Rerouted: 30 Days Through the Book of JonahSample

Salvation Belongs to the Lord

Grace Fox

Jonah 2:9-10

Wind filled the sails of our boat as we navigated a channel between two islands off British Columbia’s coast. The sunshine and warm fellowship brought smiles to everyone on board, but our expressions shifted to wide-eyed wonder when a whale nearly as long as our vessel surfaced just 15 feet away.

The majestic creature swam around and around us, diving and resurfacing, for several minutes. Its presence delighted us. But it also reminded me of Jonah’s encounter with a great fish — which proved anything but delightful.

For three days and nights, Jonah found himself inside the belly of the creature, facing seemingly certain death. In despair, he cried out to God for help, trusting in God’s ability and willingness to rescue him. Jonah promised that if he survived, he would give thanks and keep all his promises to God, saying, “But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lᴏʀᴅ!” (Jonah 2:9). Although Scripture doesn’t detail these vows, they likely included his eventual journey to Nineveh, as mentioned later in Jonah 3:1-3.

Jonah’s declaration that “salvation belongs to the Lᴏʀᴅ” indicated total dependence upon God to rescue him. He recognized no human effort or fulfillment of vows could earn his salvation — only divine intervention could rescue him from his plight.

God’s intervention, however, came in an unexpected form: “The Lᴏʀᴅ spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:10). This wasn’t exactly a regal rescue, but it was a divine command. The interaction between God and the fish, which obeyed His voice, demonstrates God’s ultimate kingship and control over His creation.

As we read today’s verses, we're reminded that, like Jonah, we might think we can flourish even if we run from God. Yet as Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Only God’s merciful intervention can truly save us from self-destruction and lead us to a life of gratitude and obedience (Ephesians 2:8-9). We can learn from Jonah's story and spare ourselves a boatload of unnecessary grief by submitting to God’s kingship today.