I enjoy the Bible study and I want to be a blessing to others. The scripture reported, PRIVACY SETTINGS, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/m/1102013260/univ/art/1102013260_univ_sqr_xl.jpg, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/a/ia/E/wpub/ia_E_lg.jpg, Share 7,8. But Jonah doesn't want to do God's bidding to he jumps. There are no limits to God's grace and love, and there are no limits to his ways and means of attaining His goals for salvation. Jonah (whose name means "dove") ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel in about 790-760 BC. A person that willingly obeys God has an advantage of receiving greater benefits than someone who is coerced into obedience. God Wants You Back, Jonah 1-2. Nineveh had a huge population for that time. Jonah's preaching was quite short, and he probably wasn't enthusiastic when he preached it: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" However, Jehovah wanted to do more for Jonah than simply deliver him from the heat and from his own petulant anger. Meanwhile, as soon as Jonah was thrown from the ship, the storm stopped and the water became calm again. 1. What does a man swallowed by a big fish thousands of years ago have to do with the Day of Atonement? Here is a little quick video to watch For more information please keep reading. Could you imagine how many times you would hear your kids say. 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). 2) That there's no point in striving to achieve something that isn't God's will. (b)What do we learn about Jonah from the preaching work that he carried out? Without Gods mercy, love, and compassion, we wouldnt be here. DLTK's Sunday School Lessons Men of the Old Testament Pt 1: Jonah. How well are we doing our job? Thank you. Jonah woke to see this luxuriant growth, with its broad leaves providing far more shade than his flimsy shelter ever could. But dont forget to download my free Jonah character study pdf! God gave us the ability to choose - Joshua 24:15. But thankfully brethren, God is not like that. Is it wrong to judge other people? Instead of repenting, Jonah justified himself, saying: I have rightly become hot with anger, to the point of death. The stage was now set for Jehovah to drive the lesson home.Jonah 4:9. I have learned 5 keys from the life of Jonah that I want to share with you! However, anyone who willingly obeys God has the advantage of receiving greater benefits than a person who was coerced into obedience. For built into Jonah's first attempts to get away from God are two results which will inevitably follow whenever anyone tries to disobey Him. 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 will move you out of a place of comfort to see a greater level of breakthrough for yourself and for others. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Instead, the Lord saved him. His mercy isnt just limited to His people, but He also extends it to those outside of Israel. These people were extremely cruel towards Israel and caused a lot of problem in the past. For this article, we will take a quick look at some things that Jonah's life and ministry teaches us today, in a world where man-centered Christianity has grown, and many are looking for the real deal about Christ. 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). 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 eager to see the wicked repent and change their ways, as the Ninevites did. . . To put the matter in plain words, Jonah did not like grace because it was charity. Why does God allow good people to suffer? Imitate Their Faith, Share It takes place in part in Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria . Can you elaborate? Jonah Disobeys God. These are only 5 thingsthere are more! God often only tells us what we can handle at the time. Perhaps, even us today, we'd be hesitant to go to somewhere chaotic and full of wickedness to preach the Gospel. Amen. Image what some of the Nineveh locals would think and say if they saw Jonah get vomited up out of a fish onto the beach. Its only 4 short chapters. 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. If that were so we would never be saved. 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. It only stopped when Jonah was thrown overboard (see Jonah 1:15). The force of this final question cannot be overstated. Jonah was a prophet in Israel (the Northern Kingdom, see 2 Kings 14:25). Liberal scholars might dismiss the story of Jonahs prayer time in a fish belly as riotous rabbinical storytelling, but Jonah would surely protest. Learning to show mercy is often difficult for imperfect humans. After they threw him overboard, the waves grew calm. However, as the story unfolds we can see how the Lord draws him from fear . God caught Jonah in a ship and commanded a fish to swallow him. Jonah's story is told in the short (just 48 verses) but powerful book of Jonah. But have you thought of what you also deserve? 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. Only true repentance can happen when we acknowledge and are willing to go in Gods direction. (Read Jonah 3:5.) Let us see what we can gather from Jonahs struggle. So he goes to Nineveh and calls them to repent or be destroyed. So, God used a plant, a worm, and a wind to teach Jonah a lesson in compassion. His most recent book is a second edition release: Hit by Friendly Fire: What to do when Another Believer Hurts You(Resource Publications, 2022). 15 What was troubling Jonah? At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.). Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. Was it not because Jonah had allowed his thinking to become selfish? His failure would have resulted in the destruction of Nineveh by the Lord due to their wickedness. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah tried to run away from God. In truth, though, his answer is there. On the way, however, God caused tragic things to happen. Here is part of the prayer in Jonah 2. When the ship is threatened, he tells them to throw him over, willing to give his life to do what he thinks is best for Israel. This is an essential characteristic of God. Hi, welcome to my little piece of cyberspace! 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." by Shelby Faith. A person should aspire to obey God and receive his blessing than to disobey him and suffer terrible consequences. The book of Jonah demonstrates the sovereignty of the Almighty as he employs his creation to accomplish the divine plan. (b)How did Jehovahs miracles involving a bottle-gourd plant affect Jonah? MATERIALS: Learning props and toys, craft supplies, music SONG IDEAS:&a He would have very likely carried PTSD and claustrophobia with him for the rest of his life. Last week we looked at the Jonah 1 & 2 and God's Mercy on a Reluctant Prophet. He learned to be merciful. So, I hope my Bible study on Jonah encourages you to take a second look at Jonah. God can simply choose to find another Prophet to do the job. Struck with godly fear, he rose up from his throne, removed his luxurious robes of state, put on the same rough clothing that his people were wearing, and even sat down in the ashes. With his great ones, or nobles, he issued a decree that turned the fast from a spontaneous popular movement into an official action of state. Imitate Their Faith. The book of Jonah is short and a lot of time we can read through it quickly. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?. No; it fulfilled its purpose as a warning. When we begin to reduce Gods response to human sin as judgment without mercy, then it is time for us to open up the book of Jonah, and invite the Spirit of the Lord to cleanse us of self-interests, smugness, and uncaring attitudes and return to the Lord of love. Whatever the case, he did not rejoice over the peoples repentance or over Jehovahs mercy. (6) When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This would take him weeks if not months! God loves us as much as He loves the people outside of the church. So what are the lessons we can learn from the book of Jonah? After all, we might offend someone or worse, the world might crucify us. Article Images Copyright , 4 Powerful Lessons from the Book of Jonah for Today. (Read Matthew 12:41.) The story has a long interpretive history and has become well . Obedience is the key to receivingGods benefits! No. For, Jonah, this is unthinkable and so, HE FLED! 7 Jonahs message got the Ninevites attention. 17 The despondent prophet left Nineveh and headed, not home, but eastward, where some mountains overlooked the region. 3. He is the weeping God ofJonah 4in human form. He had prophesied doom and destruction in the name of the Lord, but due to repentance it wasnt going to happen. Jonah found Nineveh to be a huge city full of wrongdoing. Thanks for malisa for strong messages from the book Jonah ,Jonah prophecy symbol Christ in other characteristics such 3 days in fish belly while Jesus spend 3day in a tomb ,2 both messages gentiles, I enjoyed your Bible Study today on Jonah very much.. it was a blessing. Then Jehovah sent a huge fish. Are we there yet? God have mercy! Jonah sits in the heat of Northern Iraq and is so outdone with Gods grace to his enemy, seething that he has lost a gourd with its leaves to shade him, that he despairs unto death. Let us go to Jonah 1:1 brethren. The commandment to Jonah was to "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me" (Jonah 1:2). Yes, they do, but most of the time, Israel wont repent. Its victim never departs. News of this popular movement soon reached the ears of the king. Jonah was under God's observation all along. Only Jehovah can read what lies within the human heart. No doubt he braced himself for a hostile and violent response. Jonah's reluctance to obey the Lord's call to preach in Nineveh creates a natural doubt over whether he was actually a prophet, but the Savior referred to him as . She has been involved in church and vocational ministry for over 18 years. For, Jonah, its an insult to Israel. Obedience is the key to receivingGods benefits! Under King Jeroboam II, the nation expanded its borders and enjoyed an age of splendour that . (b)Why can we be sure that Jehovahs judgment was not in error? We can almost picture an older, wiser, humbler man ruefully shaking his head as he describes his own mistakes, his rebellion, and his stubborn refusal to show mercy. Thank you for having available online. He observed the change in those people and saw that the punishment he had intended to bring on them would no longer be fitting. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. How had Jonah learned that he could not run away from his assignment? JONAH would have plenty of time to think. 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). 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). (a)How was Jonah evidently affected by Jehovahs wise instruction about mercy? Where can I fleefrom your presence? Rather Jonah became a reluctant prophet because he knew God's grace would overwhelm Israel's enemy. 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 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 . ( Jonah 3:3-4) Jonah preaches in Nineveh. But the plant wasn't an act of divine mercy it was part of a divine lesson. Jonah did not like grace because it was not something which one could earn. Im having trouble understanding the story. In his heart of hearts, he knew that they deserve nothing but punishment and death. What did the Lord mean in Jonah4:10-11? He has composed and performed original music for five albums. Biblearena BibleArena - All Rights Reserved| Sitemap. He sent a worm to attack and kill the plant. It seems that at this time Nineveh had a sea-oriented religious system and sea-themed Gods. 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? He asks the men to hurl him into the sea, which they do, and the storm. The lesson for us is that God will not convince us of the matters of faith through powerful and Hollywood-like public manifestations of God's greatness. How would he reach these people? They are the same people who have killed a lot of Israelites. The mandate to preach repentance is inexorably linked to the announcement of Gods grace and forgiveness. Before him lay a journey of more than 500miles (800km), an overland trek that would take him about a month, perhaps even longer. (a)How did Jehovah respond to the repentance of the Ninevites? (see Jonah 3:4) Such a preaching could sound pretty condemning and scary, and it is: it's a message of judgment. Is it true that it never rained before Noah? He and his wife, Mae, reside in Western North Carolina. 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? So, please feel free to drop me a comment or take a look at my similar posts in my Christian Faith Articles page! They had made no agreement to obey Him like the Israelites had ( Exodus 24:3 ), and God had no obligation to save them. 22. Jonah had experienced God's mercy and was given a second chance in his life. Jonah flat out doesnt want to go to Nineveh. PRIVACY POLICY Nineveh was a major city in Assyria, the world power of both Jonah and Nahum's day. . I dont select the ads displayed here but generated by advertising software. Like grace because it was charity many times you would hear your say. 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