SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/18/2025 9:03 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “The Sailors’ Discovery”
Bible Reading and Meditation Reference: Jonah 1:7-8
Message of the verses: “Then each man said to the other, “Come, let us have the lots fall so we may know on whose account this calamitous evil has struck us.” So they had the lots fall, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamitous evil struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
I see a lot of question marks in these two verses, which means there are a lot of questions to be answered by Jonah, which he will have to answer, but in the mean time we will just focus in on these verses and get Jonah’s answers later on.
Now I have mentioned that theses sailors were seasoned men of the sea, and so when they saw how severe this storm had come upon them, and how quickly it came upon them they had questions, and needed some answers to those questions. It seems that these men felt that this storm was driven by a supernatural source, but they did not understand why it was being hurled against them. So, “Then each man said to the other, “Come, let us have the lots fall…” MacArthur explains “In ancient times, lots could be anything from dice to little pieces of straw or small sticks. People would cast these items, believing that the way they fell provided a divine answer to the question asked. Though this primitive action may seem random and merely superstitious, it was not outside of God’s sovereign control. As Solomon declared, ‘The lot is cast into the lap, but its every judgment is from Yahweh’ (Prov. 16:33). While not longer a valid means for discerning His w ill, God sometimes worked through the casting of lots in the past before the cannon of Scripture was completed (cf. Josh. 7:14; 1 Sam. 14:36-45; Acts 1:12). The sailors were hoping for such a supernatural result, saying, “so we may know on whose account this calamitous evil has struck us.” The crew assumed that someone in their midst was guilty of great evil against some powerful deity, and they believed that it was on his account that this god sent the calamitous evil. So they had the lots fall, and the lot fell on Jonah. The repetition of this word indicates that God providentially directed the seemingly random action of the sailors to uncover the culprit who knew the truth.” Sometimes I get questions in my mind while studying the Word of God, questions that perhaps I will not get the answer for, but I was wondering why these sailors would have with them these “lots” that were used to answer questions on the boat with them.
MacArthur concludes this section in the following paragraph. “The sailors immediately barraged Jonah with and interrogation to confirm that he was the guilty party, asking, ‘On whose account has this calamitous evil struck us?’ Wanting to gauge his credibility, they questioned, ‘What is your occupation?’ Perhaps thinking Jonah had offended a regional deity, they inquired, And where do you come from?’ To gain more information about Jonah’s God, they pressed him, ‘What is your country? And further, ‘From what people are you?’ Fear made the sailors eager to know the person whose offense had put them in such danger. They were not, however, prepared for the truth that Jonah was about to reveal.” Lord willing we will look at that truth in our next SD.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: There are times when I have questions for the Lord, especially no with what is going on with my wife and her cancer which is getting worse, but I don’t seem to be getting answers to these questions. I realize that it is a matter of faith, trusting, and knowing that the Lord is in control and will reveal what His plans are for us.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord even when I am not getting any answers to the questions I have at this time, knowing God will never leave me nor forsake me.
9/18/2025 9:32 AM
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