by Don Hatfield
Chapter Two
The Depth of Darkness
1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,
1a. I did not know it then but I was in the belly of a whale. I know it sounds unbelievable but it is true. I prayed there in the darkness. I prayed like I have never prayed before, there in the darkness. I prayed to God who is light, there in the darkness. Is it not often true of all of us that the darkness has to come before we will honestly pray to the God in whom there is no darkness?
2 And said, I cried by reason of my affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of Sheol cried I, and you heard my voice.
2a. And then I cried if you could call it that. I would say that I utter a loud sound with the name of God attached to it, there in the darkness. I moaned because of my affliction. You say it is beyond reason that a man could be in a belly of a whale and live. Then do you not believe that a man could spend eternity in the darkness of Hell. Better to be in the belly of a whale for three days than be in Hell for eternity where the darkness dies not. God heard me out of the belly of Hell and lent His ear to my moaning’s. He allowed me to express myself to Him. He listened to my pitiful pleas from His throne of grace. I Jonah, who had rebelled in pride, arrogance and anger, was granted the undeserved entrance into the presence of the Existing One, the One True God. Here my beloved brother or sister is what I pleaded. Here is what I expressed when all hope was gone. You may be surprised because one might think that being in the presence of the One who owns all a person might ask for wealth, fame, or all the things that the world could offer. No, my friend, read on and see what you and I will ask for when faced with eternity.
3 For you had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods surrounded me: all your billows and your waves passed over me.
3a. For thou hast cast me off, you have thrown me away into the deep. Into the midst of things that I have no power over and now your seas and floods turn me round and round ever surrounding me, ever compassing me about, ever passing over me here in the darkness.
4 Then I said, I am cast out of your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple
4a. I have acted proudly, I have boasted, I have acted arrogantly and now thou has expelled and thrust me out of thy sight and presence. Yet here, in the darkness, I will look again toward thy holiness and sacredness. I will look again toward your heavenly temple. But, oh my brother, the darkness only grew worse for now it not only touched my soul but it began to touch my body.
5 The waters surrounded me, even to the soul: the deep closed me round about; the weeds were wrapped about my head.
5a. The water began to take on a harsh and irritating odor as it began to rise above my ankles. Higher and higher it rose until only my head was left above the water and oh the darkness, the terrible darkness. I was caught in my grave and there as the abyss closed round about me. The weeds began to circle and swirl around my head wrapping me in my tomb and oh, the darkness, the horrible unrelenting darkness.
6 I went down to the foundations of the mountains; the earth with her bars closed about me forever: yet have you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.
6a. And then I felt the fish began to move downward. Down and down it went lower and lower into the darkness. I could see in my mind’s eye the bottom of the mountains. We kept going further and further even to Sheol the land without return, the underworld. Yet further, until we reached the bars of the unending future, eternity, the everlasting, and the bars of continuous existence and there we stopped. I looked down through the bars and saw the people of Nineveh there in their groaning’s trying to reach out through the darkness. Their hands were grasping through the bars, pleading to get out of the darkness. I screamed and I screamed until I could scream no more. And there I turned and lifted up my voice, Oh Lord my God you who have brought my life, you who have saved it from the pits of Hell and darkness forgive me. You might say after all of this is that all you could pray and say. What would you have said? At the moment, at that time there in the utter darkness of my soul. There before the holiness of the Existing One I have nothing to offer, my hands were covered with blood, my heart was covered with pride, my body was encompassed by water and weeds. Again what would you have said? I could only plead for His forgiveness and mercy. Perhaps you would have something else to plead for, if so, then instruct me and if not then join me.
7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto you, into your holy temple.
7a. Yes, there in the darkness as my soul grew feeble and my breath grew faint. When my life went slipping by me I remembered my God again and one ray of light shined through the darkness. The giant whale began to ascend up and up and I could feel the wings of Angels lifting us out of the depths of the darkness. The weeds of death unwrapped themselves from my head. Then fresh cleansing sea water began to flow into my prison washing me clean. The salt of my God and Savior was washing me once again with the grace of forgiveness.
8 They that regard vain idols forsake their own mercy
8a. It is here that I insert what may seem a strange thought to some. For it is here that I say, “They that regard vain idols forsake their own mercy” You ask, “What do you mean by that?” This is what I mean. For those of us who will justify our sin of rebellion. For those of us who will excuse ourselves when we judge others. For those of us who will believe the lies that come out of our own mouth. If we follow these paths then we forsake, leave, and abandon the mercy that is offered to us from the Throne of the Gracious One. To follow these choices is to, “regard vain idols” and to, “forsake their own mercies.”
9 But I will sacrifice unto you with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that, which I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
9a. But as for me, my brother, I have made my choice here in the belly of darkness. Though I may die here I still choose the Holy One of Israel. For with Him are mercies and kindness. Even if the giant fish sinks back down into the depths of the grave. I can feel my soul rising to the heavens. It is here in this place that I offer my sacrifice for I cannot be where I am not. It is here with my voice, in this darkness. Though there is only one ray of light shining to the heavens. It is here that I offer my sacrifice of thanksgiving. I will complete that which I owe; I will sing the hymn of praise. Ah, you thought that the vow was to go to Nineveh, no my friend the vow is always to go to your redeemer for you may be swallowed by a whale on any given day. What we do not see is that it is the heart that God looks for, the heart that will praise Him when the grave looks as if it is opening up to grab us. For, He will not leave our soul in corruption even though we die in the belly of a whale. Salvation is of the Lord and deliverance comes by His mercy.
10 And the LORD spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
10a. And then it happened. The one who created all spoke to the one He created. He spoke in His holiness to the fish that had carried me to the depths of Hell and from there to the heights of forgiveness and mercy. The fish did His bidding and spewed I, Jonah, onto dry land where my knees bowed to my Savior. My story is not finished and neither is yours for as long as He gives us breath then we must tell of His resurrection from the grave. We must tell that He is able to bring the dead back to life for He brought me back. Has He brought you? You say some will not believe even if one did rise from the dead. That is not ours to decide my friend for I sense that someday He himself will step out of heaven and prove to the world that He can rise from the dead. If one can be brought back from the belly of a whale then one can rise from the dead. Is anything too hard for God? I digressed a little let me continue.
