They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
It was part of Jonah's prayer when he was in the belly of the fish! Chapter 2. Verse 8.
Not what you expected? Then let's take a closer look—
A possible alternative translation for 'observe' would be 'regard.' The idea is observing closely, paying heed, keeping watch; it's a deeper level than simply looking. The act of observation is taking place at a level akin to the way a herdsman would observe his flock or a guardsman would keep watch from his parapet; their livelihoods are bound up in it.
Some translations switch 'lying vanities' for 'vain idols,' but the original King James version sticks to the literal meaning. It is a good translation because the intent in the Hebrew is to highlight the emptiness. When the Western mind reads the word 'idol' there is a tendency to think of little statues; but that would be misleading here. The original Hebrew uses figurative language that implies a vapor; the lie is that what is seen has no solid substance.
The verb forsake is pretty much what the runaway bride did: leave, to depart from, leave behind.
...their own mercy.
Most English translations stick with the word 'mercy' that was used by the King James translators. A check with a Hebrew lexicon reveals that in this instance mercy connotes kindness more than it does a pardon. Other translations have used terms such as hope of steadfast love, faithful love, gracious love, faithfulness, and loving-kindness.
Jonah is in dire straights at this point. He is as good as dead and destined to stay dead if not for the real, substantive kindness and mercy of God. He had run away as best he could, but has now finally been confronted with the fact that those who cling to vanity leave behind the gracious love that could have been theirs.
Here is what Matthew Henry's Commentary says about it:
Those who forsake their own duty, forsake their own mercy; those who run away from the work of their place and day, run away from the comfort of it. As far as a believer copies those who observe lying vanities, he forsakes his own mercy, and lives below his privileges. But Jonah's experience encourages others, in all ages, to trust in God, as the God of salvation.
If I were writing a bad Facebook meme instead of a good blog, I would say, "You won't believe what happened next!" Except that I really do want you to believe what happened next. It's sort of the whole point of this post! Jonah continues his prayer in the next verse. Chapter 2. Verse 9.
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!Get the picture. Jonah has had three days to seriously consider the fact that he ran away from God's call on his life. He, more than anyone else, can say that he has been to hell and back for making the wrong choice. He hasn't been puked out on the beach yet; it's dark there, so any future that he sees at all is seen only by the eyes of faith. And he is making a sacrifice of praise.
Considering the state of his worldly goods at the moment, (any luggage not thrown overboard during the storm would be miles away on a badly battered boat,) praise is one of the few things that he had left to sacrifice. Jonah is making his from-the-heart sacrifice of praise where he is, and he pledges to fulfill his vow (i.e. the legal ceremonial sacrifice, Gill) when he gets to the temple.
Jonah wasn't praising God for delivering him from the fish; that had not happened yet. Nor was Jonah praising God because he could skip his Nineveh assignment now; God did not change the call on Jonah's life despite his taking a side trip overboard. God kept the Nineveh mission on Jonah's bucket list.
Jonah isn't voicing thanks for his physical deliverance—at least not primarily. What tops his list is thankfulness that he has learned what is important, that he has realized that salvation belongs to the Lord and is obtainable from relationship with Him. Jonah was positioned and able to receive God's kindness because Jonah was no longer wrapped up in lying vanities.
KatieLyn tried to make the claim that the wedding was a "lying vanity" that she needed to give up. A wedding may well be a lying vanity for a girl who does not know who she is, what she wants, and is trying to keep peace by pleasing others. And if the girl gets stuck where she cannot please everybody, then she will choose to appease the one who would make the biggest stink about it, (in this case, she chose to appease her mother before pleasing Joe.) Such a girl is not marriageable.
But marriage is not a lying vanity for a woman who knows her own heart, for a woman who has held that dream before God since childhood, a desire which God had graciously answered for her with "Yes." This is the woman that Joe wanted. KatieLyn animated him, sent his spirits soaring, and made him feel alive. He wanted to make her a princess. This is who she could have been. This is who God wanted her to be, serving as God's handmaiden, becoming the helpmeet of a man who loves her, sharing the path the Lord laid before them.
Go figure. Why would she choose to remain under the judgmental governing of her mother? Why is being a scrub woman in her parents' house more appealing than being a queen in her own home? Why would she forsake God's kindness toward her? Why can't she graciously give Joe the peace he needs by answering these questions?
The Lesson
Jonah and KatieLyn both tried to run from God's call on their lives. The difference is that when Jonah was in the fish's belly, he realized his mistake and gave thanks. He was able to accept God's kind mercy. Even though it was not easy for him, even though Jonah still had issues to work out, (as evidenced by that worm and vine thing cf Jonah, chapter 4,) he did obey and affect the destinies of more than 120,000 persons as well as many animals. KatieLyn clung to vanity left behind the gracious love that could have been hers.
Matthew Henry's Commentary, accessed 2/20/2016 http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/jonah/2.htm
Gill's Exposition, accessed 2/20/2016 http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/jonah/2.htm
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