The Heidelberg Catechism - The Foundations Of Our Faith

Jonah 2  The story of Jonah is recorded in two acts. Jonah 2 is the second scene of the first act. Chapter 1 is the first scene of the first act, in which we see Jonah’s disobedience. In chapter 2, we see Jonah’s deliverance.  Verse 1 tells us that Jonah prayed to the Lord from the belly of the fish. And verse 10 tells us that the Lord commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto the dry land. But sandwiched in between these two verses is a psalm in which Jonah gives thanks to the Lord for answering his prayer for deliverance. Some challenge the unity of the book of Jonah at this point, questioning how a psalm fits in the middle of a historical narrative. But there is no legitimate reason to question the place of this psalm. From a literary perspective, the place of this psalm may seem odd. But from a spiritual perspective, the place of this psalm is obvious. God the Holy Spirit moved Jonah to place this psalm of thanksgiving here in order to leave on record a word of hope, c...