Dispelling some myths - Jonah. Chapter two.

As chapter one in the book of Jonah comes to a close, it separates verse 17 under the heading; A Great Fish Swallows Jonah.

If you read my last post on Jonah, I talked about the impracticality of Jonah surviving for any time in the ocean. Keep in mind that Jonah is written in the third person. So, although it may have been written by Jonah, it is apparent that it was written after the incidents transpired.

So, let's deal with reality for a moment.

• The crew that threw Jonah overboard did not consider the possibility of Jonah surviving. And, they did not think for a second that a massive fish would swallow him whole. They anticipated that he would drown; what motivated that thought in them? The ocean conditions themselves.
• Falling overboard in violent storm conditions, or being thrown in does not matter. You should have drowned. When you do a little research on how the human body dies, you find that after 30 to 40 seconds without air you lose consciousness. After three minutes without oxygen, the brain typically suffers irreparable brain damage and stops working. The medical consensus is that a lack of brain function is the marker for death.
• Considering the clothing that we typically see the Jews wearing in those days, there was little chance of him swimming, even if he could.
• The crew could not make it to shore under the weather conditions they were experiencing, and neither would Jonah.

Alright, Jonah is now in the water. However, God is not the least bit concerned with circumstances or reality, for immediately we are dealt this piece of information.

Jonah 1:17 NASB And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

We have no witnesses. If we do, where are they? If Jonah is conscious, I can assure you that he never saw what was coming. As we ponder what kind of fish is large enough to swallow a man whole, three possibilities come to mind, but one can be eliminated rather quickly.

• A giant grouper (Black Sea Bass.) While their mouths can open wide enough, they do not have the length necessary to accommodate a full grown man.
• Great White sharks seem to be high on the list, but then there is that nasty habit they have of ripping things in half.
• The last one I read about talk of the Sperm whale's ability to take in man whole, and, they don't have teeth per-say. What they do have is a multiple stomach system, much like a cow. The highest probability is that you would be crushed in that first stomach, and there would be no oxygen.

The practicality of Jonah's survival so far is none.

We are rarely shown or told how much time passes in most of these biblical events. In this case, I think we are looking at something under 40 seconds. At the longest, almost four minutes. Why do I think that?

Look at these verses in chapter two of Jonah.

Jonah 2:1-5 NASB Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, 2) and he said, "I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. 3) "For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. 4) "So I said, 'I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless, I will look again toward Your holy temple.' 5) "Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me; Weeds were wrapped around my head.

Jonah prayed to God from the stomach of the fish.

All of us do it, we wait until we are going under, and then we cry out to God. Jonah is no different. Logic tells you, you are not making it out of this situation. Oddly, he is aware of his thoughts, predicament, and that there is seaweed wrapped around his head.

It sounds like there is hope. And, there is nothing here that tells us conclusively, that he is dead.

I thought I would avoid this aspect, but why hold back. If you survive, the religious will condemn you for not turning to God earlier. So let's think this through for a moment. Is it possible that Jonah could have avoided all this? Sure; the answer would have been to comply with what God told him to do. How many of us does it right the first time? Very few.

Why then, did he not just go to Nineveh instead of killing himself.

I did it again, didn't I? One, I am pushing the belief that he is now dead, and two, I leaned toward that suicide idea. That bothers you doesn't it? It bothers many at the morning Bible study as well. Why? Because, the religious see suicide as the ultimate murder of oneself, therefore leaving no space for repentance. God's only recourse then is to punish you forever in the eternal flames of hell. If what I am saying is true, then why do we have this book, and why did Jonah go on to give the message to Nineveh? Apparently, because God is not driven to despair over the things we get wrapped up in, and His plans supersede, not only our methods but death itself.

Without background information, which I made a note of in chapter one, you would not know what motivated the man.

One commentary referred to Jonah as a bigoted man. In other words, he wanted the Assyrians dead. However, he instinctively knew God would show them mercy, and he was right. But again, you don't learn that until chapter four of Jonah's book. This has overwhelming implications, as most of do not realize that the nature and character of God is mercy.

Think of this story as though someone is telling you a preposterous tale, and, it is keeping your attention. Quickly, many questions are running through your mind, and then the storyteller adds the dimension of a giant fish swallowing the man whole. If you have not said it aloud, then your mind is screaming it, no one survives these environments. And, no one looks back on it, as Jonah did, and recounts, not only the story but details he would not have known.

I said to my wife; Jonah was dead! I expected nothing less than the response I got, as she said, how do you know that? My response came with just a few seconds of thought. Jesus, in response to the hostility and doubting of the scribes and Pharisees, said,

Matthew 12:39-40 NASB But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40) for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

To those that listened, the words, Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish meant nothing less than human death. But, Jesus added this into the mix, “so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”This statement may have been a mystery concerning Jesus predicting the details of His death, but NO ONE, buried for that length of time, comes back to life.

Why would this be such a startling statement to the Jewish crowd standing there?

As scribes and Pharisees, they would have studied Jonah's prophetic actions intensively; they would also understand the tradition that says the soul leaves the body after three days. Jesus' words to them were blatantly indicative of death, with no option of a comeback, short of God's intervention.

Now, did they have an example of that kind of intervention on behalf of a dead man, absolutely, as Jesus caused His friend Lazarus to come forth out of the grave after three days? Can you see how intentional His actions were when He took His time going to Bethany where Lazarus was buried? How did the Pharisees react to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead?

John 12:9-11 NASB The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. 10) But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; 11) because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.

So, if I have not made myself clear on whether Jonah was expired or not, let me do so now; Jonah was dead. Jonah, in his own words, describes the bars of Sheol, as he adds, you have brought up my life from the pit.

Jonah 2:6 MKJV I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was around me forever, yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my God.

What other evidence do we have, such as associations with Jesus that prove Jonah's death?

Psalms 16:10 MKJV For You will not leave My soul in hell; You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

Isaiah 38:17 MKJV Behold, I had great bitterness for peace; but You loved my soul from the pit of destruction. You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

Job 17:16 MKJV They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our descent together is in the dust.

Revelation 1:18 MKJV and the Living One, and I became dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, Amen. And I have the keys of hell and of death.

Jonah says the most amazing thing just before he blacks out.

Jonah 2:7-9 KJV “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. 8) They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. 9) But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”

“They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.”

Most will read this and say, what does that mean? To observe is to pay attention to, but there seems to be something more profound here. The Hastings Bible dictionary indicates that this old English word means to reverence. The ISBE expresses the idea of giving heed to, and yet, both of these references suggest an action that is more than a casual look; this is taking in the surroundings and letting them determine your outcome.

The Hebrew word for lying (shâv') carries the ideas of desolation; evil (as in destructive), we can perceive (shâv') as (ruin); however, It can also imply idolatry (as something subjectively false,) or uselessness (as deceptive.)

Dying because of stupidity, within the belly of a fish, could easily be seen as the ruin.
What if Jonah is telling us that he realizes that the circumstance he is in is a lie?
What if Jonah suddenly understands that to give this situation ownership of his mind and spirit would be to forsake an opportunity for God's mercy?
In the position he now finds himself, his options are limited. But, God, much like a baseball manager, says, it isn't over until I say its over.

Although this interaction, like so many other biblical events, comes across as though everything happening is mere seconds apart, that is not the case. Jonah's “prayer” and the response from God, may have been three full days.

This revelation should be eye-opening. Keep in mind, that even though it seems that this entire skewed event had everything to do with Jonah. God had a plan all along to use Jonah's death as a teaching moment before a bunch of skeptical Pharisees. Look once again at Matthew 12:39-40, if you miss my meaning.

You see, we all have those twists and turns in our lives. Some, however, are not so dramatic. For the most part, as you think about it, it seems that it was all your idea or a response you had to some selfishness. For example, my first marriage was based upon me showing the world that I could have a beautiful blond for a wife. I prayed “earnestly” for, and over that situation, and, I got what I wanted. Marrying her turned out to be a nightmare that pulled me away from God. As I look back on all of it, there is no doubt that God was directing me to where I am now. At this moment, I am sitting in front of a computer screen typing away, about the God I have come to understand. That would have only happened if I experienced life the way I did (no matter how uncomfortable it got.)

Let's finish for the moment with a bit of good news.

Jonah 2:10 MKJV And Jehovah spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out on the dry land.

While I have demonstrated how and why Jonah would be Dead; Now what? Apparently, God raised him back to life, and we will see what happens next in chapter three.

Before I move on, I want to show you something else about Jonah that few ever see. Jonah, the man who committed suicide, a game-ending action in most people's minds, is still alive, for a least a few seconds inside that fish. During that time we learn, in Jonah 2:3, that he cried for help from the depth of Sheol; and, he tells us that God listened.

How would Jonah know that God heard, and forgave him? In the same way, he heard the directive to go to Nineveh, through the spirit within; a spirit made in the image of God. That human spirit is the thing that calls out to the living God and longs to be reunited with its maker. There is nothing but our own lousy decisions and actions that separate us from God's love. And, God's love, is ever and always being poured out toward us. Jesus, on that cross, is the most heroic evidence of that love we could ever imagine.

Jonah - Dispelling some myths. Chapter one

Recently Jonah was used as an example in a talk someone was giving. The speaker noted the mercy of God for He preserved Jonah alive in that fish for three days. This example is just one of the vast derivations and assumptions on the Jonah narrative. Very few of them have any understanding of what happened, nor do they demonstrate the truths buried within the story.

Typically, our lead into Jonah comes from the book after his name, where it tells us:

Jonah 1:1-3 MKJV And the Word of Jehovah came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2) Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their evil has come up before Me.

However, that is not what Jonah did. Because of his actions, we make huge assumptions about the man and leave off pertinent information. Continuing with verse three we Jonah on a ship to Tarshish, hoping to get out of God's sight.

3) But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah. And he went down to Joppa. And he found a ship going to Tarshish. And he gave its fare, and went down into it, in order to go with them to Tarshish, away from the sight of Jehovah.

Try to find maps showing Tarshish from the time of Jonah, and you will see that they are nonexistent. Most place the location of Tarshish on the Southern tip of Spain. These days, there is a town called Tarshish in Lebanon. That location, however, does not work for the story as Jonah was attempting to run in the opposite direction, and Lebanon would have been a rest stop along the way.

We have to go to another book of the Bible to find Jonah's hometown and his familial background.

When we learn of Jonah in 2 Kings 14:25, it is as a side note in the life of Jeroboam, who restored the borders of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah. This act of rebuilding the borders of Israel takes on immense significance when you realize that Hamath was north of Damascus, and the region of Arabah was south beyond the dead sea. And, this action was foretold through a prophetic word given by Jonah. Since we know that Jeroboam lived from 793-752BC, then we can also assume that the restoration of the border of Israel would have been toward the end of Jeroboam's life. With a minimal amount of research, we can understand that the word spoken by Jonah was before the restoration of the border.

2 Kings 14:25 MKJV He (Jeroboam) restored the border of Israel from the entering of Hamath to the sea of the plain, according to the Word of Jehovah, the God of Israel which He spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.

The passage explains Jonah to us as: “the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.”

I can understand this statement two ways:

1. Jonah, a prophet, was the son of Amittai;
2. Or, Jonah was the son of Amittai, who was also a prophet.

From 2 Kings 14:25, I can approximate about where Jonah was when he opted to catch a boat ride to Tarshish. Because Gath is in Northern Judah, it would have logical to find a boat ride at one of the local ports, and that is what we see.

This familial relationship is not that uncommon as many of the prophets were sons of priests or high priests in the old testament; nor is it essential. However, their family backgrounds and education would have allowed for training in oratory skills and may have played a role in their ability to stand before kings.

When we look at the book of Jonah, the Expositor's Bible commentary tells us that the date range is about 539-331 B.C and this would put Jonah in Nineveh long after the restoration of the border of Israel.

What we typically hear when we hear the name, Jonah.

Jonah is now on a boat ride to Tarshish to escape from God and his directive to go to Nineveh.

Albert Barnes commentary points out that, "It has been asked, “How could a “prophet” imagine that he could flee from the presence of God?” Plainly he could not. Jonah, so conversant with the Psalms, doubtless knew well the Psalm of David (Psalm 139:7,) “Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit, and whither shall I flee from thy presence?” He could not but know, what every instructed Israelite knew. And so critics should have known that such could not be the meaning."

"How could a “prophet” imagine that he could flee from the presence of God?", seems like a good question; the answer of which should have been understood by Jonah.

Dake's commentary aspect of his Bible, tells us:

The book (Jonah) is a story of a bigoted Jew who, after being chastened by the Lord for disobedience, preached to and converted the whole city of Nineveh.

Bigoted seems like a harsh word, especially since I grew up during a time of intense racial bigotry.

Bigoted, - Means to be obstinately and blindly attached to some creed, opinion, practice or ritual; unreasonably devoted to a system or party, and illiberal towards the opinions of others.

What would drive a man to such hatred? J Vernon McGee, a man who had a doctorate in Theological studies, states:

“Assyria was one of the most brutal nations of the ancient world. They were feared and dreaded by all the peoples of that day. They used very cruel methods of torture and could extract information from their captives very easily. … As an army, the Assyrians moved in an unusual manner. One of the reasons the Babylonians were able to overcome them was the slowness of the march of the Assyrian army. They took their families with them and had very little order in the army. They moved as a mob across the countryside. It is very easy to see that their disorder would militate against them. However, when they moved down like a plague of locusts upon a town or village, it is said that they were so feared and dreaded that on some occasions an entire town would commit suicide rather than fall into the hands of the brutal Assyrians.”

2Kings and 2Chronicles both speak of years of tribute paid to Assyria, and how Israel went into captivity for generations at the hands of Assyria. Jonah would have been witness to much of this. To put it bluntly, they were cruel people and Jonah would rather have seen them dead.

If you believed that God would strike these people dead, why would this provoke your attempt to run from God? This logic does not make sense. However, if Jonah knew something about God that we are not privy to at this point, then we need to understand what that is because it is the most potent motivation behind Jonah's attempt to flee from God's mission. We don't find out what this motivation is until the last chapter of the book.

Jonah 4:2 NET. He prayed to the LORD and said, "Oh, LORD, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. This is what I tried to prevent by attempting to escape to Tarshish! -- because I knew that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment.

What evidence does Jonah have that God is prone to show mercy?

Exodus 33:19 NET. ... I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy."

Psalms 78:38 NET. Yet he is compassionate. He forgives sin and does not destroy. He often holds back his anger and does not stir up his fury.

Psalms 86:5 NET. Certainly O Lord, you are kind and forgiving and show great faithfulness to all who cry out to you.

Being the son of Amittai, the prophet, Jonah would have been well schooled in the Torah and Talmud and knew the nature and character of God. This nature and character are concepts that are in complete opposition to the leader of the morning bible study, which, once again spoke of God bringing everyone, except for those who have accepted Christ under standard, strict oversight, before the great white throne and sending them to hell.

We now find Jonah out on the ocean, in a storm.

Jonah 1:4, 5 NET. But the LORD hurled a powerful wind on the sea. Such a violent tempest arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break up! The sailors were so afraid that each cried out to his own god and they flung the ship's cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold below deck, had lain down, and was sound asleep.

Things that catch my attention here:

1. Brenton's translation - “and there was a great storm on the sea, and the ship was in danger of being broken.”
2. NASB “Then the sailors became afraid, and every man cried to his god,”
3. MKJV “And they threw out the ship's articles in the ship, into the sea in order to lighten it.”
4. NASB “But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.”

The fact that each sailor cried out to his god says a lot. This action is contrary to what we see in the world we live in now.

Jonah 1:6 NASB So, the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish."

Sleeping? There was little he could do above deck, for Jonah was not a sailor. He was, however, a man of God, with particular skill sets. Having the captain approach him might not be that unusual, but then I am projecting forward to modern standards where there would have been an insistence upon wearing a life vest, but not in this era; safety standards would have been minimal at best. What does the captain say? “Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.” It was surprising, years ago, to hear how common it was in India for a family to express worship to many gods, Jehovah, being one of them. Much like you might see in gambling, they are just hedging their bets to protect against the odds that they chose the wrong god.

Jonah 1:7 NASB Each man said to his mate, "Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us." So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

This is no different than gambling. How odd that the dice would point to Jonah. God uses the most unusual methods and people to convey His message.

Jonah 1:8 CEV They started asking him, "Are you the one who brought all this trouble on us? What business are you in? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?"

A highly superstitious lot, maybe not so much. Having done some fishing, I like to take bananas as a snack. They are a self-contained, clean food; so easy to open, and filling. However, the men who work the boat, and those who fall prey to superstitions, start crying foul as they believe that bananas bring bad luck. Hogwash!

I cannot read these next words without hearing them come forth with authority and power.

Jonah 1:9 CJB He answered them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear Adonai, the God of heaven, who made both the sea and the dry land."

Watch their reaction.

Jonah 1:10 CJB At this the men grew very afraid and said to him, "What is this that you have done?" For the men knew he was trying to get away from Adonai since he had told them.

Pay attention to this eye-opening statement. “For the men knew he was trying to get away from Adonai since he had told them.” I checked multiple commentaries trying to find something that told me who the author of Jonah was, for it does not make sense. Look, I am not a grammarian; I use a paid aid to correct my grammar, but I picked up on the fact that the book is written in the third person. If you were writing about yourself would point out the flaws? Maybe not, most historians were selective about the information they gave us. Based on what we see in verse nine, there is no indication that Jonah revealed why he was here. We, as church-going folk, don't like to acknowledge our flaws, and yet, there it is, and he told them.

prophet Jonah being thrown into the Sea, catacombe di Priscilla (photo by Wilpert, Joseph. Die Malereien der Katakomben Roms, 1903) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jonah 1:11 CJB They asked him, "What should we do to you so that the sea will be calm for us?"—for the sea was getting rougher all the time.

“They asked him, ...What should we do to you?” They had no clue. What if this man's god is as ominous as some have portrayed? Throwing a man overboard did not seem to be high on the list of things to do. Jonah's answer.

Jonah 1:12 CJB "Pick me up," he told them, "and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you; because I know, it's my fault that this terrible storm has come over you."

Whoa. Think about this a moment. They may be lost at sea for all we know, with no hope of swimming to land; they are being pushed severely by winds and battered by waves to the point that the boat is close to destruction. Whatever load they were hauling, is now lost, and anyone going into the ocean will be lost and dead in a matter of minutes. I can appreciate the brevity of this, having experienced several overnight fishing trips myself; one skipper decided to inform us that, “in this chop, even with the deck lights on, if someone does not have eyes on you in the water, we will not be able to find you, and you will drown!”

This may be hard for most readers to handle, but Jonah asked the crew to assist him in committing suicide.

Does he care about the potential outcome of his actions? Considering what he has already done, foolishly deciding to run from God, and, making it clear that he does not want anything to do with the Assyrians, I don't think so.

What does the crew do? They tried to ignore Jonah's ludicrous request.

Jonah 1:13 CJB Nevertheless, the men rowed hard, trying to reach the shore. But they couldn't because the sea kept growing wilder against them.

The crew rowed harder. Still, the conditions got worse.

Jonah 1:14 CJB Finally they cried to Adonai, "Please, Adonai, please! Don't let us perish for causing the death of this man, and don't hold us to account for shedding innocent blood; because you, Adonai, have done what you saw fit."

Somewhere in this process, the crew had made their decision. They knew Jonah would die.

Jonah 1:15 JPS So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.

Issues we need to address at this point.

• I mentioned deck lights, but, as you can imagine, they had none. The description of an incident I experienced, happened around eleven P.M., making the telling of the story relevant to the passengers who stood at the aft rail, in rough seas, while underway, and necessary for safety reasons. But there is nothing in the story that tells us it is nighttime. What we do have is Jonah going below to sleep; this leads us to believe that it was the night.
  Having experienced seasickness, the way I fought it off was to go to sleep in a bunk. Did Jonah have seasickness and therefore slept? We don't know. I am merely pointing how quickly we make assumptions. Assumptions will get us in trouble, and we are trying to avoid misunderstandings.
• So, let's assume it was daylight. A boat, large enough to have two decks does not equate to an ocean-borne freighter, and so a safe assumption would be that it was getting tossed about like a toy. We have no information about the size of the crew and therefore might have been simply a captain and two crew members. Nonetheless, having a man go into a rough ocean like this, would have meant his death.
• “So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.”
  Translations range from ceased, to immediately. If the sea stopped immediately, why then did they not get Jonah? An obvious answer is that they made the correlation between their problems and having the man onboard.
  But then, why do we get large choppy waves on any body of water? Disturbances, primarily from the wind. We know that they were experiencing a brutal wind storm. So, what stopped? The wind, and we recognize that they saw the correlation between throwing Jonah in the water and the wind stopping. However, it was going to take some time for the water to return to its normal rolling condition. Regardless, Jonah could not and would not survive. And yet, it seems he did. We will pursue that soon, in the next chapter.

Even in the midst of our worst decisions, God still comes through in unusual ways.

Jonah 1:16 JPS Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

The men, seeing how the God of Jonah, had an immediate impact on the weather, feared the Lord exceedingly. A small portion of Gill's commentary reads, “they feared him, not only because they saw his power in raising and stilling the tempest, but his goodness to them in saving them.” Think this entire scenario through for a moment.

• Because one man runs from God and His mission, it would seem that God is willing to kill everyone on the boat.
• Jonah effectively asks the crew to kill him, and, in time, they do. Does God show anger toward anyone involved? No.
• Since Jonah is apparently dead, the weather lies down. The crew of the boat sees a correlation between tossing Jonah in the sea as the effect on the wind is immediate; the waves, not so much. Regardless, the crew now make commitments to the God of Jonah.

What is it that we do when we come to the Lord?

• We demonstrate some faith in Jesus Christ, the one who paid our debts in full.
  Some might regard this motion of ours toward God, as something done out of fear of the Lord. While it is true that many promote coming to the Lord out of fear, this “fear” we speak of is more of respect. The crew of the boat indeed found great respect for the Lord they did not know, that day.
• The crew “offered a sacrifice unto the LORD.”
  Look at the context of the words once again. NASB “Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.” The word sacrifice – is to slaughter. If this all happened on the boat, what was left to slaughter?
• And, under the religious umbrella, we make our vows.
  For example, We make a commitment to the Lord, much like we do in marriage. However, we all know that commitment is only as strong as our backbone. Fortunately, Jesus side of the commitment is built on a stronger foundation; a sin-free foundation, and therefore He says things like – I will never leave you or forsake; Or, speaking to the Father, he says, “all that you have given me I have kept, and, “no one can take them out of my hand.” Strong words I realize, but nonetheless true.

It is is not clear to me who wrote the book of Jonah, for I can see that it is written in the third person dialogue (as if one had been standing back watching and is now telling you what they saw.) If Jonah wrote the book in that manner, as most agree he did, is he then merely taking for granted that this crew (we assume they are gentiles) changed their hearts and suddenly offered up a sacrifice to God.
We make these leaps of assumption because:

• Jonah came from the same area as the Philistines, and therefore these people must have played a role in his life. 
• In trying to escape from God he catches a boat in Joppa. But no one bothers to fill in the blanks as to where Joppa is.
• We assume the captain and crew of the boat are anything but Jewish, however, there is nothing to define them, and we cannot rule out the possibility that these are Israelis. The only evidence we have comes when they all prayed to their own gods to be saved out of the storm.

We assume that these were not Jews because of the varied gods to which they prayed, but wasn't that Israel's problem from the day they left Egypt? We see evidence of their attachment to idols as one of the first things they did was roast their children on the altar Aaron built to the god Moloch. I realize that most of you refuse to believe that, but it was Stephen (of the New Testament) who makes this fact clear as he addressed the Jewish council prior to their having him stoned. (You will find all this in Acts 7, specifically verse 43.) When Balaam was asked to curse Israel, God told him not to, but he did take the liberty of telling king Balak that if you introduce the good-looking women from the surrounding nations, Israel will take them in, and will be destroyed from the inside out as they adopt the other gods these women bring with them. (Numbers 22)

In trying to understand Jonah, I am reminded of Moses. Moses is said to have written much the of the books of the Law in the third person, but not all. If Jonah were dead he would not have known about the actions these men took. Anything we say to define what exactly happened is merely conjecture. What does seem feasible, is that God, like he did with Moses, saw fit to relate many aspects of this story to Jonah or some other author. We then must chose to believe, as we did with the books written by Moses, and find, as the crew did, the awesome God, who shows mercy, and responds to prayer.

Maybe God is trying to tell us something? A prophetic word from 2007.

On September 9, 2007, I sat down to write in my journal. It is something that I did sporadically. I often wish I journaled on a regular basis because looking back shows me things that: are still important, and, how far I have come.

In 2007 God had been speaking to me quietly, and I could not get comfortable enough to give this word to the body. I am going to try it now.

“Why do my people think I have to speak to them as though they were Ken and Barbie dolls, living in a cute, perfect world.

I am going to disrupt their lives just as I disrupted Israels.

My entire purpose and intent is meant to drive you to me, for I am a jealous God, and I desire your attention.

I, like a child playing with dolls, am going to mess up your environment.

I wish for your heart, but all you have given me is your hand, so now I will get your attention.

Know that my desire is to commune with you in intimate fellowship. A fellowship that causes you to hear my voice and walk in the paths that I choose.

But you say, God does not talk to me, for I am.

You ask: What about my condition?; my age? Or, my position in life?. Many will say, I am broken.

What is that to me? I made you who you are, and I did it for my purpose. Keep in mind that if you were the only one, my desire would have been for you.”

When I read this today, all these years later, I was prompted in my spirit, to post this Word, as it still applies.

I might add, it occurs to me that this post has a correlation to the post I put up this morning entitled, The Act of Fixing my eyes on Jesus, based upon Hebrews 12:1-2.

Maybe God is trying to tell us something?

Hebrews 12:2 The act of fixing my eyes on Jesus. An edited repost.

This idea of fixing my eyes on Jesus will not let go of me.

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The KJV puts it this way:

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;"

The Greek word for fixing or looking is aphorao and means to consider attentively.

To be honest, I have a problem with this idea of looking, because it implies distance, and distance suggests that I can never get close to God. Some churches I have been a part of, with their superstar pastors, have demonstrated what it is like to have a leader that is untouchable, and I have had more of that than I can stand. I have also, because of choices I made, experienced infidelity in marriage and divorce. The battle I had to fight was learning that God did not act like the people who have created false imagery in me. While God may never leave me, I sometimes wonder how embarrassed He is with how I talk or act. In the worst of conditions I have never experienced any distancing toward me on God's part, but I can assure you I have felt significantly distanced at times. There is no doubt in my mind that this distance I felt was because of my selfish indulgences.

The NET version says: "keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,.." This version has pulled in both concepts; keeping our eyes on Jesus, and the idea of our fixation upon Him.

Why would you fix your eyes on something?

Detectives do it because they are on the hunt for something. Artists study or set their eyes upon a subject so that they can capture what they see. We, as believers, are told to fix our attention, vision, thoughts, and emotions upon Jesus because I believe that God wants us to live in a state of peace that passes understanding.

To be filled with peace, at a time when it is illogical, passes my understanding. Yet, having read this, and desired it, I find it easier to comprehend knowing that was God in the situation, though I did not know it, and He only wanted good for me.

Hebrews, the faith book, is meant to train us and establish us with the benefit of a solid information, and believable eyewitnesses. If I could equate this life to a trial, the evidence for the prosecution would be overwhelming and beyond a reasonable doubt. In reading Hebrews, I find out that the peace I just spoke of, requires faith, and is wrapped up in my faith.

Is it my faith or God's?

I suppose both. I have to exhibit some degree of faith in the process of accepting my position within the family of God; I have to act in faith upon God's promises to me to live in this world; And, God has placed His confidence in me that I will succeed and join Him in eternity. Example: There was a brief time in my life that I was keenly aware of a tremendous faith for healing.

How would I know that? I was a shy person who for the longest time was very timid. Speaking out boldly, or placing my hands upon someone for healing, would have been out of character for me. However, in several circumstances, I saw God's hand at work in extraordinary ways. Here is where the faith aspect comes in. God's word tells us to lay our hands on the sick, and they will recover. There is no emotion needed in that, merely obedience. The faith part is acting and letting God do what he said he would.

"Not with bodily eyes, for at present he is not to be looked upon in this manner, but with the eye of the understanding, or with the eye of faith; for faith is a seeing of the Son;" ( John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

Having read several commentaries on the passage, I agree with Gill. I believe that the intent is to focus on Jesus at all times and in every circumstance, but that seems impossible to do. When I was at work, I was barraged by customers, to the point that I barely had time for a thought of my own.

Where and how do I squeeze God into this hectic scene?

I know I am not alone in this struggle, because it is a human struggle, and it does not take a detective to realize that few people invest quality time with God to the degree that He becomes predominant in their thinking. For me to say, I am looking at Jesus with the eye of my faith makes it sound like I am very spiritual, although I sometimes wish I could be like Enoch and simply walk off the earth, that will never happen. In reality, this ability to stay focused on God seems to imply some act of our inward man that can operate aside from the circumstances the body is experiencing. What we are talking about here could be nothing more than the ability to reason, and that ability to reason would have to include the mind, would it not?

For the skeptics who think this inward man talk is something new age, I give you Paul's own words.

2 Corinthians 4:16 NASB 16) Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

If you consider our beginnings then this inward man idea may make more sense. In Genesis 1:27 we see God creating man in His image.

NASB “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

God's image is a spirit, therefore the man was a spirit, and, just like the Father, eternal. We don't see a body on the man until Genesis 2:7, after the completion of the earth.

John 4:23-24 NASB "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24) "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

This plays a role in our understanding of death as well, for the spirit never dies. Since the spirit never dies, then how did Adam understand this death that was to come upon him should he partake of the forbidden fruit? Because of the eternal nature of the spirit, death, in one regard, would have to mean eternal separation from the Father God. God, in the form of Jesus, had no intention of allowing that to happen as long as He could do something about it, and therefore, through Christ's activities in “death”, we were redeemed. Paul, in Ephesians, speaks of a mystery.

Ephesians 1:6-9 NASB to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7) In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8) which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9) He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him.

It is almost overwhelming when you let it all sink in.

It would seem that the spirit, which wars against the flesh, can function independently of the body.

Galatians 5:17 NASB For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

If that is the case then I should be able to have a conversation with you and the Father at the same time. In truth, I am not that good. If I have too many conversations going on at the same time, then someone is going to lose in the battle for my attention.

I believe that Paul was speaking to this distinction between the spirit and the flesh when he wrote:

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 1 Corinthians 14:14 NASB

Perhaps I am missing the point. It may be that Paul is saying that the spirit bypasses human reasoning. I have never been able to pray in the spirit without involving my mind, as something had to initiate this conversation. That does not mean that if I am praying in the spirit (that means praying in tongues to me,) that I am always keenly aware of what I am praying, but I always have a general idea.

Do not despair at the apparent futility of this exercise of the tongue for James tells us that God gives wisdom to those that ask. Is he talking about understanding everything that you might say in tongues? Probably not, but at least we have the opportunity to understand a great deal of what we say in tongues.

Since the topic had to do with fixing our eyes on Jesus. I think we have found that there is so much more to this simplistic phrase. Fixing my eyes on Jesus entails all of me, body soul and spirit. And, the spirit wants to take a well-needed advantage of the desire to commune with the Father. Now, this is where I could move into an entire teaching on aspects of our communications with, not only the Father but the body of Christ as well.

Back to my struggles with fixing my eyes on Jesus (A funny thing happened as I wrote this. I slipped up and wrote ears instead of eyes; I have since fixed that error. Why that might be funny is because if we could hear what God is saying, and respond, then maybe we would be walking as Enoch did. We have no evidence that Enoch saw God. So then, any seeing would have been by faith. Hearing, on the other hand, is a different story altogether.)

So, as I was trying to deal with the continual onslaught of customers at work, I could at the same time be praying in the spirit on the inside If I can pray in the spirit, then I can have communication with the Father at the same time too. I think it would primarily be Him talking to me.

The trick in this is to fine-tune your listening skills.

You should be aware that there are too few of us that have any clue how to listen to others. With your insight, you picked up on something. How does one fine-tune their listening skills so that God becomes the focus? Prayer, which is merely conversations you are having with God, often on behalf of others; that, and spending time in His word. The words that God uses currently, are no different in theme, from those he has already spoken. Trust me on this one, God can speak your language. How many translations of the Bible are there?, many, and yet He has brought innumerable lives into the family by speaking their language or slang. There is always the skeptic who does not believe that God speaks all the time. While God is not just incessantly rambling to hear His head rattle, as we often do, but there is a purpose in everything He says.

Keep this in mind as you read your Bible; everything in that book has a purpose. For example, why does the Gospel of John emphasize things like the cloth that was folded so precisely in the tomb (there was a reason); why is the trip to Samaria a three-day journey?; Why did Jesus go to the Samaritans, they were effectively Gentiles, and going there was contrary to his stated mission? There are things that all throughout the Bible that seem like nothing and yet the Jewish leadership believes that when the Messiah returns (he already did) that he will explain even the spaces between the letters; they are that serious about God's word. If only we were that serious about His Word as well.

Dispelling some myths - David and Goliath

We all have versions of the David and Goliath story in our heads. In our men's group, we are reading Max Lucado's book Overcoming your Giants. In the first chapter the author talks in odd descriptives about a young David, but the focus centers on how long we have been fighting our own giants. Max Lucado, at one point, details what some of those “giants” might be. Things, such as pornography, loss of income, whiskey, anger, drugs; you should be getting a general idea.

I, like several others in the group, found myself focusing on the physical aspects of the David story. For example, Max Lucado speaks of young David bending over the stream to collect throwing stones. He continued by saying, if the water had been calm he could have looked longingly at his youthful, handsome face. Instead, David quickly gathered five, smooth, flat stones for his belt bag. Max. Lucado embraced his ridiculous reasons for picking flat rocks. This idea of collecting flat stones was one of the places where I stopped and said, WHAT?, as I found myself thinking, this guy has never shot a slingshot because you want the smoothest and roundest stones you can get. There is a practical reason for this, as anything else will do strange things, like curving away from the target when you sling them. This factor alone would have meant death for David, as he might not get a second shot. I am also aware, from video shot in Israel, that the Palestinians still have people who can accurately launch larger stones from long, leather slings, which is what David used.

One of the men in the group asked the question, how big do you think David was? I immediately answered, 6 foot 4 inches. As you can imagine, that response got met with hostility and rebuttal. The person that asked the question, then said that is impossible since David, having had the armor placed on him, could not even pick himself up off the floor. Responses like this one about David, make me wonder where we get the garbage we are willing to spew out of our mouths as Biblical literacy. It also proves that the individual making the statement is unwilling to read the Bible for themselves. Sadly, all this unbridled talk was meant to educate and impress the fellow sitting next to me, a man who has only been a “Christian” for three weeks.

I have shared my understanding of David, the young man who killed a bear and a lion, and how and why I think that he was a tall, well built young man with a handful of people. But, because our traditions are so deeply ingrained, I am typically met with resistance. A friend of mine asked, where do you get this information. I will tell you, but you must know, it is not all in one place, and, you have to apply some logic and put flesh and blood on these Biblical people; after all, we are not reading fairy tales, now are we.

When we first meet Saul, the man that was to become the king Israel demanded, he was looking for the donkeys of his father, Kish. 1 Samuel 9:3-6

Saul, aware that there was a man of God living in Zuph, opted, along with his servant, to go this man for “all that he says surely comes true,” and they were going to ask him about the donkeys. That man was Samuel, the prophet. What they did not know, was that God had a plan, and had already been talking to Samuel about Saul.

1 Samuel 9:1-2 NASB Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. 2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice, and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.

God, always has a plan, and these donkeys played a role.

1 Samuel 9:15-16 NASB Now a day before Saul's coming, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel saying, 16) "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me."

So, now you understand, to some degree, how and why Saul was anointed the king of Israel. What I left off, because, at the moment it had nothing to do with Saul becoming king, is his overall appearance.

1 Samuel 9:1-2 NASB Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. 2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice, and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.

The message translation tells us, “he literally stood head and shoulders above the crowd!” So, there you have it. You cannot merely assume that the tallest man in Israel was only three and a half feet tall. There had to be large men, like myself, who stood six foot four inches tall. Therefore the probability of King Saul being seven foot tall or taller is reasonable.

How tall was David? We are not given that information, so what do we know about David, the son of Jesse?

When we first meet David, Samuel has been sent to anoint another man king over Israel. While there was a time when Samuel could boldly speak into King Saul's life, that time had passed. Saul was wallowing in a bipolar depression on a frequent basis and was no longer fit to be king. In Samuel 16 we see Samuel having a conversation about the task God has asked him to perform.

1 Samuel 16:1-13 NASB Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons." 2) But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3) "You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you."

Stop here for a minute. Samuel knows that he is a dead man if Saul finds out what he is about to do. His instructions so far are clear, but there is no indication, other than being a son of Jesse's, who this young man is.

4) So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?" 5) He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice."

I am interrupting here, to point something out. Note the reaction of the city elders, they came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” Assuming this is all you know about Samuel, what reason would they have to fear the God-man? However, they still remembered when Samuel hacked up king Agag, whom Saul, had taken captive, in direct opposition to God's orders.

He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

Jesse, having been given instructions by Samuel off stage, brings in the older, mature sons to present before Samuel. Jesse, by-the-way, has no idea what is about to happen, he merely assumes that it will good for one of them. Samuel, may not know Jesse, nor how many sons Jesse has.

6) When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him." 7) But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 8) Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." 9) Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." 10) Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.

Jesse brought them in, one at a time, from oldest to youngest, but he did not bring David. Why? Could I presumptuously say, it was because David was just a little boy, too young to serve, nor understand what would be asked of him? No, we don't have enough information to make that kind of decision. What we should realize is that there was a birthright order to be followed, and the firstborn son always got the most significant and best share; at this point, Jesse is merely following Jewish guidelines. In Jesse's mind, Samuel should have been done with the first son. Perhaps this gives you a little more insight into the hostility David received from his brothers when, under orders from his father, entered the battle zone.

10 cont.) But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." 11) And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep."

You still have nothing that tells you his size, or age. All we know is that he had been tending sheep.

11 cont.) Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 12) So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance.

Let's look at the words used to describe David:

• Ruddy – Hebrew word ’aḏmôniy: An adjective meaning red, ruddy. At best, with this information, we can assume he was a redhead with freckles.
• He had beautiful eyes: The Word Study Dictionary indicates that the Hebrew word yāp̱eh: Is “an adjective meaning lovely, beautiful. It is used in many settings to describe the beauty of various things and persons: of women (Gen_12:11, Gen_12:14; 2Sa_13:1; Est_2:7). It is used to indicate a healthy appearance (Gen_41:2). It may be used to mean good-looking, handsome of young men or adult males (2Sa_14:25).”
• Or, he had a beautiful Countenance, as some translations state. The Hebrew word ‛ayin is the word for eyes. So his eyes played a role in his attractiveness.
• And goodly to look at – The Hebrew word is ṭôb and means pleasant and agreeable to look at. Nothing here gives us a description that assigns age or stature. So, I nothing with which to determine an age yet.

Again, nothing that gives away his age. One more thing. We, love to speak of God holding no one accountable until the “age of maturity.” It's not a bad standard, and it sure let's many ten-year-old children off the hook for their role in gang murders. However, you will not find that concept in the Bible. It is purely a Jewish tradition. If I could apply it to God's acceptance of David, then the young boy would have been older than twelve. Your problem when attempting to use that logic is that God is not the least bit concerned with the traditions of men. Besides that, if we are using only the word of God for our argument, you will find that God did not use this tradition to make His decision.

Let's finish off the selection 1Samuel 16:1-13.

12 cont.)And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." 13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

After this, Samuel fled for his life; now, wherein these passages did you find the description of a child of 12? You didn't, did you?

Our next piece of testimony, for the defense, also comes from 1Samuel.

1 Samuel 16:14-18 NASB Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. 15 Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. 16 "Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well." 17 So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me." 18 Then one of the young men said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him."

What can I gather from this?

• First, there is nothing to indicate how much time has passed since Samuel anointed David.
• Secondly, Saul's servants went out seeking a MAN who is skillful at playing the harp.
• Thirdly, without looking, one servant volunteers some information about David, whom he has seen. So, we have eyewitness testimony.
• Fourth, note how this man describes David: A mighty man of valor; a warrior; one prudent in speech; a handsome man, and, as a bonus, the Lord is with him.

At this recommendation, David is hired. What do we see next?

1 Samuel 16:19-23 NASB So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David who is with the flock." 20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat and sent them to Saul by David, his son. 21 Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." 23 So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

• Verse 21 tells us that David came to Saul and attended him.
• Saul loved him greatly
• And, David became Saul's armor-bearer.

Once again we have conclusive evidence that shows: David was not a little boy; that Saul knew David well, and that David was very acquainted with Saul's armor.

The word familiar, as used in this context, would imply that David knew how much it weighed, how it went on, and what to look for as he concerned himself with damage. He not only carried it but polished it as well.

There can be little doubt that Saul knew full well who David was when he returned that day to fight Goliath. Considering how close Saul and David had become, and what his job was, causes me to have even more questions about his brother's reactions to him. I cannot see what they said as anything less than jealousy. Some time passes, but we do not know what the length of time was.

We are now looking a 1Samuel 17 where we are introduced to Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:1-7 MSG The Philistines drew up their troops for battle. They deployed them at Socoh in Judah, and set up camp between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim. 2) Saul and the Israelites came together, camped at Oak Valley, and spread out their troops in battle readiness for the Philistines. 3) The Philistines were on one hill, the Israelites on the opposing hill, with the valley between them. 4) A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. 5) He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor--126 pounds of it! 6) He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. 7) His spear was like a fence rail--the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.

As you read through commentaries, you find statements such as no one in Israel wanted to commit suicide by facing this guy. Goliath, knowing full well the fear he imposed upon Israel and their now weak-kneed king, was devastating.

1 Samuel 17:9 NASB "If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us."

Other translations use the word slave. It is not difficult to imagine the fate awaiting Israel. Israel, on the other hand, had standards for keeping slaves and servants, and abuse was not allowed. The word slave is the Hebrew word ‛ebed. The Word Study Dictionary defines ‛ebed in this way:

A masculine noun meaning a servant, a slave. Although the most basic concept of this term is that of a slave, slavery in the Bible was not the same as the slavery of modern times. The period of slavery was limited to six years (Exo_21:2). Slaves had rights and protection under the Law (Exo_21:20). It was also possible for slaves to attain positions of power and honor (Gen_24:2; Gen_41:12).

There was nothing to indicate that the Philistines would abide by Israel's standards.

Although the Philistines would come forward on a daily basis, shouting taunts, it seems the entire verbal exchange was between David and Goliath that day. However, there is this:

1 Samuel 17:16 NASB The Philistine came forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.

I had wondered why Saul acted like he did not know David that day, when in reality Saul loved David, and as his armor-bearer saw David frequently. Scripture tells us that David went back and forth between his father's sheep and Saul.

1 Samuel 17:15 NASB but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem.

David had returned that day at his father's direction.

1 Samuel 17:17-20 NASB Then Jesse said to David his son, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. 18) "Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them. 19) "For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines." 20) So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry.

I have never had a clear image of how and why David's brothers had such a caustic interaction with him. Perhaps this verse explains that.

1 Samuel 17:22 NASB Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers.

He entered the battle zone. Since he is on a mission from dad, then, with his brothers gathered in one place, he may have been asking obvious and foolish questions.

1 Samuel 17:23 NASB As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.

Suddenly everything changed.

1 Samuel 17:24-25 NASB When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid. 25) The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel."

It is safe to assume that David heard what they said, but he had to ask once again, perhaps for verification.

1 Samuel 17:26-27 NASB Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" 27) The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, "Thus it will be done for the man who kills him."

David asked, “what will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?” I can perceive this two ways: 1. He is referring to one of the troops, or, 2. He includes himself among the men that day.

When we were going over chapter one in Max Lucado's book, Facing Your Giants, the point was made that David said this phrase “the armies of the living God” or something similar, at least eight times. My take away, was that our focus in the midst of facing our giants is to give God and his power, the emphasis, instead of emphasizing the problem.

1 Samuel 17:31-33 NASB When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them to Saul, and he sent for him. 32) David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 33) Then Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth."

There is a noticeable age difference, but there is nothing about this statement that turns David into a whining pre-teen. When the job came open to play the harp, they were looking for a man; they found David. When David was presented as the perfect candidate, he was pitched as a man, a mighty warrior, and a valiant man. What changed? The reality that all of Israel's life was at stake here. If David loses, they all become slaves to the Philistines.

Since Saul now refers to him as a youth let's see what the Hebrew word means.

nâ‛ûr The Word Study dictionary states: It refers to the early stages and years of a person's life and the experiences and characteristics of that time: every person, all humankind experiences this time of life (Gen_8:21). It is a time when skills are best learned (Gen_46:34); a time of dependence on parents (Lev_22:13; Num_30:3 [4], Num_30:16 [17])

Therefore, considering David too immature is only a presumption on our parts. Why would I say that? Because the man giving the references for David says, tells us he is, “one prudent in speech.” Webster's dictionary defines prudence in this manner:

“Prudence implies caution in deliberating and consulting on the most suitable means to accomplish valuable purposes, and the exercise of sagacity in discerning and selecting them. Prudence differs from wisdom in this, that prudence implies more caution and reserve than wisdom, or is exercised more in foreseeing and avoiding evil, than in devising and executing that which is good.”

 David and Goliath (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Having fought off a bear and a lion, I would say that David was skillful at combat, but men are slightly different from animals, as they can carry spears and slings as well. So, David expounds upon his resume by giving Saul the details.

1 Samuel 17:34-37 NASB But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35) I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36) "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." 37) And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." 

At hearing this, Saul says, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.” If there was an implication of David a small boy, putting Israel's life into the hands of a giant, it just went out the window.