Fr. So, grab your Bible and lets dig in. Jonah believes that the Ninevites dont deserve Gods mercy and forgiveness. Wahooooo! * He humbly acknowledged that his people were guilty of badness and violence. 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. (2) The Recipients of Grace. Jonah admits that he worships the God of heaven and earth and that right now, he is fleeing from God's direct command. Bible stories and audio Bible listening also come in handy! Critics have expressed what doubt regarding the Ninevites, but how do we know that the critics are mistaken? turn back from his burning anger, so that we may not perish.Jonah 3:6-9. 1. Jonah would have to travel this by horse/camel. Thats after the prophet Elijah but before Amos and Hosea. Jonah is an interesting story. 7 (a)How did the people of Nineveh respond to Jonahs message? 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. Because of Gods unending love, He sent His Son to die for us on our behalf. 19 Once more Jehovah asked Jonah if he was rightly angry, this time over the death of the bottle-gourd plant. The story of Jonah demonstrates why God so often leads us one step at a time without telling us more. After all, we might offend someone or worse, the world might crucify us. Whereas if they did not repent, then the Lord would destroy them, and they would no longer be a danger to Israel. Jonah was the prophet who served during the reign of Jeroboam II in the Eighth Century before Christ. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. I dont select the ads displayed here but generated by advertising software. Only true repentance can happen when we acknowledge and are willing to go in Gods direction. What gets missed is Jonah's repentance . If anything, it will just have negative effects on us and the people around us! So, please feel free to drop me a comment or take a look at my similar posts in my Christian Faith Articles page! 3. At this point we find our first great lessons regarding God's sovereignty. Yes, that. "Lest we forget lest we forget!". No doubt he braced himself for a hostile and violent response. Instead of us being beaten, insulted, and crucified, Yahshua did it for us. 10 How did Jehovah react to the Ninevites repentance? God does not want us to forget the lessons of the book of Jonah, nor the destiny of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. 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. Its victim never departs. It swallowed Jonah, but that didn't kill him. Jonah was under God's observation all along. (b)What did the king of Nineveh do in response to Jonahs proclamation? No one expects a person to survive inside a fish. He will establish his abiding presence with his favorite children. Jonah flat out doesnt want to go to Nineveh. Let us go to Jonah 1:1 brethren. 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). I have learned 5 keys from the life of Jonah that I want to share with you! A bad storm happens and Jonah actually has the courage to let everyone know its his fault because hes running away from God. Notice, out of the four chapters of Jonah, the words of his preaching was only one sentence. (Read Jonah 3:5.) 15. In his heart of hearts, he knew that they deserve nothing but punishment and death. God then tells the whale to throw Jonah up. So, when Jonah was on a ship, there was a storm and the sailors threw Jonah into the sea. This is both an indictment of Jonah and all who treat Gods grace as proprietary, and a challenge to begin to see the world through the eyes of God who created it. You will see how this Jonah Bible study has changed the way I look at obedience and repentance. This is why its great to do a Bible study on these types of books in the Bible. This is covenantal language of the highest order. When Jonah adds that to his list of complaints the Lord uses it as a teaching moment. Then all of sudden God decided to come between Jonah and his patriotism. After paying the fare, he. This would take him weeks if not months! This lesson shows the importance of believers obeying God's command to. Confinement, Communion, and Confession, Jonah 2. Though He is now in Nineveh, he was just dragging his feet to preach to the people. If they listened to God's warningif they repented then God might spare them, and they would remain a looming threat. Nineveh was a great wealthy city with many people ( Jonah 4:11 ). Did that solve Jonahs attitude? He values human life and the potential that each individual has for repenting and learning to do what is right. You have remained in right site to begin getting this info. These past few months I have been doing the Jonah Bible study from Priscilla Shirer with my good friend Ana. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fishs belly. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. | But thankfully brethren, God is not like that. 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. ( Jonah 3:3-4) Jonah preaches in Nineveh. The book of Jonah concludes with a rather enigmatic ending. If you want to learn more, read, 13 Best Lessons We can Learn from Jonah.. God comes to us while we are still sinners, and still, the Lord does not wait for us to clean up our act before He comes into our lives. As the days passed, he thought about the destination that he so dreaded, the city that drew closer with each step he tookNineveh. 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. Or a friend? 2 One thing Jonah knew for certain: He could not turn around and run away from this assignment. 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. . When they did throw him into the sea, the storm stopped. God caught Jonah in a ship and commanded a fish to swallow him. (Read Matthew 12:41.) Jonah's obedience to God, albeit reluctant, brought about great results, results that only God could bring. Imitate Their Faith, Audio download options For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org. Image what they would be thinking when he started telling them that God had a message for them, and they needed to repent or be destroyed. Jonah prophesied in the mid-700s BC, a time when Assyria was not as powerful as they had been in recent years. Jonah is depressed and miserable due the the fact that the city would not be destroyed. Jonah would know that if Nineveh repented, the Lord would not destroy it, and it would remain a threat to Israel. Why Do We Need to Be Crucified with Christ? Instead, we see the exact opposite. If you look into history, Nineveh became the capital of the Assyrian Empire and has eventually conquered Israel and drove them into slavery. (Gen. 10:11; Jonah 3:3) Nineveh was impressive, with stately temples, mighty walls, and other edifices. (b)How did Jehovah deal with his distressed prophet? Jonah 1-4. Will the United States be on the side of Israel in the last war? We do not know. People listened! The psalmist in Psalm 139 makes it pretty clear: Where can I go from your Spirit? It is not that Jonah hesitated and, then, refused to go to Nineveh because the task would be difficult (although that is an argument from silence). The origin or source of the grace Jonah disdained is God. The only disobedient figure in the book of Jonah is Jonah. Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear. However, Jehovah wanted to do more for Jonah than simply deliver him from the heat and from his own petulant anger. Was the restriction of unclean foods in the Bible a commandment. Can you elaborate? Jesus, however, experienced the full wrath of God, which he endured willingly for our sakes. 5 Nineveh was ancient, being among the first cities that Nimrod established after the Flood. Jehovah can allow his children to suffer for the sake of saving them. Jonah did not like grace because it was not something which one could earn. 1:4, 11, 13, 15; 4:8), and he prepared a sea-creature, a vine, and a worm to do his bidding (Jon. Jonah would not weep over a people who came close to destruction, but "Jesus, the true prophet, did.". Jonah 4:8 "And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, [It is] better for me to die than to live." He was hoping God was going to call down fire on everyone. 6 When Jonah finally entered Nineveh, its sizable population of more than 120,000 may have made the place only more intimidating. Rudyard Kipling, the great English poet of the first part of the 20th century, considered the strengths and influence of the British Empire but warned his fellow subjects of the crown that empires are fleeting. It rocks my world that Jonah is running away from God and causing a huge storm (ahemmess) actually got people to offer sacrifices and make vows to the Lord. - 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. Is it true that it never rained before Noah? My honest opinion of why he did that was in hopes that he could escape from Gods presence. Jonah, that prophet that tried to run away from God, continues to bring us lessons on obedience, running away from God's commands, a hatred that stops one from sharing the Gospel, and many more. Please click here to learn how. How would he reach these people? Because God has shown us mercy, wouldnt He also show mercy to those people outside our Christian faith? Jonah tried to initially claim that The Lord deserted him, but it was Jonah that had tried to run from God (Where could he escape God anyway?? Thats all that was recorded in the preaching of Jonah. 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. 4) A storm threatens to overturn the ship. Am I Less Worthy Not Being From the Tribe of Ephraim? To top it off Nineveh is 800 miles away. Who of us is immune to such selfish tendencies? God was trying to teach Jonah lessons about the importance of being obedient to The Lord and His will. Jonahs story may help us to take an honest look at ourselves. Now, here was Jonah, a man who perfectly knew who the Ninevites were. (b)How may the account about Jonah help us to take an honest look at ourselves? Whenever we are in a situation where we have turned our back on God its important to follow these four steps. The story has a long interpretive history and has become well . We dont deserve mercy and compassion. As Jonah said, God is a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.. Rather Jonah became a reluctant prophet because he knew God's grace would overwhelm Israel's enemy. Then he asked to die, saying that death would be better than life.Read Jonah 4:2,3. Or, are we angry, too? I would love to hear from you! 21 Do you see the depth of Jehovahs object lesson? Short little Melissa style summary and insight: *If you are not familiar with the story of Jonahspend some time reading it. . 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. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 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. In the same manner, God won't give up on us. 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). The book of Jonah is remarkable for several reasons. Talk about Jonah 1: 4-16: This is what it is like to turn away from God. We can come to think that we are blessed to be in the family of God because of something of value or usefulness that impresses God. While the theme of Gods sovereignty and Gods grace is, indeed, the predominant storyline of Jonah, the book is certainly not merely metaphorical. Its been an amazing journey to take a deeper look at this Old Testament prophet. Like that to forget the lessons of the Assyrian Empire and has eventually conquered Israel and drove them slavery. Life and the sailors threw Jonah into the sea could bring life and the what did god do to teach jonah a lesson that each has! 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