They
that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy (Jonah 2:8).
WELL-MEANT
OFFER ARGUMENT:
Q. “According
to WMO advocates, reference is made in this text to ‘idolaters’ who worship
false gods and who show themselves to be the reprobate by continuing to do such.
Yet the ‘mercy’ in the text that is said to be ‘their own’ is supposedly referring
to either of two things: either a) the saving mercy of God, in the gospel, that
is offered to them; or b) the mere fact that the gospel is caused to come to
their ears, supposedly being a ‘merciful’ act of God towards them (after all,
the reprobate ‘don’t deserve’ to hear this good news of salvation … they ‘deserve
to die without ever hearing it’). This ‘mercy’ spoken of is ‘their own’ (i.e.,
‘theirs’) in that this salvation is 1) offered to them, 2) was designed for
them by God, 3) held out to them in the preaching, 4) God wants them to have
it, and 5) it’s theirs as a gift if only they accept it.”
(I)
Prof. David J. Engelsma
The biblical truth of divine mercy is that it is the perfection of God towards guilty, depraved sinners that has pity upon them that efficaciously delivers them from their guilt and total depravity. The effect of this mercy is that they believe and are saved. If this mercy is theirs in the sense that they are the objects of the mercy, they never forsake it, because an aspect of the mercy itself is that mercy preserves them in faith and godliness and that it keeps them from ever again observing lying vanities. Mercy delivers those upon whom God has mercy from idolatry.
Romans 9:18 teaches that God has mercy only upon some humans, whereas He hardens the others (v. 18). Verse 23 adds that the purpose and effect of this mercy are that it bestows on the vessels of mercy “the riches of his glory,” that is, salvation. Mercy is particular, not general, and efficacious, not failing to save in many instances.
In light of Romans 9, Jonah 2 cannot teach a universal mercy that fails to save. And any explanation of Jonah 2 that teaches a universal, ineffective salvation is, ipso facto, a denial of the gospel of grace, as set forth in Romans 9.
At the same time, all idolatry (the observation of “lying vanities” of Jonah 2:8) is a folly for which the idolater is responsible. Objectively, there is mercy for humans in the fear and worship of Jehovah God, and in the fear and worship of Him alone. There is no revelation of, and bestowal of mercy upon, humans in idolatry. Therefore, for a human, even a reprobate, to despise the worship of God in Jesus Christ for the worship of an idol is for him foolishly to forsake his own mercy. There is no implication in the text of the mercy of God’s actually being directed to such an idolater, much less of its actually having been enjoyed by him. There is rather the confession that mercy for humans is found alone in the worship of the one, true God of Israel in the Old Testament and of the God and Father of the church today, so that to abandon or reject this one, true God is to despise the very possibility of mercy for oneself. The statement does not call into question the sovereignty of mercy, but throws into the foreground the responsibility of the sinner in despising mercy as it is revealed in the gospel, as the only mercy for humans.
I understand this explanation of the text to be basically the same as Calvin’s: “The sense then is, that as soon as men depart from God, they depart from life and salvation, and that nothing is retained by them, for they wilfully cast aside whatever good that can be hoped and desired.”
If in contradiction the text is
teaching the real possibility that one can lose the mercy that God actually,
personally bestows on him, the teaching is the loss of mercy that saves, not a
common grace mercy. For its opposite is
the observance of lying vanities. It is then
teaching that one can be saved by the mercy of God, but lose this mercy with
its salvation. Implied is that the
salvation of sinners depends, not upon the mercy of God, but upon the will of
the sinner. And Jonah denies this in verse 9, the text immediately following: “Salvation is of the LORD.” This is our
controversy with the common grace theory.
It confesses that salvation is of the will of the sinner; we confess
that salvation is of the LORD.
(DJE, 21/02/2022)
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(II)
Prof. Herman C. Hanko
[Source: Covenant Reformed News, vol. 18, no. 5 (Sept. 2020)]
On the surface of the matter, I wonder why WMO advocates have to interpret the phrase “their own mercy” in Jonah 2:8 as being God’s mercy. If we take the translation of the AV/KJV as correct—as it probably is—it speaks of the mercy demonstrated by the wicked, not by God. So why make it proof for the WMO?
You may argue that the wicked exercise no mercy and that there is only that mercy which God gives to or shows human beings, but that is not true. Proverbs 12:10 states that “the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” They surely display a “mercy” which is a kindness shown to the underprivileged or others in distress. Many philanthropic organizations manifest a certain concern for others. James even speaks of a wisdom that the wicked have but calls it “earthy, sensual, devilish” (3:15).
Jonah,
inspired by the Holy Spirit and thus speaking the word of Christ in the great
fish’s belly, in his prayer to God in which he cites many different passages
from the Psalms, expresses the truth that the wicked who worship idols do
indeed perform their acts of mercy (as shown to Jonah by the sailors, for
example). However, their acts of worship are idolatry. It is probable that
Jonah implied the petition that God please show mercy to him.
The gospel, that there is one only God who reveals Himself in Jesus Christ, contains a promise that those who fear, trust, and obey Him will experience His mercy. The idolater does not experience mercy, for he turns from the true God. I do not understand, then, why any say that there is mercy for the idolater. Jonah makes clear that there is not. They turn their back on mercy.
If the point of the argument is that the very presentation of the gospel, which they refused to heed, was, itself, merciful, then someone is trying to find in this text a support for the “well-meant offer of the gospel.” To that, my response would be: (1) only if the “well-meant offer” is clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture can it be read into this text. (2) but the rest of Scripture and the Reformed confessions teach that God, in causing the reprobate to hear the gospel, is not being “merciful” to them; He is only making plain to their mind what it is that they are rejecting.
If the Bible were to teach the
well-meant offer, one could read
Jonah 2:8 in light of it. If the Bible
rejects the well-meant offer, Jonah cannot be used to support it. More to the point, when looking in the Bible
for support for the well-meant offer, one certainly cannot claim that Jonah 2:8
trumps Romans 9-11. (DK, 29/04/2019)
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(IV)
More to
come! (DV)
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