The Omnipresence of God – He is Everywhere – Jonah chapters 1 and 2
Definition: Omnipresent
He is present everywhere, really present. He fills heaven and earth. He is truly present in all places at all times.
An attempt to flee God’s presence 1:1-3
Jonah knew of God’s greatness. Yet he flees, he runs, he goes “down”. Foolish, yes, but so are we.
3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
Jonah 1:3
The futility of fleeing God’s presence 1:4-16
Jonah thought he was incognito, but God knows. He sends a great storm. What a contrast – the pagan sailors are on deck praying, but Jonah is down below asleep, self-deluded.
4 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, ‘How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.’
7 Then the sailors said to each other, ‘Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.’ They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, ‘Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?’
9 He answered, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’
10 This terrified them and they asked, ‘What have you done?’ (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)
Jonah 1:4-10
The right response to God’s presence 1:17-2
Now Jonah prays. 2:1. Now God’s presence is his hope. He sees his sin had brought this trouble. His sin entrapped him, like seaweed and rocks. “But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God.” It is never too late to turn back to God. He is there, He hears.
1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said:
‘In my distress I called to the Lord,
Jonah 2:1-6
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4 I said, “I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
towards your holy temple.”
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,[b]
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in for ever.
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.
“Salvation comes from the Lord.”
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, “Salvation comes from the Lord.”’10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah 2:9-10
