Jonah 2:9b  But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good.  Salvation comes from the LORD.

    

Every now and again in Scripture we come across amazing verses, or at least we realise they are amazing when we see them in context. It is the context that makes this verse so amazing. These are Jonah's words spoken from inside the big fish that has swallowed him. To say that this environment inside the stomach of this fish was the nearest thing to hell on earth for a living human being is no exaggeration. It is ghastly! In fact Jonah has every right to believe that he is about to die, yet as he looks death in the face something rises up within him – faith! Somehow he catches within his spirit, the sense that God is not going to abandon him to death.

 

Suddenly he is aware that there is still a future for him, a future where he will thank the Lord and offer up sacrifices as his people had done for years. When he has made vows to worship God, he WILL do that. He is one of God's people. As Peter was subsequently to describe us: “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Pet 2:9). Thus in hell on earth he determines to give thanks to God! He declares the truth: “Salvation comes from God.” He may be facing death, there may apparently be no hope but nevertheless, salvation DOES come from God. This does NOT have to be the end!