Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

No reporting on the beauty of the clear sky this morning. In fact, the weather is behaving with a series of rain squalls. I hope Becki and I can pull our plan for a walk/jog without getting soaked. And I hope I can pull off a tree job this afternoon without being rained out.

Are you ready for what this day has to throw at you? He is. So why would you ever want to do it alone?

Be blessed.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Laying in bed and pondering where I’ve been and things I’ve done in my little lifetime amazes even me. And since I seem to have an internal wiring for adventure, it’s kind of fun to reminisce—and scare myself. I too have experienced some rough seas. I too have been in the presence of some very big fish while spear fishing—of sizes that could swallow a man. Only once have I encountered a whale shark. That was in the Marshall Islands. He was a baby—only about 18 feet long—but plenty big enough for me to fit nicely in his mouth. While it is true that whale sharks are not aggressive and only feed on plankton, I remember reading that some commentators reason that the “great fish” that swallowed Jonah was such a critter. Who knows? Well, God knows. In fact, He’s the One that “prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah” (1:17). And it was certainly not by Jonah’s ability that he survived those three days aboard that special submarine. And I have reason to conclude that it’s not my fault I’m still here.

Some of my past experience also helps me to recognize the animism of the sailors on that ship. Typical of that worldview, events in the physical world are governed by causes in the spirit world. In my own overview, it would seem that animistic pagans are more open and receptive of the Biblical Gospel than are arrogant educated and science-minded secular pagans—so common in our own culture. When Jonah testified, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land” (1:9), notice what did not happen—they did not get into a typical “religious argument” to debate over whose god and belief system was superior. It says, “This terrified them and they asked (typical of animism), ‘What have you done?’” (1:10). Jonah confessed his running from God and recognized that the attempt was futile. He even prescribed himself as a sacrifice for the saving of the others and instructed them to simply toss him overboard. (Question: If Jonah saw this action as vicarious sacrificial suicide, why didn’t he just jump? Instead he said, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea.”) They balked at first, but finally relented as the storm grew worse. “Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. (I wonder if the sailors saw the fish that scooped up Jonah—perhaps one bigger and more ominous than they’d ever seen.) At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him” (1:15-16). There were some profound fox-hole-type conversions aboard that little ship that day.

A few simple points stand out for me in this wild story so far:

1. Prophets aren’t perfect. That right there should offer some wonderful encouragement for you and me—assuming that you understand that you’re not perfect either.
2. Running from God is stupid. He always knows where we are, what we’re doing, and what we’re thinking.
3. Against all odds, God knows how to preserve those He wants to preserve—particularly those with a HEART AFTER GOD.
4. Choosing to serve and please “the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land” is a no-brainer.

PS: A question arose in my little head this morning as I contemplated why the sailors would be “terrified” at Jonah’s testimony: How many religious ideologies in our world view their deity as being the MAKER OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH? I don’t have time to search and explore. I do know that many belief systems view their deity as existing and working within the context of the heavens and the earth, but I don’t recall any claims that any of them were the actual MAKER of those realms. If you have any knowledge or insight on this, please share with me.