Jehovah will satisfy the needs of his faithful children from this earth to heaven. . In the 4th chapter of Jonah, we see God's love and grace contrasted with Jonah's anger and lack of compassion. From inside the fish, Jonah prayed: 'I promise to obey you always.'. The story has a long interpretive history and has become well . 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). 18 Overnight, Jehovah caused a bottle-gourd plant to sprout up. Jonah's ordeal inside the belly of the whale certainly evokes Christ's death and resurrection over the same time period. Tell them that they better start believing in Me and doing the right things I want them to do or else I'm going to send fire down from Heaven to destroy their city and burn them up." But Jonah didn't want to go preach to the people of Nineveh. To know he answers my prayers? We must realize we dont see it all, we dont understand it all. Please see my disclosure policy for details. MATERIALS: Learning props and toys, craft supplies, music SONG IDEAS:&a Can you elaborate? 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. To put the matter in plain words, Jonah did not like grace because it was charity. 12,13. 6) A great fish, that God prepared, swallows him. God is determined to get Jonah to Nineveh. He will rescue them during trouble and provide for their needs. If you are a follower of Jesus, God has given you instructions to take the message of the Good News to others ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). 14 How did Jonah react when destruction did not come at the time he expected it to? What can we learn from the Ninevites repentance? When God told Jonah what he would say in Nineveh, Jonah rejected the call. God's Love vs. Jonah's Anger. 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). They are just nothing but mere pretension. Under King Jeroboam II, the nation expanded its borders and enjoyed an age of splendour that . (a)What object lesson did Jehovah teach Jonah? How much more will God use all things to reach you? He is the recipient of the Legion of Merit. God grew a vine to shelter Jonah from the sun, then sent a worm to chew it up. Why arent prophets giving us specific signs to watch for? He was then swallowed by a huge fish - his transport to Nineveh. We learned here that both Socratic teaching and rabbinical teaching (by asking questions) was used by God long before educators ever thought about such things. God was trying to teach Jonah lessons about the importance of being obedient to The Lord and His will. When Jonah adds that to his list of complaints the Lord uses it as a teaching moment. Yet the city of Nineveh had sixscore thousand people (Jonah 4:11) who didnt know any better and Jonah thinks their preservation is a bad thing? When Jonah adds that to his list of complaints the Lord uses it as a teaching moment. Jonah's lack of response indicates that he got the point. What does his familiar and most often considered a childrens story could teach us, adults? We dont deserve mercy and compassion. God's command to him remained the same; he was still to preach repentance to Nineveh (see Jonah 2:10-3:4). This is covenantal language of the highest order. i. In what ways might some find themselves disagreeing with God, and what lesson can we learn from Jonahs example? But then they did repent. 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. There is a multitude of slain, a great number of bodies, countless corpses - They stumble over the corpses - because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, the mistress of sorceries, who sells nations through her harlotries, and families through her sorceries.". Article Images Copyright , 4 Powerful Lessons from the Book of Jonah for Today. Instead of doing our part in preaching the Gospel, are we running away by simply ignoring this command, wasting our time on unproductive things, or focusing too much on the things of this world rather than the things of God? Finally, after he was spit out by the fish, Jonah found himself in dry land. Jonah began to rejoice greatly over the plant, perhaps viewing its miraculous appearance as a sign of Gods blessing and approval. When thinking about this book as a whole, and what God is trying to teach Jonah, what does this mean for us. Jonah woke to see this luxuriant growth, with its broad leaves providing far more shade than his flimsy shelter ever could. 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. And now, no doom was coming. Jonah's obedience to God, albeit reluctant, brought about great results, results that only God could bring. That warning was based on the Ninevites bad ways, which subsequently changed. The story of Jonah demonstrates how Almighty God has sovereign control over every creature on earth. Though Jonah ran away from God, God wasn't finished with him yet. Amen. The story is probably written between the 8th and 3th century BC. Then all of sudden God decided to come between Jonah and his patriotism. The book of Jonah begins with these words: "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Ammittai, saying, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.". Jonah was inside the fish for three days. 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.. 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. The Prodigal Prophet Jonah And The Mystery Of God Recognizing the showing off ways to get this ebook The Prodigal Prophet Jonah And The Mystery Of God is additionally useful. 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. God didn't give up on Jonah. 5 Nineveh was ancient, being among the first cities that Nimrod established after the Flood. 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). God then tells the whale to throw Jonah up. Jonah thought he was going to die. These are only 5 thingsthere are more! 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? 2 One thing Jonah knew for certain: He could not turn around and run away from this assignment. His failure would have resulted in the destruction of Nineveh by the Lord due to their wickedness. Sometimes God will ask us to step out or step up. But thankfully brethren, God is not like that. When we look at Jonah 4, Jonah calls God "a gracious God and merciful." Then, in Ephesians 2, Paul says that God's nature is "rich in mercy." As Christians, we know that God is making. - Dylan. Use this lesson to lead kids to respond to God's compassion and . Just like us, brethren, we have also been given a task by God to preach the Gospel to this morally decaying and dying world. 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. Jonah couldnt make himself go to Nineveh. Read More, 3 Important Ways to Pray for Your Future Husband. Key Verse: I want to complete the work the Lord Jesus has given me.He wants me to give witness to others about the good news of God's grace. However, had he allowed Jehovahs discipline to work a thorough change in him? On this site, you can explore the Bible with me as dig into fun topics, like angels, symbolism, characters, dreams and more. The sign of Jonah was an expression used by Jesus to refer to Jonah's three days and three nights in the belly of the fish (Jonah 1:17). They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 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. 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. Jonah repented while in the belly of a fish; God heard his voice and saved him. Jesus knew what he was talking about, for he had been alive in heaven to witness those events as they unfolded. Are we there yet? God have mercy! The issue in the book of Jonah causes each of us to reflect on this truth: those who curse Christ today could be those who preach Christ tomorrow. Post by James Taiwo author ofBook of Prayers|Pinnacle of Compassion|Bible Application Lessons|Success Express Lane|Bible Giants of Faith& others. He wanted to reach Jonahs heart. 9) What did God do to teach Jonah a lesson? However, Jehovah wanted to do more for Jonah than simply deliver him from the heat and from his own petulant anger. 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. (b)What did the king of Nineveh do in response to Jonahs proclamation? For, Jonah, its an insult to Israel. The first gentile revival just took place. 4 Jonah did not see Nineveh as Jehovah did. Only true repentance can happen when we acknowledge and are willing to go in Gods direction. 3 - 4 ) Jonah's Renewed Commission and Obedience ( 3:1-4) The Endangered Ninevites' Repentant Appeal to the Lord ( 3:5-9) Ive read that the Lord wanted to show Jonah that He loves all His people. TIMELINE: Jonah is a prophet during the reign of King Jeroboam II. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Imitate Their Faith. You can read it here on Bible Gateway: Book of Jonah NIV and Book of Jonah NKJ. I am passionate about inspiring people to find their God-given purpose in life. DLTK's Sunday School Lessons Men of the Old Testament Pt 1: Jonah. Am I Less Worthy Not Being From the Tribe of Ephraim? Jonah is mad at the Lord, so the Lord tried to teach him. I love looking for signs so i looked at the paper. I read recently that the atonement doesnt cover all sins such as murder which requires a blood sacrifice. . Or a friend? 3. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I was out on the road today in my car, I was dropping off a package and when I returned to my car there was paper on the front of my bumper. You can try to hide, move, go away, either physically or even internally with your emotions, but its futile. Let us see what we can gather from Jonahs struggle. 1,2. Kia Ora Gramps.Could you please help to understand what lesson the Lord wanted to teach Jonah about the Gourd and the Worm? After God delivered him, Jonah traveled to Nineveh and prophesied that the Lord would destroy the city because of its wickedness. 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. PDF to print for family reading. I hope you learned something new about the story of Jonah. A Second Chance with God, Jonah 3. There are consequences for sin, but the Lord is always ready to. Isaiah was called to preach to a derelict people: "Jerusalem is ruined, and . All rights reserved. Now that we had a short summarylets get down to business! BIBLEARENA.ORG presents the sacred teachings of the Bible to enhance spiritual growth. | 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. (Read Jonah 3:5.) Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fishs belly. Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,Lest we forgetlest we forget! The people of Nineveh repented, and God spared the city. I went down to themoorings of the mountains;The earth with its barsclosedbehind me forever;Yet You have brought up mylife from the pit,OLord, my God. The next day he sent in a worm which destroyed the gourd leaving Jonah open to the elements. 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