The prophet Jonah receives a command from God to go to Nineveh (Jonah 1:2). He flees responsibility and heads the other way. If a person seeks to disobey God, they are always moving away from God. No doubt there is sins that are ones of ignorance. The case of Jonah depicts one knowing exactly what God expects and then heads the other way. Jesus condemned some Pharisees for teaching God’s will but failing to follow the commands they taught (Matt. 23:3). The Pharisees who were guilty of this behavior could not claim ignorance of what God commanded.
There was a storm on the sea and the boat Jonah was in was in danger of being broken by the wind and waves (Jonah 1:4). What follows is an interesting view of men in a crisis. The sailors prayed to their gods. They saw the danger as being something beyond their skills as sailors to handle. Sincere prayer is an action of the heart as men speak to what they believe is someone or something beyond themselves. Evil men like Ahab and Manasseh both engaged in prayer. God’s response was not due to men and the act of prayer, rather it was His response to the humility that both men demonstrated.
A little farther down to the events of this night finds the sailors asking Jonah what they needed to do (Jonah 1:11). It is a good thing when men seek for answers to the problems of their lives. Why would you ask, if you did not intend to respond to the answer? Some turn to the scriptures to find a “loop-hold” which will allow them to keep doing what they have been doing. Others may come in sincerity until they find out what God demands. As soon as Jonah knew what God wanted he went the other way. The people on the day of Pentecost confronted the sin of having killed Jesus, the Son of God. Their response was, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37). The question itself implies the audience knew they had to do SOMETHING.
When they got up that Sunday morning, their belief system was in tact. Animal sacrifices and being in Jerusalem due to the commands of God, they had no reason to suspect any thing was wrong. However, once they heard the truth about Jesus being both Lord and Christ, they wanted to know what to do. The question implies a desire to do Something. Since many in the religious world are engaged in condemning salvation by works, I wonder how they view the sailors with Jonah and the people on the day of Pentecost.
The answer Jonah gave was for them to throw him overboard (verse 12). The next verse tells us they were unwilling to give up. They rowed harder trying to get the ship to land. The problem was they thought the problem was the storm rather than their dealing with God. The issue of salvation can be pushed aside from the mind of man. Man can think that money or good deeds will somehow “right the ship”. Dealing with God brings man to face commands. Jesus taught the ones who are poor in spirit would be in possession of the kingdom (Matt. 5:3). The sailors gave in and threw Jonah overboard and the sea became calm (verse 15). The danger now passed, they could get back to the business of being sailors. Chapter one closes by telling us they offered sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. Would not sacrificing and making vows constitute work? Because this was to God, then salvation for them was from God. A free gift to be sure but no one in that boat felt they did not have to do something.
What about those of Nineveh? From the king to the pauper it was a route of sackcloth, ashes and repentance. The path included them turning from their evil ways and violence. A casual reading implies action. Who does God accept? Those who fear Him and work righteousness (Acts 10:35).