Instead of punishing Jonah for his disrespect, Jehovah simply asked him one gentle, probing question: Have you rightly become hot with anger? (Jonah 4:4) Did Jonah even answer? Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly: Jonah was still in the belly of the fish but he knew it was enough that the LORD had heard his cry ( You heard my voice ). When Jonah adds that to his list of complaints the Lord uses it as a teaching moment. 22 The question is, Did Jonah take the lesson to heart? ^ par. Why arent prophets giving us specific signs to watch for? Instead, something remarkable happened. ). 10 How did Jehovah react to the Ninevites repentance? Jonah; Micah . And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:12-14). To see what we can learn from the life of Jonah. Jonah runs away because he cannot resolve two contradictions: between the categorization of prophecies that do not come to pass as "false prophecies" (Deuteronomy 18:21-22) and the revocation of the verdict against Nineveh, in response to its repentance; and between the concept of God as unchanging and resolute (see Numbers 23:19) and His . Or, are we angry, too? God caught Jonah in a ship and commanded a fish to swallow him. In chapter 4 of Jonah, we see a man who is angry, because God decided to have mercy. But those things need to bow down to Gods ways. It swallowed Jonah, but that didn't kill him. BIBLEARENA.ORG presents the sacred teachings of the Bible to enhance spiritual growth. Some critics might complain that Jonah never answers. Why Do We Need to Be Crucified with Christ? Then he sent a parching east wind until Jonah began swooning away because of the heat. The scripture reported, We pray, OLord, please do not let us perish for this mans life, anddo not charge us with innocent blood; for You, OLord,have done as it pleased You. Jonah 1:14, Then the fun stuff happens Please observe picture below. 33:11) Jehovah told his prophet Jeremiah: At any moment that I may speak against a nation and against a kingdom to uproot it and to pull it down and to destroy it, and that nation actually turns back from its badness against which I spoke, I will also feel regret over the calamity that I had thought to execute upon it.Jer. We read: Now Nineveh herself proved to be a city great to God. (Jonah 3:3) Three times, the record of Jonah quotes Jehovah as referring to Nineveh the great city. (Jonah 1:2; 3:2; 4:11) Why was this city great, or important, to Jehovah? The book bearing his name ends with Jehovahs question hanging therein effect, still echoing. Yahweh has given Jonah a job that he needs to accomplish. Amen. 1:17; 4:6, 7). (b)What did the king of Nineveh do in response to Jonahs proclamation? 21 Do you see the depth of Jehovahs object lesson? Jonah 1:3 ButJonahran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. . 15 What was troubling Jonah? What does it mean to dwell in the secret place of the Most High (Psalms 91:1)? . Here is a perfect heartperfect in generous lovenot excusing, not harshly condemning. 9 Some critics express doubt that such a change of heart could have occurred so quickly among the Ninevites. There are treasures to be learned and applied in every chapter. The psalmist in Psalm 139 makes it pretty clear: Where can I go from your Spirit? (b)How may the account about Jonah help us to take an honest look at ourselves? They are the archenemy of the nation of Israel. An encyclopedia hit the nail on the head as it described the lesson that God taught Jonah through the worm destroying the plant that gave him such delight in an emotional and tiring time in his life. Long story short they toss him overboard, but before doing so they ask God to forgive them. I enjoy the Bible study and I want to be a blessing to others. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. After all of this, had Jonah learned to show mercy to others? Here is a little quick video to watch For more information please keep reading. Would you like to read this article in %%? (b)What lesson do we all need to learn? God was trying to teach Jonah lessons about the importance of being obedient to The Lord and His will. He Learned a Lesson in Mercy, Publication download options Hes actually ANGRY at God. Digging deep and having the Holy Spirit reveal truths to us is how we start to grow and mature. The essential nature of God and His mission in the world should be a powerful motivation as well as a source of confidence as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission. We read: Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me." Yahweh has given Jonah a job that he needs to accomplish. Since we interpret Scripture by other Scriptures, and since our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ told the book of Jonah as history (Matthew 12:39-41), so must we. When God told Jonah what he would say in Nineveh, Jonah rejected the call. If you want to learn more, read, 13 Best Lessons We can Learn from Jonah.. Was it not because Jonah had allowed his thinking to become selfish? It takes place in part in Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria . How would he reach these people? The fast was so great that even animals fasted and cried out to God! If God's purpose was merely to save Nineveh, He could do it far more effectively and efficiently without Jonah. Three days later, Jonah was vomited out alive onto a beach, an awed and more compliant man.Jonah, chaps. After they threw him overboard, the waves grew calm. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. So, grab your Bible and let's go on an adventure in God's Word! The fish did not chew him up - it just swallowed him and Jonah was safe inside. Jonah repented while in the belly of a fish; God heard his voice and saved him. An encyclopedia hit the nail on the head as it described the lesson that God taught Jonah through the worm destroying the plant that gave him such delight in an emotional and tiring time in his life. Jonah's Disobedience Exposed ( 1:7-10) Jonah's Punishment and Deliverance (1:11 -- 2:1; 2:10) His Prayer of Thanksgiving ( 2:2-9) Jonah Reluctantly Fulfills His Mission (chs. We stop there and think of it as a fun story especially for childrens church. 2:13-15. Introduction: This lesson is about a man that is in a little bit of all of us. He tried to run away from the presence of God, and enjoy himself. Jonah went outsidethe city, hoping to witness its condemnation, but Jesus Christ went outside the city to die on a cross to accomplish its salvation. The 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, are likely infants. The next day he sent in a worm which destroyed the gourd leaving Jonah open to the elements. This is covenantal language of the highest order. Am I Less Worthy Not Being From the Tribe of Ephraim? He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. These past few months I have been doing the Jonah Bible study from Priscilla Shirer with my good friend Ana. Jonah admits that he worships the God of heaven and earth and that right now, he is fleeing from God's direct command. 17,18. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.). Should the Ninevites resume their wicked ways, God would bring the same judgment against them. He claimed that he knew all along that Jehovah would not bring calamity on Nineveh, even using that as an excuse for his running away to Tarshish in the first place. Despite the peoples badness, Jehovah cared about them. Yes, they do, but most of the time, Israel wont repent. God punishes Jonah by having a large fish or whale swallow him whole, but Jonah is later reconciled and forgiven. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, 'Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. Mark Wahlberg gives lessons on fasting during Lent, Free Church of Scotland condemns 'anti-Christian intolerance' towards Kate Forbes, Ian Paul on why he won't leave the Church of England despite its support for gay blessings, How becoming a refugee host forged a friendship for life, Rate of church closures is higher in low-income neighbourhoods, 'We never stopped praying,' says kidnap for ransom survivor, Medieval Christian women voices that we need to hear. The origin or source of the grace Jonah disdained is God. It states, "Yahweh scolded him for taking pity on a plant that he did not make grow, while feeling no sorrow for thousands of people in Nineveh." Nineveh had a huge population for that time. God is working to teach Jonah a lesson. Amen. Thank you for having available online. Is it true that it never rained before Noah? Jonah found Nineveh to be a huge city full of wrongdoing. For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org. How did Jehovah reason with Jonah about the bottle-gourd plant? However, as the story unfolds we can see how the Lord draws him from fear . The people of Nineveh repented, and God spared the city. (b)How did Jehovahs miracles involving a bottle-gourd plant affect Jonah? But the Lord is also working with Jonah trying to get him to see the value of every soul, not just the Israelites. But without those, Jonah would have ended up fish food. They had believed him. She has spoken in churches in California, Oregon, Texas, and Mexico and has been featured in Guidepost Magazine and All Recipes Magazine. The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of Gods Mercy. *. Why werent Adam and Eve told to plenish instead of replenish? - Acts 20:24b Props: One Ziploc bag with a fresh piece of Play-doh inside; Second piece of Play-doh that is dried out, in no particular shape; an extra ziplock bag. With this understanding, Jonahs choice to flee makes sense (in a very short-sighted kind of way) . When someone repents, are we happy for the person? In this sermon, Jerry Gifford deals with how the book of Jonah ends abruptly with a question. His spirits lifted. The record of Jonah ends there, so we dont know what happened to Jonah after that, but we can hope that he learned what the Lord wanted him to learn and that he repented of his attitude and actions. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? This lesson is based on Jonah's response to God's mercy to the Ninevites from Jonah 4. Long strands of briny seaweed wrapped around Jonahs neck and the distinct rankness of a creatures stomach acid digesting the prophet would remain with Jonah for the rest of his life. Yes, that means precisely what it says: Jonah was preferring death over the advance of Gods grace to Nineveh. Indeed, the Bible is clear: The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples (Deuteronomy 7:7 NIV). God is omniscient - Psalm 139:1-6. Based on what happened to Jonah's life, we can simply conclude that there's no point in trying to run away from God, from running away from His purposes, and in trying to achieve our own will and not His. Introduction. He learned to be merciful. When they did throw him into the sea, the storm stopped. He decides the best thing to do is leave Israel and go in the polar opposite direction to Tarshish, which is said to be near Spain. God gave Jonah a job to do, and he ran away. Hi, welcome to my little piece of cyberspace! I like this commentary, indeed there are great lessons to learn from Jonah's situation. - Dylan. People listened! No. In the same manner, God won't give up on us. Jehovah, on the other hand, was the Source of life for those Ninevites and had sustained them, as he does all creatures on earth. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. What's wrong with the House of Bishops' proposed same-sex prayers? Rather Jonah became a reluctant prophet because he knew God's grace would overwhelm Israel's enemy. Whatever the case, he did not rejoice over the peoples repentance or over Jehovahs mercy. It was vast, a metropolitan region that evidently included several other cities, requiring a man three days to walk from one end to the other. 5) He is thrown into the water. A Second Chance with God, Jonah 3. Nineveh was a major city in Assyria, the world power of both Jonah and Nahum's day. Let us see what we can gather from Jonahs struggle. God called Jonah to a mountaintop and showed him all the lands of His creation. That is where the Gourd and the Worm come in. Just imagine that prophet, once again safe in his homeland, writing this account. The Bible says that God so loved the world He sent His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). In this article When we look at Jonah in the Bible you will discover incredible life lessons that can be applied to our daily walk with God. He mentions one in particular: Far-called, our navies melt away;On dune and headland sinks the fire:Lo, all our pomp of yesterdayIs one with Nineveh and Tyre! God is eager to see the wicked repent and change their ways, as the Ninevites did. What did the Lord mean in Jonah4:10-11? Jonah 4:2 is remarkable, also, in that it demonstrates that when God shifts His affection on the people we should expect conversion. God used the bottle-gourd plant to teach Jonah a lesson in mercy, 20 God reasoned with Jonah, saying that the prophet was feeling sorry over the death of a mere plant that had sprung up overnight, one that Jonah neither planted nor caused to grow. Just like us, brethren, we have also been given a task by God to preach the Gospel to this morally decaying and dying world. It says, For God so loved the world.. Im having trouble understanding the story. GOD TAUGHT JONAH THE LESSON OF OBEDIENCE Jonah. He ran from God not merely because he was afraid of God, but because he really did not want to bring the good news of God's grace to his enemies. 18 Overnight, Jehovah caused a bottle-gourd plant to sprout up. Give me the ability to do whatever you ask of me. For You cast me into the deep,Into the heart of the seas,And the floods surrounded me;All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Jonah stays 3 days inside the whale and Jonah cried out to God. Help me to obey your instructions. 2) So he ran from God. His failure would have resulted in the destruction of Nineveh by the Lord due to their wickedness. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. He is just doing it just for the sake of preaching. Without Gods mercy, love, and compassion, we wouldnt be here. Was the restriction of unclean foods in the Bible a commandment. . Visit the Jonah Bible lesson plan for further ideas to supplement this. When God called Jonah to go and warn the violent and . So, you know for Jonah it would be a BIG deal to travel to Nineveh. How much more will God use all things to reach you? The petulant prophet is perturbed that God's grace to pagans is of greater priority to God than Jonahs comfort. 11 Does this mean that Jehovah decided that his own judgment about Nineveh had been in error? 14. (Read Jonah 3:1-3.) Enable me with the strength to be conscious of your expectations and meet them! Even in our failures, God can use it for good! God's Love vs. Jonah's Anger. No doubt he braced himself for a hostile and violent response. So God performed additional miracles. Because of Gods unending love, He sent His Son to die for us on our behalf. [And]Jesus did not merely weep for us; he died for us. Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,Lest we forgetlest we forget! He will rescue them during trouble and provide for their needs. Jonah prophesied in the mid-700s BC, a time when Assyria was not as powerful as they had been in recent years. Dear God, please make me your obedient child. (John 8:57,58) The truth is, we should never assume that it is impossible for people to repentno matter how vicious they may seem to us. The book of Jonah is often characterized by liberal theologians as a metaphorical story to teach Israel to be more open to others. Disobedience is a big deal when it comes to God. So when the Lord told Jonah that Nineveh was wicked and ripe for destruction, it would be easy to see why Jonah would be pleased by this; and why he would be less pleased to be called by the Lord to call the city of Nineveh to repentance. by Shelby Faith. Thats it. I am so grateful for technology. In the same way, God is not quitting on us. He likely had to skirt the vast Syrian Desert, ford such rivers as the mighty Euphrates, and seek shelter among foreigners in the towns and villages of Syria, Mesopotamia, and Assyria. 2) That there's no point in striving to achieve something that isn't God's will. What quality had Jehovah shown toward Jonah, yet what question arises? Jonahs story may help us to take an honest look at ourselves. acquire the The Prodigal Prophet Jonah And The Mystery Of God member that we present here and check out the link. You can read it here on Bible Gateway: Book of Jonah NIV and Book of Jonah NKJ. So, Yahweh "sent out a great wind on the sea." As a result, Jonah was thrown to the sea and God saved him. If you look into history, Nineveh became the capital of the Assyrian Empire and has eventually conquered Israel and drove them into slavery. We read: Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.. Please keep me ever worthy of your kingdom! 6 When Jonah finally entered Nineveh, its sizable population of more than 120,000 may have made the place only more intimidating. Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. (b)Why can we be sure that Jehovahs judgment was not in error? And he said: I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,and He answered me. God told Jonah what He wanted Jonah to do. He knew, because of Gods incredible and unfathomable deep level of mercy, He would forgive them if they repent! To know he answers my prayers? (b)Why was Jonahs prophecy not a false one? 14 How did Jonah react when destruction did not come at the time he expected it to? This is why its great to do a Bible study on these types of books in the Bible. The Bible states that the Lord had Jonah caught by a giant fish for three days and then vomit him up (presumably near Nineveh). We read: To Jonah, though, it was highly displeasing, and he got to be hot with anger. (Jonah 4:1) Jonah even uttered a prayer that sounds like a rebuke of the Almighty! This was at least part of the reason why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh - he was afraid they would repent, when all along he wanted God to judge the Assyrian capital. Prophet Jonah disobeyed God and attempted to escape, but God caught him red-handedly. But when God called him to go to Nineveh, we read that Jonah went in the opposite direction. 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