Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
The Sperm-Whales are the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator of the marine mammal species. The oily waxy substance called spermaceti is an oil sac on their head that helps the whales to focus on sound. So, Sperm-Whales would have been the most anointed species and the most suitable taxi and transport for Jonah! Scientific researchers have proved that it is physically possible for “Sperm Whales” to swallow a human whole, as they are known to swallow giant squid and white sharks whole.
The digestive systems of whales consist of an oesophagus and a compartmentalized stomach. There are three stomachs for a whale. The first compartment is where the pre-digested food is stored. There is always some air in the whale’s stomach, and as long as the prey it has swallowed is still alive, digestive activity will not begin. Jonah’s cabin must have been the first compartment which is called the rumen. This was the lodge where Jonah ruminated, meditated and petitioned to the Lord to spare him. The predator turned into a shelter for the prophet to repent, reflect and to return back to his mission.
Three lessons from the Hunter-Whale that turned into a Hut:
1. Repent: When God sent Jonah on a mission, he had a self-righteous attitude that had to be fixed. He was resentful towards the Assyrians to whom he was sent to preach. God pitched a tent in the belly of the fish at the bottom of the sea to deal with the attitude of Jonah. ‘When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you (Jonah 2:7). When we find ourselves in a closure with no outlets God would be turning our attention to His saving grace and repentance.
2. Ruminate: When Jonah marinated in the saliva of the Sperm-Whale, with seaweed as his shower cap, he remembered the mercy of God. The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head (Jonah 2:5). In the deep dark dungeon, Jonah reflected on the graciousness of God and regretted for his judgemental, critical and cynical attitude towards the people of Nineveh. The closed cabins that we find ourselves in is to meditate, self-assess and reflect back on God’s goodness and our purpose.
3. Redirect: The belly of the Whale was only a temporary resting place for Jonah to reconnect and be redirected to his mission. Repenting and ruminating in His kindness, reinstated Jonah. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry (Jonah 2:2b). The toothed predator and killer Sperm Whale understood his mission much more lucidly than Jonah. He did not push Jonah into the second stomach to enjoy the kill. His oily anointed head heard the voice of God clearly to swallow, transport and puke him on the shores of Nineveh. The sea monsters that we face are not sent to destroy us but to redirect us to our destiny.
The Lord God transformed the hunter, killer and predator to become the taxi, transport and tent for Jonah to repent, ruminate and be re-commissioned.
Jonah 2:10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, let the cabins that I am stuck in help me to reflect and reconnect to my calling, mission and vision. Amen
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