As I have alluded to in the prior posts, there are many themes which can be traced through Jonah chapter 1. The last couple of mornings, I’ve been thinking about the presence of God (v.10) in contrast to the chaotic waters (vv. 4, 11, 12, 13, 15).

Going all the way back to page one of the Bible, we see both the presence of God and the chaotic waters. Genesis 1, of course, is the creation account. (Technically this account goes through chapter 2, verse 3). To the ancient Hebrews and other people groups at that time, they thought of creation much differently than we do today. In other words, our worldviews don’t match. Today, we think “scientifically” and try to answer questions such as, where did the elements come from? (Creation ex nihilo).

The Ancients don’t think in such narrow terms, and in fact have a far more robust view of creative events. Consider what happens on page 1. The first three days organize the structure of the cosmos and what we call Earth. Day 1 – Light/Darkness; Day 2 – Skies above, waters below; Day 3 – Dry land and plants. The second three days provide inhabitants to all the realms in the corresponding order of the first three days. Day 4 – Sun, moon, and stars. (v. 18 – to rule? Hmm! This is a nod to spiritual beings.); Day 5 – birds and fish, including great sea creatures; Day 6 – animals and people (v.28 to rule Earth).

Creation in scripture and in every other ancient culture (Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian) is the process of bringing order out of chaos. This is exactly what God does on page 1. Consider the imagery. Dark chaotic waters that can’t support life, without form, void, wild, waste, desert, emptiness, nothingness. It doesn’t sound appealing, nor can life be sustained. But within this, the spirit of God is hovering. The very presence of God is bringing order so that humans have an environment in which we can live. Human flourishing is at the very heart of the creation account.

Coming back to Jonah, when we read about storms and chaotic waters, this is a breakdown of the original design in Genesis 1. In other words, it is a disordering of some part of creation and strikes at the heart of human flourishing. However, God’s presence is always there. Jonah knows this too. Consider the words of this famous Psalm:

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” (139:7-12 ESV). Jonah lived through just about all of these scenarios.

I make notes and underline verses in my bible. Next to verse 14 I wrote “everyone gets religious in the storm.” The sailors came face-to-face with the Lord thanks to Jonah’s rebellion. By verse 16 they have committed their lives to the Lord. They obeyed the word of God and were saved.

What is interesting to me is the fact we have this report of the sailors’ lives being changed forever. This happened because Jonah was unfaithful. Had Jonah simply listened, he wouldn’t have been on that ship and those men wouldn’t have experienced the Lord like they did.

As you read through the bible, consider those times around water, especially chaotic waters. Is the presence of God there? What is happening? Who is being changed and in what way?

God saves through the chaos in life. If you talk to anyone who has gray hair, you’ll hear stories about the Lord saving or bringing you through hard times. This is what God does because His presence is always there. Even when we can’t see it.

The Man Up podcast hopes to encourage men to connect with God and with other men. Our podcast will cover a range of topics that are relevant to our day and to the heart of man. It is the hosts’ desire to help men find and live out their divine purpose in life. We believe that all men and women are created in His Image and that our ultimate example is the Messiah. We hope you are encouraged to live a godly masculine life.