(Read Jonah 3:1-3.) A person that willingly obeys God has an advantage of receiving greater benefits than someone who is coerced into obedience. Jonah was the son of Amittai, who came from Gath-hepher in Zebulun (called Gittah-hepher in Joshua 19:10-13 ). 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). Here is a little quick video to watch For more information please keep reading. "He Delighteth in Mercy". Disobedience is a big deal when it comes to God. Or did Jehovah grant him that ability through a miracle? (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. I am passionate about inspiring people to find their God-given purpose in life. turn back from his burning anger, so that we may not perish.Jonah 3:6-9. It tells us about the role we play in the Body of Christ, the forgiving and merciful attitude that we all should have, and the unimaginable magnitude of Gods mercy and grace not just to His people, but to the entire world. He learned to be merciful. Read More, 3 Important Ways to Pray for Your Future Husband. God would use Israel to reach the entire world with His love and grace and forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ. 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? You will see how this Jonah Bible study has changed the way I look at obedience and repentance. He had prophesied doom and destruction in the name of the Lord, but due to repentance it wasnt going to happen. Could you imagine how many times you would hear your kids say. How would Jehovah teach this hardheaded man to be merciful? Lesson 48, November 21-27. Because God has shown us mercy, wouldnt He also show mercy to those people outside our Christian faith? Let us go to Jonah 1:1 brethren. Jonah began to rejoice greatly over the plant, perhaps viewing its miraculous appearance as a sign of Gods blessing and approval. Then God concluded: For my part, ought I not to feel sorry for Nineveh the great city, in which there exist more than one hundred and twenty thousand men who do not at all know the difference between their right hand and their left, besides many domestic animals?Jonah 4:10,11. Can you elaborate? Yahweh has given Jonah a job that he needs to accomplish. He must learn that God's love is greater and wider than he had ever imagined. The story is probably written between the 8th and 3th century BC. Jonah couldnt make himself go to Nineveh. He is, now, angry that God has forgiven them. To learn more visit and subscribe: https://michaelmilton.org/about/. Nineveh was a Gentile city, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, and had no covenant with God. The Lord provided a gourd or plant that protected Jonah. I hope they will fail., Oh why cant my angry boss just be gone., At times, we are so busy in saying that, I hope he gets what he deserves.. God loves us as much as He loves the people outside of the church. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. So, I hope my Bible study on Jonah encourages you to take a second look at Jonah. So, please feel free to drop me a comment or take a look at my similar posts in my Christian Faith Articles page! Perhaps, even us today, we'd be hesitant to go to somewhere chaotic and full of wickedness to preach the Gospel. Jonah was inside the fish for three days. Jonah prophesied in the mid-700s BC, a time when Assyria was not as powerful as they had been in recent years. 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. 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? The stubborn servant felt the heat of hell until he repented. So, you know for Jonah it would be a BIG deal to travel to Nineveh. 19 Once more Jehovah asked Jonah if he was rightly angry, this time over the death of the bottle-gourd plant. 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. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. Why does God allow good people to suffer? In what ways might some find themselves disagreeing with God, and what lesson can we learn from Jonahs example? RAPTURE IS IMMINENT, CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN 2 Peter, THE ANTICHRIST EVIL MARK OF 666 SYMBOLIZES DESTRUCTION Revelation, GOD HATES SIN; COVET HOLINESS AND STAY STRONG Zechariah, GODS JUDGMENT IS INEVITABLE Revelation, 7 REASONS TO BELIEVE CHRIST ROSE FROM THE DEAD, Subscribing I accept the privacy rules of this site, JESUS PURCHASED THE CHURCH WITH HIS BLOOD Acts, JESUS COMMANDED HIS DISCIPLES TO PREACH THE GOSPEL Luke 9, KING JEHU KILLED IDOL WORSHIPERS 2 Kings, THE DEFENSE FOR GODS SERVANTS Jeremiah. When God speaks to our heart to do something we should take intitive. JONAH LESSON 4 We will begin this lesson in Jonah 4:1 "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry." Jonah had judged these people not worthy to be saved. After they threw him overboard, the waves grew calm. 2. Last week we looked at the Jonah 1 & 2 and God's Mercy on a Reluctant Prophet. 15. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:12-14). Jonah Goes to Nineveh Main Point: We should share God's grace with others. So, grab your Bible and lets dig in. God often only tells us what we can handle at the time. . Article Images Copyright , 4 Powerful Lessons from the Book of Jonah for Today. It had all the elements of a spellbinder: a reluctant prophet fleeing God, a sinking ship, a man thrown overboard into the maw of a sea. To see what we can learn from the life of Jonah. (b)Why was Jonahs prophecy not a false one? We must realize we dont see it all, we dont understand it all. Obedience is the key to receivingGods benefits! When we see people sinning are we quick to say, Wait until you get what you truly deserve?, Oh I cant wait for the time when you fall down!, Oh, this group has cast me out. The fast was so great that even animals fasted and cried out to God! Instead, the Lord saved him. Then he sent a parching east wind until Jonah began swooning away because of the heat. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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.. And dont forget to download the Jonah Character Overview PDF! How did Jonah react to Jehovahs mercy on Nineveh? For, Jonah, its an insult to Israel. 13 Was Jonahs prophecy a false one? Notice, Nineveh is northeast of Israel and Tarshish is in the west. 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. That is exactly what happened later on.Zeph. Sep 5, 2014 | AAAA AskGramps Website, Bible | 3 comments. 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. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. But here was God wanting them to repent and change their ways. So great was this monumental world capital that considerable remnants of Nineveh remain to this day. 4 Jonah did not see Nineveh as Jehovah did. This is an essential characteristic of God. God's Mercy on a Repentant People. Jonah is an interesting story. Im having trouble understanding the story. All rights reserved. However, Jehovah wanted to do more for Jonah than simply deliver him from the heat and from his own petulant anger. The Bible record is silent. The story of Jonah was a popular tale in Jesus' time. Those who hold Jonah as a mythological yarn seek to strengthen their unbelieving position by adding disbelief in a fish swallowing Jonah and, then, spitting the reluctant revivalist onto the shore. Then I said, I have been cast out of Your sight;Yet I will look againtoward Your holy temple.Thewaters surrounded me,evento my soul;The deep closed around me;Weeds were wrapped around my head. Whereas if they did not repent, then the Lord would destroy them, and they would no longer be a danger to Israel. Had Jonah gone to Nineveh just as an enemy Israelite, he would have most likely been ignored, maybe even killed. Instead, the "sign" we are offered is an invitation to die with Christ so that we can personally begin to experience the new life of the Resurrection. For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org. Jonah would have to travel this by horse/camel. Jonah did not like grace because it was not something which one could earn. Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. He gets on the boat and flees Jerusalem. Hes actually ANGRY at God. In what ways would you like to imitate the faith of Jonah when you receive corrective counsel? And now, no doom was coming. . I would love to hear from you! Short little Melissa style summary and insight: *If you are not familiar with the story of Jonahspend some time reading it. Oddly enough Jonah was not too happy about that. Perhaps he still clung to the hope of witnessing her destruction. Then, God asks a question to Jonah, which echoes through the ages down to our own lives: Jonah 4:10-11 (ESV): And the Lord said, You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 9) What did God do to teach Jonah a lesson? 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. It has spiritual ramifications that affects both our spiritual life, and daily life. We cannot know all that went through his mind, but we do know that Jonah had proclaimed doom to Nineveh before all those people. He mentions one in particular: Far-called, our navies melt away;On dune and headland sinks the fire:Lo, all our pomp of yesterdayIs one with Nineveh and Tyre! Confinement, Communion, and Confession, Jonah 2. (a)How did Jehovah respond to the repentance of the Ninevites? Yes, that means precisely what it says: Jonah was preferring death over the advance of Gods grace to Nineveh. 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). Learn More. (Read Deuteronomy 32:4.) Jonah's preaching was quite short, and he probably wasn't enthusiastic when he preached it: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" 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. Evidently, though, Jonahs merciful God still saw good in this distressed prophet. *. Jehovah can allow his children to suffer for the sake of saving them. God Wants You Back, Jonah 1-2. A gourd, an easterly winder, and even a worm, all over the Lord without any protests. How much more will God hear your prayers as you cry out for a wayward child? Some may believe that Jehovah should have prevented a tragedy or that he should have executed swift judgment against the wicked or even that he should have brought an end to this whole world system of things before now. (a)How does Jehovah show that he is reasonable, adaptable, and merciful? Obviously, He did not. God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach repentance to the Ninevites. 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. Knowing that the people of Nineveh were wicked, Jonah naturally wouldn't want to go there to preach. Introduction. Use this lesson to lead kids to respond to God's compassion and . When someone repents, are we happy for the person? 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. Please keep me ever worthy of your kingdom! Jonah was called to go and preach the repentance to the Ninevites (And by natural inference, to receive the forgiveness of God). If anything, it will just have negative effects on us and the people around us! It only stopped when Jonah was thrown overboard (see Jonah 1:15). They abstained from food. MATERIALS: Learning props and toys, craft supplies, music SONG IDEAS:&a The Lord controlled the elements of weather (Jon. (b)How may the account about Jonah help us to take an honest look at ourselves? 9 Some critics express doubt that such a change of heart could have occurred so quickly among the Ninevites. In the same way, God is not quitting on us. "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. What did God do to teach Jonah a lesson? 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. 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what did god do to teach jonah a lesson