Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,andyou heard my voice. 4 Jonah did not see Nineveh as Jehovah did. To top it off Nineveh is 800 miles away. The Lord provided a gourd or plant that protected Jonah. 8 This detail may seem odd, but it is not without precedent in ancient times. It is all full of lies and robbery. 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. [1-minute video]. He decides the best thing to do is leave Israel and go in the polar opposite direction to Tarshish, which is said to be near Spain. One could never feel any sense of accomplishment or ownership, because it is given without cause. and God's forgiveness. I think not. Post by James Taiwo author ofBook of Prayers|Pinnacle of Compassion|Bible Application Lessons|Success Express Lane|Bible Giants of Faith& others. The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of Gods Mercy. And now, God is sending Him to them. He would also know that if he disobeyed the commands of the Lord, he would bring down the wrath of God on himself. When God told Jonah what he would say in Nineveh, Jonah rejected the call. (b)How may the account about Jonah help us to take an honest look at ourselves? The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. Jonah repented while in the belly of a fish; God heard his voice and saved him. No doubt he braced himself for a hostile and violent response. 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. Before long, the whole city was talking about Jonahs prophecy of doom. 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.. This blatant rebellion leads Jonah a not so fun boat ride. The book is historical and refers to what became one of the greatest revivals in the history of humankind. What miracle did God perform to teach Jonah a lesson? 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?. Prophet Jonah disobeyed God and attempted to escape, but God caught him red-handedly. He asked him to go somewhere Jonah would NEVER want to go. No. Yes, that. 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.. 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. God knows the future - Isaiah 46:10. If anything, it will just have negative effects on us and the people around us! . After they threw him overboard, the waves grew calm. 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? And now, no doom was coming. God didn't give up on Jonah. Jesus, however, experienced the full wrath of God, which he endured willingly for our sakes. Jonah was the son of Amittai, who came from Gath-hepher in Zebulun (called Gittah-hepher in Joshua 19:10-13 ). 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. 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. 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. The book of Jonah is short and a lot of time we can read through it quickly. For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org. 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). When they did throw him into the sea, the storm stopped. It seems that at this time Nineveh had a sea-oriented religious system and sea-themed Gods. Jonah was called to go and to preach to Nineveh. 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. Milton has also served as chancellor and president of seminaries and is the author of more than thirty books. 7 She has spoken in churches in California, Oregon, Texas, and Mexico and has been featured in Guidepost Magazine and All Recipes Magazine. Jonah rebels, gets swallowed by a great fish, repents, and, at last, fulfills his mission. So, you know for Jonah it would be a BIG deal to travel to Nineveh. Not stopping and chewing on what the scripture is trying to show us. He and his wife, Mae, reside in Western North Carolina. 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. Is it true that it never rained before Noah? Since we interpret Scripture by other Scriptures, and since our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ told the book of Jonah as history (Matthew 12:39-41), so must we. 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. God does not want us to forget the lessons of the book of Jonah, nor the destiny of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. (see Jonah 3:4) Such a preaching could sound pretty condemning and scary, and it is: it's a message of judgment. 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). Jonah couldnt make himself go to Nineveh. God's Love vs. Jonah's Anger. It only stopped when Jonah was thrown overboard (see Jonah 1:15). | Sometimes we learn lessons the hard way because we don't always do things God's way. He is the weeping God ofJonah 4in human form. As a result of his rebellion, the Lord sent a wild storm. "Jonah & the Whale" Unit: Splash Into Summer LESSON PURPOSE: The story of Jonah & the Whale teaches us about listening to God's Words and how he is always there to guide us and take care of us. PDF to print for family reading. Not to mention I did an Old Testament survey on him as well. In what ways might some find themselves disagreeing with God, and what lesson can we learn from Jonahs example? He was the earliest of the prophets and close behind Elisha in his place in the Old Testament. Oddly enough Jonah was not too happy about that. 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. So, grab your Bible and let's go on an adventure in God's Word! Short little Melissa style summary and insight: *If you are not familiar with the story of Jonahspend some time reading it. He observed the change in those people and saw that the punishment he had intended to bring on them would no longer be fitting. 7,8. 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). . The next day he sent in a worm which destroyed the gourd leaving Jonah open to the elements. 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? We read: To Jonah, though, it was highly displeasing, and he got to be hot with anger. (Jonah 4:1) Jonah even uttered a prayer that sounds like a rebuke of the Almighty! Jonah was doing the bare minimum. 16 It is easy to judge Jonah for his conduct, but we do well to remember that it is not unusual for imperfect humans to disagree with God. Jonah found Nineveh to be a huge city full of wrongdoing. 2. This is covenantal language of the highest order. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!. He sent a mighty storm while Jonah's ship was at sea, and the storm endangered the lives of everybody. He will establish his abiding presence with his favorite children. At one time their ancestors had known the Lord but over time the people had drifted away and taken a different path, one . In the same way, God is not quitting on us. Obviously, He did not. 4) A storm threatens to overturn the ship. I like this commentary, indeed there are great lessons to learn from Jonah's situation. To see what we can learn from the life of Jonah. Jonah is an interesting story. In truth, though, his answer is there. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Sign up for my newsletter and you will receive the Jonah character overview. After all, we might offend someone or worse, the world might crucify us. So, God used a plant, a worm, and a wind to teach Jonah a lesson in compassion. Jonah Disobeys God. Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly: Jonah was still in the belly of the fish but he knew it was enough that the LORD had heard his cry ( You heard my voice ). Knowing that the people of Nineveh were wicked, Jonah naturally wouldn't want to go there to preach. Im having trouble understanding the story. He could be preaching, but his heart wasnt into it. (a)How does Jehovah show that he is reasonable, adaptable, and merciful? Isaiah was called to preach to a derelict people: "Jerusalem is ruined, and . Get a focused-Bible-teaching on various subjects as they may apply to our today's lives. Because God has shown us mercy, wouldnt He also show mercy to those people outside our Christian faith? For, Jonah, its an insult to Israel. 2) So he ran from God. Could you please help to understand what lesson the Lord wanted to teach Jonah about the Gourd and the Worm? Here is a perfect heartperfect in generous lovenot excusing, not harshly condemning. Jonah needed courage and faith to preach in Nineveh. by Shelby Faith. His spirits lifted. Let us go to Jonah 1:1 brethren. 9. Last week we looked at the Jonah 1 & 2 and God's Mercy on a Reluctant Prophet. 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. 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