what did god do to teach jonah a lesson

Could you please help to understand what lesson the Lord wanted to teach Jonah about the Gourd and the Worm? How did Jonah react to Jehovahs mercy on Nineveh? If you want to learn more, read, 13 Best Lessons We can Learn from Jonah.. I am so grateful for technology. Isaiah was called to preach to a derelict people: "Jerusalem is ruined, and . But without those, Jonah would have ended up fish food. The Lord provided a gourd or plant that protected Jonah. 21 Do you see the depth of Jehovahs object lesson? It may be that Jonah made his proclamation in his native Hebrew and used an interpreter to relate it to the Ninevites. No one expects a person to survive inside a fish. How did Jehovah reason with Jonah about the bottle-gourd plant? He sent a mighty storm while Jonah's ship was at sea, and the storm endangered the lives of everybody. (see Jonah 3:4) Such a preaching could sound pretty condemning and scary, and it is: it's a message of judgment. After all of this, had Jonah learned to show mercy to others? Expressing hope that the true God would soften upon seeing their repentance, the king said: God may . To learn more visit and subscribe: https://michaelmilton.org/about/. 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 ). The mans spirits plummeted, and again he asked God that he might die.Jonah 4:6-8. How had Jonah learned that he could not run away from his assignment? In fact, the narrator uses the same grammatical structure as in Jonah 4:1. 19,20. 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.. TERMS OF USE 6) A great fish, that God prepared, swallows him. . Jehovah will satisfy the needs of his faithful children from this earth to heaven. Jonah would have to travel this by horse/camel. Struck with godly fear, he rose up from his throne, removed his luxurious robes of state, put on the same rough clothing that his people were wearing, and even sat down in the ashes. With his great ones, or nobles, he issued a decree that turned the fast from a spontaneous popular movement into an official action of state. Jonah needed courage and faith to preach in Nineveh. 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). Now that we had a short summarylets get down to business! 3) That obedience to God will always bring God-sized results. These are only 5 thingsthere are more! 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. And that response is nestled within the greater framework of Gods plan for the ages: from Paradise Lost(Milton, 1667) to Paradise Regained (Milton, 1671). By so doing, the Lord is showing Jonah that his priorities are more then a bit messed up. Whatever the case, he did not rejoice over the peoples repentance or over Jehovahs mercy. 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. 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. These people were extremely cruel towards Israel and caused a lot of problem in the past. And Jonah has good earthly reasons why, but God looks beyond the earthly and looks through His spiritual eyes. Knowing that the people of Nineveh were wicked, Jonah naturally wouldn't want to go there to preach. God gave Jonah a job to do, and he ran away. At any rate, his message was simple and not likely to win him any favor: Only forty days more, and Nineveh will be overthrown. (Jonah 3:4) He spoke out boldly and repeatedly. He would have very likely carried PTSD and claustrophobia with him for the rest of his life. The psalmist in Psalm 139 makes it pretty clear: Where can I go from your Spirit? Jonah was inside the fish for three days. When someone repents, are we happy for the person? But the Lord is also working with Jonah trying to get him to see the value of every soul, not just the Israelites. Jonah's lack of response indicates that he got the point. The Lord called Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh, but Jonah fled and was swallowed by a great fish. 17,18. You have remained in right site to begin getting this info. God gave us the ability to choose - Joshua 24:15. God Wants You Back, Jonah 1-2. . His life and ministry, recorded in but four chapters, brings so many lessons to Christians old and new. His failure would have resulted in the destruction of Nineveh by the Lord due to their wickedness. Perhaps he still clung to the hope of witnessing her destruction. God has Compassion on All People, not just us. BIBLEARENA.ORG presents the sacred teachings of the Bible to enhance spiritual growth. Jonah would know that if Nineveh repented, the Lord would not destroy it, and it would remain a threat to Israel. As a result of his rebellion, the Lord sent a wild storm. So he goes to Nineveh and calls them to repent or be destroyed. 2:13-15. Then Jehovah sent a huge fish. . This is covenantal language of the highest order. They had believed him. Jonah couldnt see that and sometimes, we couldnt see that as well. God chose Jonah to go to the Ninevites and tell them that unless they turned from their wicked ways they would face God's punishment. He had tried that before. The Bible record is silent. All rights reserved. How much more will God use all things to reach you? How did Jonah show faith and courage as he preached in Nineveh? I would love to hear from you! 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. Obviously, He did not. 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). The book of Jonah is short and a lot of time we can read through it quickly. 12 Jehovah is nothing like the rigid, cold, even harsh God so often portrayed by religious leaders. If you want to learn more about Jonahcheck out Priscilla Shirer Jonah Bible Study. Jonah; Micah . God is determined to get Jonah to Nineveh. (a)What may have led Jonah into a downward spiral? The book of Jonah exactly shows us the unlimited Mercy of God. The book of Jonah concludes with a rather enigmatic ending. 1) That while our love for others fail, God's compassion knows no ends. (a)What did Jonah do after leaving Nineveh? They are the enemies of Israel. The lesson that God loves us while we are living in rebellion is of great hope to our nation today. If I go up to the heavens,you are there;if I make my bedin the depths, you are there.If I rise on the wings of the dawn,if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me,your right handwill hold me fast.If I say, Surely the darkness will hide meand the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be darkto you;the night will shine like the day,for darkness is as light to you. Had he learned to speak the Assyrian tongue? 1. After they threw him overboard, the waves grew calm. 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. 'You Raise Me Up' Duet Earns A Standing Ovation From The Judges, 7 Tests to See if Your Worship Is Truly Christian or Pagan, 3 Bad Church Approaches to Good Money Stewardship, 5 Critical Rules to Teach Your Kids to Help Them Stay Safe, 4 Things You Should Know about Jesus Revolution, Jesus on Adultery: Its More Controversial Than You Think, This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. He would also know that if he disobeyed the commands of the Lord, he would bring down the wrath of God on himself. So what are the lessons we can learn from the book of Jonah? Whereas if they did not repent, then the Lord would destroy them, and they would no longer be a danger to Israel. 1. These people were extremely cruel towards Israel and caused a lot of problem in the past. 15 What was troubling Jonah? Notice, Nineveh is northeast of Israel and Tarshish is in the west. The Bible explains that Jehovahs justice is perfect. Three days later, Jonah was vomited out alive onto a beach, an awed and more compliant man.Jonah, chaps. The people of Nineveh, from the king to the poorest, repented and held a fast. Rich and poor, strong and weak, young and old were all caught up in the same repentant spirit. Jonah's response is joy, great joy. 19 Once more Jehovah asked Jonah if he was rightly angry, this time over the death of the bottle-gourd plant. Then he asked to die, saying that death would be better than life.Read Jonah 4:2,3. The only disobedient figure in the book of Jonah is Jonah. Its been an amazing journey to take a deeper look at this Old Testament prophet. For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org. Please keep me ever worthy of your kingdom! In faith, Jonah knew that he would be delivered. Then he sent a parching east wind until Jonah began swooning away because of the heat. He built a little shelter and settled in to waitand to watch Nineveh. 17 The despondent prophet left Nineveh and headed, not home, but eastward, where some mountains overlooked the region. It is all full of lies and robbery. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.). Dear God, please make me your obedient child. But then they did repent. Yahweh has given Jonah a job that he needs to accomplish. DLTK's Sunday School Lessons Men of the Old Testament Pt 1: Jonah. 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? Though He is now in Nineveh, he was just dragging his feet to preach to the people. Jonah went outsidethe city, hoping to witness its condemnation, but Jesus Christ went outside the city to die on a cross to accomplish its salvation. When God called Jonah to go and warn the violent and . The stubborn servant felt the heat of hell until he repented. The Beginning of the story of Jonah brings us the first lesson about missionary service: 1.There are no easy calls. Only true repentance can happen when we acknowledge and are willing to go in Gods direction. 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. To top it off Nineveh is 800 miles away. What kind of journey lay ahead of Jonah, and how did he feel about his destination? (Read Matthew 12:41.) These results are in verse three, that is, one verse before the one that tells of God's special intervention in sending the storm . Jonah was cast into the sea and did not drown. So, Yahweh "sent out a great wind on the sea." As a result, Jonah was thrown to the sea and God saved him. Learning to show mercy is often difficult for imperfect humans. "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. How does that show through the story? We dont deserve mercy and compassion. It is the book itself. He had prophesied doom and destruction in the name of the Lord, but due to repentance it wasnt going to happen. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:12-14). What did the Lord mean in Jonah4:10-11? The petulant prophet is perturbed that God's grace to pagans is of greater priority to God than Jonahs comfort. Just imagine that prophet, once again safe in his homeland, writing this account. Jonah didn't want to go there because the Ninevites were wicked people (see Jonah 1:2), and Jonah knew that when he came there to preach to the people, they'd repent and be spared from God's impending wrath (see Jonah 4:2). Get a focused-Bible-teaching on various subjects as they may apply to our today's lives. Though Jonah ran away from God, God wasn't finished with him yet. You can try to hide, move, go away, either physically or even internally with your emotions, but its futile. All 4 chapters of Jonah paints this picture of how we are to process our sin or disobedience before God. He was the earliest of the prophets and close behind Elisha in his place in the Old Testament. 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.". We are all sinners who are worthy of death. But dont forget to download my free Jonah character study pdf! (b)How did Jehovahs miracles involving a bottle-gourd plant affect Jonah? The pagan city of Nineveh, the capital of an Ancient Near Eastern Empire, Assyria, was the epicenter of antagonism toward Israel, and yet, this enemy of God became the object of God's love and grace. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. It is an astounding admission of the true nature of Gods covenant given to Abraham. Jonah is mad at the Lord, so the Lord tried to teach him. Hes actually ANGRY at God. 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. Prophesied doom and destruction in the Old Testament prophet focused-Bible-teaching on various subjects as they apply! A result of his life and ministry, recorded in but four chapters, brings so many to! School Lessons men of the Lord, and they would no longer be a danger to.. 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Bring down the wrath of God on himself we are living in rebellion is of greater priority to God Jonahs. Unlimited mercy of God on himself Jonah exactly shows us the ability to choose - 24:15!
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