Disobedience is a big deal when it comes to God. 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). Or, are we angry, too? 5 Nineveh was ancient, being among the first cities that Nimrod established after the Flood. Here is a perfect heartperfect in generous lovenot excusing, not harshly condemning. 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. To top it off Nineveh is 800 miles away. So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. He wants to show His love to everyone. Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. 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?? JONAH would have plenty of time to think. On the contrary, he is reasonable, adaptable, and merciful. Its Not What You Think! 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. The Bible states that the Lord had Jonah caught by a giant fish for three days and then vomit him up (presumably near Nineveh). God can simply choose to find another Prophet to do the job. 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. Give me the ability to do whatever you ask of me. 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. Jonah thought he was going to die. 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. Thank you for your patience and continued support! Article Images Copyright , 4 Powerful Lessons from the Book of Jonah for Today. Jonah is depressed and miserable due the the fact that the city would not be destroyed. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. Though we run away from Him, He patiently waits for us. 6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. Jonah repented while in the belly of a fish; God heard his voice and saved him. His words spread like wildfire. The story of Jonah and the Whale, one of the oddest accounts in the Bible, opens with God speaking to Jonah, son of Amittai, commanding him to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh. At this point we find our first great lessons regarding God's sovereignty. 6) A great fish, that God prepared, swallows him. Let us go to Jonah 1:1 brethren. I hope these 5 keys have made you hungry to dive more into Gods word. Jonah would know that if Nineveh repented, the Lord would not destroy it, and it would remain a threat to Israel. Yahweh has given Jonah a job that he needs to accomplish. 14 How did Jonah react when destruction did not come at the time he expected it to? Through games, drawing their own comic strip, a DIY Big Gulp of Jonah toy, and a Jonah in a Big Fish puppet, kids learn that God is compassionate and gracious. News of this popular movement soon reached the ears of the king. And dont forget to download the Jonah Character Overview PDF! In this post, let us take a deeper look at the Book of Jonah and its many lessons it can teach us about Gods mercy and forgiveness and the role we need to play in doing his work. 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. His spirits lifted. Jonah has two different responses to God's . Jonah is mad at the Lord, so the Lord tried to teach him. 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. 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. Did he leap for joy and shouted hooray? The fish did not chew him up - it just swallowed him and Jonah was safe inside. Sep 5, 2014 | AAAA AskGramps Website, Bible | 3 comments. God gave Jonah a job to do, and he ran away. The result, however, was nothing short of amazing. Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm (Jonah 4:2 NKJV). How much more will God use all things to reach you? 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." 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 When Jonah finally entered Nineveh, its sizable population of more than 120,000 may have made the place only more intimidating. You see, the Day of Atonement is a reminder that part of humbling ourselves and repenting of our sins is to do the work God has called us to do. During this time Jonah humbled himself to do what the Lord wanted. 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. Prophet Jonah disobeyed God and attempted to escape, but God caught him red-handedly. They had made no agreement to obey Him like the Israelites had ( Exodus 24:3 ), and God had no obligation to save them. After they threw him overboard, the waves grew calm. We cannot know all that went through his mind, but we do know that Jonah had proclaimed doom to Nineveh before all those people. 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 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). Long story short they toss him overboard, but before doing so they ask God to forgive them. Jonah; Micah . 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. When someone repents, are we happy for the person? If you want to learn more, read, 13 Best Lessons We can Learn from Jonah.. In the north of modern-day Iraq, next to the city of Mosul, the remains of Nineveh, stand as testimony to the historicity of the story in Jonah. 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. 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? Where can I fleefrom your presence? Jonah would not weep over a people who came close to destruction, but "Jesus, the true prophet, did.". It is clear that Jonah believed in the efficacy of God's message. Clearly, Jonah did learn a vital lesson from Jehovahs wise instruction. The origin or source of the grace Jonah disdained is God. Yes, that means precisely what it says: Jonah was preferring death over the advance of Gods grace to Nineveh. Why did Jehovah refer to Nineveh as the great city, and what does that teach us about him? Jonah's preaching was quite short, and he probably wasn't enthusiastic when he preached it: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" When God speaks to our heart to do something we should take intitive. People are important to God. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!. (b)Why was Jonahs prophecy not a false one? The Bible explains that Jehovahs justice is perfect. To top it off Nineveh is 800 miles away. 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. How did Jehovah reason with Jonah about the bottle-gourd plant? (b)How did Jehovah deal with his distressed prophet? Jonah 3:5-8 The Ninevites believed God. Amen. Ninevah was a city in Assyria. God is determined to get Jonah to Nineveh. * He humbly acknowledged that his people were guilty of badness and violence. God let Jonah eat lavishly, then sent him to a place of famine. How did Jonah show faith and courage as he preached in Nineveh? By so doing, the Lord is showing Jonah that his priorities are more then a bit messed up. The story is probably written between the 8th and 3th century BC. Join me now as we explore Gods word and discover what it takes to become a true Christian! Jonahs message was simple and not likely to win him any favor. The book of Jonah exactly shows us the unlimited Mercy of God. To learn more visit and subscribe: https://michaelmilton.org/about/. What quality had Jehovah shown toward Jonah, yet what question arises? Is it True for Christians That 'Once Saved, Always Saved'? But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Nahum 3:1-4 gives us an idea of just how wicked the people of Nineveh were: "Woe to the bloody city! Obedience is the key to receivingGods benefits! He could be preaching, but his heart wasnt into it. Here is a little quick video to watch For more information please keep reading. Copyright 2023 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. This is why its great to do a Bible study on these types of books in the Bible. Jonah's story is told in the short (just 48 verses) but powerful book of Jonah. The book of Jonah is remarkable for several reasons. So, Jonah has a pity party and God tries to show and teach him His compassion towards mankind with a plant giving him shelter and worm. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,andyou heard my voice. The Lord controlled the elements of weather (Jon. He is the weeping God ofJonah 4in human form. 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. What does the story of Jonah and the whale teach us? He had tried that before. Jonah was the son of Amittai, who came from Gath-hepher in Zebulun (called Gittah-hepher in Joshua 19:10-13 ). 18 Overnight, Jehovah caused a bottle-gourd plant to sprout up. 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