JONAH SERIES
RADICAL REDEMPTION
Sunday, September 24, 2023 

Jonah 2:1-6a

In this moment of despair Jonah decides now is the time to pray.  

Sheol - the place of death.

Jonah finds himself at “deaths door.”

In verse 4 Jonah repents by saying, “I will look again toward your holy temple.”

In verse 6a Jonah goes back to his near death experience when he says “I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever;”

David writes about a similar situation.

Psalms 40:1-3

Jonah 2:6b-9

Jonah 2:6 I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.

Jonah arrives at the doors of death, then the conjunction of BUT changes everything.

James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Jonah makes an interesting observation in verse 8 - 

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.”

Jonah now knows that God loves all, even those who cling to worthless idols, even the people of Nineveh.

The last phrase of this prayer in the belly of hell is “Salvation belongs to the Lord!” This is about Lordship.

Jonah 2:10 

God is a God of second chances.  He’s just waiting on you to make the first move.

This is radical redemption!