is not just a bad day at sea; this is a supernatural crisis. God is turning the very screws of creation to corner His runaway prophet. This is what we might call the bagpipes of hard sovereignty. When God is pursuing a man, He will use every instrument at His disposal, and the music is not always pleasant to the ears. But it is always for His glory and for the ultimate good of His child, however painful the lesson.
The Piety of Pagans and the Slumber of the Prophet (v. 5)
The reaction of the sailors is immediate and religious, which stands in stark contrast to Jonah's stupor.
"Then the sailors became fearful, and every man cried to his god, and they hurled the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down below into the innermost part of the vessel, lain down, and fallen deep asleep." (Jonah 1:5 LSB)
The sailors, who are seasoned men of the sea, are terrified. This tells you the severity of the storm. When the experts are panicking, you know the situation is dire. And what is their first response? It is religious. "Every man cried to his god." This is a floating pantheon. Every sailor had his own personal deity, his own idol, his own rabbit's foot. In times of ease, they could all coexist. But when the ship is threatening to break apart, their theological pluralism is shown to be utterly impotent. A thousand false gods are of no use in a storm sent by the one true God.
Now, we should not mistake their fear for true piety, but we should recognize that even pagans know that a storm like this is not natural. They instinctively know that there is a supernatural cause, that some deity is angry. Their theology is wrong, but their instinct is right. They are closer to the truth than the modern materialist who would simply call it a low-pressure system. They at least know that the universe is not an impersonal machine. They are wrong about who is in charge, but they know someone is in charge.
After their prayers fail, they turn to practical measures. They start throwing the cargo overboard. This is a desperate act. This cargo is their livelihood, their profit. They are sacrificing their wealth to save their lives. And while this is happening, where is Jonah? "But Jonah had gone down below." Just as he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, he is now fleeing from the presence of the storm. He goes to the "innermost part," the deepest recess, seeking oblivion. And he has "fallen deep asleep." This is not the peaceful sleep of the righteous. This is the stupor of rebellion. This is the sleep of a man with a seared conscience, a man who is trying to escape the reality of his sin by pulling the blankets over his head. It is a picture of profound spiritual deadness. While the pagans are praying to their false gods, God's own messenger is spiritually unconscious.
A Rebuke from the World (v. 6)
The situation becomes so absurd that the pagan captain is forced to evangelize the prophet of God.
"So the captain came near to him and said to him, 'How is it that you are deeply sleeping? Arise, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.'" (Jonah 1:6 LSB)
The captain finds Jonah and is utterly incredulous. "How is it that you are deeply sleeping?" It is a question dripping with astonishment. In the midst of this terror, with everyone fighting for their lives, here is a man completely oblivious. The world is often more awake to crisis than a slumbering church. The captain's words are a sharp, ironic rebuke. "Arise, call on your god." The pagan has to tell the prophet to pray.
This is a humiliating moment. Jonah, who knows the name of the God who made the sea and the dry land, is being called to prayer by a man who does not. The captain's theology is still pagan and uncertain. "Perhaps your god will be concerned about us." He is operating on a theology of "maybe." He is just hoping one of the gods on his diverse and inclusive ship might be the right one. He doesn't know who is in charge, but he is willing to try anything. He is more spiritually engaged in his ignorance than Jonah is in his knowledge.
This is a picture of what happens when God's people go into rebellion. They become useless to the world. They become a stumbling block. The world, in its desperation, looks to the church for answers, and too often finds it asleep. God had to use a pagan sea captain to wake up His prophet. It is a picture of God's grace that He is willing to do this. He will use any means necessary, even the rebuke of an unbeliever, to jolt His people out of their disobedient slumber. God is pursuing Jonah, and He will not let him sleep through this storm. The wake-up call has been issued.
Conclusion: Waking Up to Reality
This scene sets the stage for the great confrontation to come. But the lessons for us are immediate and piercing. First, the sovereignty of God is not a mere doctrine to be debated in a classroom; it is the fundamental reality of the universe. He hurls the winds and commands the waves. Our plans, our flights, our rebellions are all subject to His veto. We can run, but as Francis Thompson wrote, we are pursued by the "Hound of Heaven."
Second, we see the utter foolishness of running from God. Jonah's flight led him down, geographically and spiritually. He went down to Joppa, down into the ship, and down into the hold to sleep. His rebellion resulted in a kind of spiritual coma. When we are in sin, we become dead to the world, dead to our responsibilities, and deaf to the storm raging around us. It is a dangerous and deadly slumber.
Finally, we see that God in His mercy will not let His children sleep forever. He will send a storm. He will send a pagan captain. He will shake our little boat until it threatens to break apart, all in order to wake us up. The call to Jonah is the call to every backslidden Christian: "Arise, call on your god." Wake up from your stupor. Remember who you are and who it is that you serve. The world is perishing, the storm is raging, and it is no time for the people of God to be asleep.