It only stopped when Jonah was thrown overboard (see Jonah 1:15). 4 Jonah did not see Nineveh as Jehovah did. Jonah 1:1-2 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: Go to the great city of Ninevehand preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.. I like this commentary, indeed there are great lessons to learn from Jonah's situation. What does a man swallowed by a big fish thousands of years ago have to do with the Day of Atonement? God let Jonah eat lavishly, then sent him to a place of famine. God's compassion easily surpasses our love for others. From the wind to the fishes of the sea, and even pagan sailors, all respond to God in obedience. it helps to pay the bills and keeps this website running. 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. Please see my disclosure policy for details. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,AndYou heard my voice. Perhaps, he was angry, because the warning he had given them had not been carried out. This post may contain affiliate links. His most recent book is a second edition release: Hit by Friendly Fire: What to do when Another Believer Hurts You(Resource Publications, 2022). These are only 5 thingsthere are more! The pagan city of Nineveh, the capital of an Ancient Near Eastern Empire, Assyria, was the epicenter of antagonism toward Israel, and yet, this enemy of God became the object of God's love and grace. Jonah repented while in the belly of a fish; God heard his voice and saved him. Hes actually ANGRY at God. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you (John 15:16 ESV). Jonah's obedience to God, albeit reluctant, brought about great results, results that only God could bring. 22. God Bless Thank you. Just imagine that prophet, once again safe in his homeland, writing this account. This blatant rebellion leads Jonah a not so fun boat ride. Greek historian Herodotus noted that the ancient Persians grieved over the death of a popular general by including their livestock in the customs of mourning. Not all of his prophecies are recorded, but one of his major predictions was that the northern kingdom would have peace from its enemies to the North (this was fulfilled later in the reign of Jeroboam II). Clearly, Jonah did learn a vital lesson from Jehovahs wise instruction. Jonah 3:5-8 The Ninevites believed God. 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. 18:7,8. The Bible states that the Lord had Jonah caught by a giant fish for three days and then vomit him up (presumably near Nineveh). 1. She has the heart to equip the saints by helping them get into the Word of God and fall more in love with Jesus. Conversely, when there is authentic revival from on high, when people repent and when we receive Gods grace and mercy through Jesus Christ His Son, balance and harmony return to the community. No. Jonah meets big fish, big fish eats him, Jonah decides if he gets out of fish alive he'll do what God says, fish throws up, and out comes a very stinky Jonah. God does not tempt us with sin - James 1:13. Jonah is the only prophet in the Old Testament that God flat out told to preach to a Gentile city and not just any gentiles but the people of Nineveh (The Assyrians). Jonah, after receiving God's command, quickly ran away to a place far away from Nineveh: Tarshish. If you want to learn more about Jonahcheck out Priscilla Shirer Jonah Bible Study. But without those, Jonah would have ended up fish food. After they threw him overboard, the waves grew calm. (Gen. 10:11; Jonah 3:3) Nineveh was impressive, with stately temples, mighty walls, and other edifices. In Jonah 4:2, we read the reason why he doesnt want to go to Nineveh in the first place: So he prayed to the LORD, and said, Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? However, as the story unfolds we can see how the Lord draws him from fear . Jonah demonstrates how God uses all of His creation to bring about the salvation of one very wicked nation. He learned to be merciful. God is omniscient - Psalm 139:1-6. 6 When Jonah finally entered Nineveh, its sizable population of more than 120,000 may have made the place only more intimidating. Its victim never departs. He would also know that if he disobeyed the commands of the Lord, he would bring down the wrath of God on himself. This lesson is based on Jonah's response to God's mercy to the Ninevites from Jonah 4. Stay up to date with the latest Christian news! 17 Unbelievable Bible Secrets No One Has Ever Told You, 12 Unspoken Reasons Why You Should Not Use the New International Version (NIV) Bible, 5 Powerful and Vital Lessons from the Life of Samson, What Does it Mean to Put your Hand on the Plow and Look Back? 14 How did Jonah react when destruction did not come at the time he expected it to? In the book of Jonah God uses a roaring sea, wayward pagan sailors who, by the way, were saved by God during their experience with the renegade prophet as well as, a pagan king, a weed, a worm, and even a hardheaded preacher. He sent a worm to attack and kill the plant. Sometimes God will ask us to step out or step up. Jehovah can allow his children to suffer for the sake of saving them. The truth is that mans sin has a devastating effect upon creation. We could be studying the word of God, but our hearts are not into it. In what ways might some find themselves disagreeing with God, and what lesson can we learn from Jonahs example? Melissa is a passionate minister, speaker and an ongoing learner of the Bible. We know as a fact for Jonah records his prayer, not a petition that flatters its supplicant: So he prayed to the LORD, and said, Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? God gave Jonah a job to do, and he ran away. The only disobedient figure in the book of Jonah is Jonah. Today you'll discover an important lesson: God forgives us. I hope you learned something new about the story of Jonah. 2. The force of this final question cannot be overstated. Join me now as we explore Gods word and discover what it takes to become a true Christian! But dont forget to download my free Jonah character study pdf! The Beginning of the story of Jonah brings us the first lesson about missionary service: 1.There are no easy calls. Sunday School Teacher's Guide - this is just one possible lesson plan. We need to learn from him and his mistakes. Jonah remains today a powerful lesson on compassion, on purpose, and obedience. The paper was a bible page of jonah and these readings. Whether Jonah liked what God commanded, understood the reason for what God commanded or wanted something different than what God commanded made no difference whatsoever. I dont select the ads displayed here but generated by advertising software. Jonah was then swallowed by a great fish and was brought to Nineveh. In chapter 4 of Jonah, we see a man who is angry, because God decided to have mercy. . 2:13-15. Jonah was under God's observation all along. 19,20. He is, now, angry that God has forgiven them. The book of Jonah exactly shows us the unlimited Mercy of God. . Jonah later wrote: The true God got to see their works, that they had turned back from their bad way; and so the true God felt regret over the calamity that he had spoken of causing to them; and he did not cause it.Jonah 3:10. If anything, it will just have negative effects on us and the people around us! 18 Overnight, Jehovah caused a bottle-gourd plant to sprout up. Then God concluded: For my part, ought I not to feel sorry for Nineveh the great city, in which there exist more than one hundred and twenty thousand men who do not at all know the difference between their right hand and their left, besides many domestic animals?Jonah 4:10,11. 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. The origin or source of the grace Jonah disdained is God. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Imitate Their Faith, Share (Read Matthew 12:41.) Jonah was cast into the sea and did not drown. We could be in the church, but our heart is not in the church. Jonah was called to go and preach the repentance to the Ninevites (And by natural inference, to receive the forgiveness of God). When they did throw him into the sea, the storm stopped. Jonah Disobeys God. To top it off Nineveh is 800 miles away. Jonah is mad at the Lord, so the Lord tried to teach him. 6 It has been estimated that Samaria, the capital of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel, may have had some 20,000 to 30,000 inhabitants in Jonahs dayless than a fourth of Ninevehs population. 6. 21 Do you see the depth of Jehovahs object lesson? Before long, the whole city was talking about Jonahs prophecy of doom. At one time their ancestors had known the Lord but over time the people had drifted away and taken a different path, one . So, please feel free to drop me a comment or take a look at my similar posts in my Christian Faith Articles page! 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. Jonah's preaching was quite short, and he probably wasn't enthusiastic when he preached it: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" What does the story of Jonah and the whale teach us? They are just nothing but mere pretension. 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 2:1-3 NKJV). God grew a vine to shelter Jonah from the sun, then sent a worm to chew it up. He will establish his abiding presence with his favorite children. He has composed and performed original music for five albums. The word Lord means someone or something having power, authority, or influence; master or ruler. Some critics might complain that Jonah never answers. A Second Chance with God, Jonah 3. And he said: I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,and He answered me. Instead, we see the exact opposite. 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. No doubt he braced himself for a hostile and violent response. Its not always easy or fun, but at the end of it, there is a beautiful reward. We read in Jonah 3:4: Yet, forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.. But Jonah doesn't want to do God's bidding to he jumps. God has won Jonah's heart back in the right direction, so he commanded the fish to grant him bail and asked Jonah the second time to go preach in the city of Nineveh. As he sank deeper and deeper into the sea, he prayed to Jehovah. We need to realize who the Ninevites were. Visit the Jonah Bible lesson plan for further ideas to supplement this. Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. Registered in England and Wales 5090917, Christian Today, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN, Southern Baptists oust Rick Warren's Saddleback Church for naming a female pastor, Evangelical church pursues alternative oversight after CofE same-sex blessing vote, 'Jesus Revolution' leaves out the tough stuff but gets the music right. He asked him to go somewhere Jonah would NEVER want to go. 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. She also enjoys family, cooking, and reading. God chose Jonah to go to the Ninevites and tell them that unless they turned from their wicked ways they would face God's punishment. You have remained in right site to begin getting this info. In truth, though, his answer is there. 12,13. Jonah 4:6-7 = Made bush grow to give shade, then had worm kill it Bush Notes: Probably Elkeroa - Common shrub in Palestine, grows in sandy places Broad vine-like leaves with dense shadow Grows very quickly in matter of days How did this affect Jonah? How would Jehovah teach this hardheaded man to be merciful? As we saw in the preceding chapter, Jehovah patiently taught Jonah by means of a windstorm at sea and a miraculous rescue involving a huge fish. Isaiah was called to preach to a derelict people: "Jerusalem is ruined, and . Jonah then goes to Ninvaha, tells them to repent and the whole city believes Jonah and repents. TERMS OF USE . The Lords states that Jonah mourns the loss of the Gourd which came up in a day and was lost in a daya nothing and trivial thing. Jesus knew what he was talking about, for he had been alive in heaven to witness those events as they unfolded. i. Jonah knew God heard him before the answer came. The word for the English, loving kindness in the text is the Hebrew, hesed. Hesed is the word used repeatedly throughout the Old Testament to describe Gods loyal love, His self-sworn obligation to love Israel, and to provide what Israel lacked (viz., sacrifice for sin and a holy life). Where can I fleefrom your presence? Should the Ninevites resume their wicked ways, God would bring the same judgment against them. Just like us, brethren, we have also been given a task by God to preach the Gospel to this morally decaying and dying world. Hi, welcome to my little piece of cyberspace! Or a friend? For Jonah a whole city was ready to repent, but for that to happen he would have to leave his comfort zone. People are important to God. The Lord provided a gourd or plant that protected Jonah. He observed the change in those people and saw that the punishment he had intended to bring on them would no longer be fitting. I hope they will fail., Oh why cant my angry boss just be gone., At times, we are so busy in saying that, I hope he gets what he deserves.. . His life and ministry, recorded in but four chapters, brings so many lessons to Christians old and new. This would take him weeks if not months! Jonah needed courage and faith to preach in Nineveh. . by Shelby Faith. For, Jonah, its an insult to Israel. Jonahs example serves to remind us that when we disagree with Jehovah God, it is always our own point of view that needs an adjustmentnever His. 6) A great fish, that God prepared, swallows him. Don't just take the Ninevites words for it; listen to the Apostle Paul: "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hathenabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. But then they did repent. Sometimes when we read Jonah we shake our heads and go seesh really? He gets tossed around by a storm and swallowed by a whale (or big fishwhatever floats your boat). The story of Jonah was a popular tale in Jesus' time. In addition to founding three churches, and the call as Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, Dr. Milton is a retired Army Chaplain (Colonel). When someone repents, are we happy for the person? (b)How did Jehovahs miracles involving a bottle-gourd plant affect Jonah? The story is probably written between the 8th and 3th century BC. 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