Salvation Belongs to the LORD

"But I with the voice of thanksgiving  
    will sacrifice to You;  
what I have vowed I will pay.  
    Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

Jonah 2:9

I’m fairly certain the book of Jonah was written by a Presbyterian. Over the past 10 weeks that we’ve spent in the book of Jonah, we’ve witnessed God’s providence and sovereignty at work to accomplish His redemptive purposes. He saves who He will, how He will. This theme is neatly summarized at the climax of Jonah’s prayer in 2:9: “Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

But perhaps our study of the book of Jonah has left you with a question—if Salvation belongs to the LORD, where do you and I come in? If God doesn’t need Jonah to reach the Ninevites, why not leave him alone?

This Thanksgiving week, I’ll be home in Tennessee with my three-year-old nieces, and at some point, we’ll bake together. Baking with three-year-olds is not efficient. It’s messy, slow, and may end with a tantrum or two. But that’s not the point. The point is joy. The point is delighting in being together and creating together—of seeing my nieces excited to help me (and sneak some chocolate chips). And that’s a bit what it’s like with God.

God delights when His children, whom He has created in His image, join with Him in His mission. God has always been on mission to draw people to Himself. His choosing of Israel was not for the sake of Israel alone but so that through them, the Gentiles would be drawn to Israel’s God (Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 49:6). Israel had a special calling, a calling which Jonah ran from. God is going to accomplish His purpose of reaching the nations—but will Jonah forfeit the privilege of being part of this mission?¹

As God’s covenant people, we too, like Jonah, have been given the privilege of joining God’s mission. God doesn’t need our help—but He wants it. And for us, this is the path to true joy.

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¹I’m indebted to Dr. Jack Collins for this explanation of the book of Jonah.