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Jonah

Jonah. Bible Study. Hanging decoration in the Hvidbjerg Church in Denmark. Jonah is the Hebrew word for dove (Gen. 8:8-12; Song of Solomon 1:15; 4:1, etc.). Hosea 7:11 is instructive; “Ephraim became like a dove silly and brainless. They called to Egypt, they went to Assyria.”.

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Jonah

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  1. Jonah Bible Study

  2. Hanging decoration in the Hvidbjerg Church in Denmark

  3. Jonah is the Hebrew word for dove (Gen. 8:8-12; Song of Solomon 1:15; 4:1, etc.). Hosea 7:11 is instructive; “Ephraim became like a dove silly and brainless. They called to Egypt, they went to Assyria.”

  4. Another view of the Hanging decoration in the Hvidbjerg Church in Denmark

  5. An outline of Jonah • Chapter 1 – Running away from God • Chapter 2 – Running to God • Chapter 3 – Running with God • Chapter 4 – Running ahead of God

  6. The Book of Jonah

  7.  Nineveh  Babylon Joppa  Jerusalem

  8. I. Introduction • First (Jon. 1:1-3), God speaks to Jonah the prophet and calls him to a difficult foreign mission. • Second (Jon. 1:4-16), we saw that Jonah’s disobedience resulted in a powerful storm that placed innocent bystanders in danger. • Third in Jonah’s story, we learn of the three-day ordeal of Jonah within the belly of the fish (1:17–2:10).

  9. A Yahweh hurls the storm (1:4) B The sailors pray, act (1:5ab) C Jonah acts (lies down, sleeps – 1:5c) D The captain and sailors question Jonah (1:6-8) E Jonah speaks (1:9) D’ The sailors question Jonah (1:10-11) C’ Jonah speaks (1:12) B’ The sailors act, pray (1:13-14) A’ The sailors hurl Jonah and the storm ends (1:15) Conclusion – 1:16

  10. Jonah 1:17 • 17And the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

  11. Jonah in the Belly of the Fish • illustration in the Chludov Psalter, a Byzantine psalter from the 9th century

  12. II. A Surprising Deliverance (1:17) • Verse 17. Since the death of Jonah is not the Lord’s objective, he prepares a big fish to swallow Jonah, and to save him from drowning. B. In more ways than one, Jonah’s confinement in the fish for “three days and three nights” underscores the harshness of his ordeal from both a physical and emotional perspective. C. While it is true that the fish saves Jonah from drowning, the fish itself is only a slightly less threatening environment than the open sea.

  13. III. Deliverance Produces Thanksgiving (2:1-9) 1And Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, 2and said: I cried out because of my affliction unto the Lord and he heard me; from the belly of sheol I cried; you heard my voice. 3You threw me into the deep, in the heart of the seas; and a current was surrounding me; all your breakers and your waves passed over me. 4And as for me, I said, “I am driven from your presence; yet I will look again upon your holy temple.”

  14. 5Waters enclosed me to my life. The deep surrounded me; weeds wrapped around my head. 6To the foundations of the mountains I descended; the earth, her bars closed behind me for ever; But you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7When my life weakened within me, It was the Lord I remembered. And my prayer came in to you, into your holy temple. 8They that regard worthless vanities abandon their covenant loyalty. 9But I, with a thankful voice, I will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will fulfill. Salvation is of the Lord.

  15. III. Deliverance Produces Thanksgiving (2:1-9) A. Verse 1, Jonah speaks. The storm did not provoke Jonah to pray. The sailors could not force Jonah to pray; but from the stomach of the great fish, Jonah prays. B. Verse 2, Jonah gives thanks. We expect to hear Jonah crying out to the Lord for help; but instead, we hear a prayer of thanksgiving that reports Jonah’s cries after the fact. C. In light of the fact that sheol, the abode of the dead, sometimes symbolizes death itself (e.g., 1 Sam. 2:6; Ps. 18:5), the bringing back of a person from sheol is a metaphor that represents a near-death experience (Ps. 18:5; 30:3; 49:15; 86:13; and 116:3).

  16. III. Deliverance Produces Thanksgiving (2:1-9) D. Verse 3, Jonah acknowledges God’s judgment. Jonah acknowledges that although the sailors cast him into the sea, the Lord bears responsibility for the deed. E. Jonah describes the sensation of being carried and tossed about by the “current,” the “breakers” and the “waves,” all of which are under the control of the Lord. F. Verse 4, Jonah speaks in faith. Jonah, convinced that the Lord has heard his prayer (v. 2), declares confidently that he will return to the temple, that is, to the presence of God. G. Verse 5, Jonah shares his pain. Jonah felt imprisoned and shackled as the depths of the sea surrounded him and as sea weed wrapped around his head.

  17. III. Deliverance Produces Thanksgiving (2:1-9) H. Verse 6, Jonah goes down. Sinking deeper and deeper in the sea, Jonah tells us that he went down “to the foundations of the mountains.” • Verse 7, Jonah remembers God. At his lowest point of despair, Jonah “remembered” the Lord; and although Jonah was far from Jerusalem, his prayer reached the Lord in his “holy temple.” J. Verse 8, Jonah rejects idolatry. In light of his experience, Jonah rebukes those who practice vanities.

  18. III. Deliverance Produces Thanksgiving (2:1-9) K. Verse 9, Jonah promises to be faithful. Unlike those who would act unfaithfully, Jonah promises to serve the Lord with sacrifices and with the fulfillment of his vows. L. The thanksgiving prayer of Jonah ends with the powerful assertion that “salvation is of the Lord.” M. Jonah’s statement that “salvation is of the Lord” also testifies to his own experience of the Lord’s mercy and grace.

  19. 3:1-3 • God gives Jonah same command • This time Jonah obeys • But not told yet the exact message • Nineveh • A huge city, 3 days to walk all its streets • The palace covered 5 acres

  20. Some lessons • Repentance doesn’t change need to make right the past wrongs • Obedience doesn’t require knowing everything up front

  21. 3:4-10 • A simple message of punishment for sins • Fast for people and animals • No water either • All (even animals) wore sackcloth • All people prayed for forgiveness • God forgave them

  22. More lessons • God prefers salvation to punishment • God can forgive anyone • God can set requirements on His forgiveness • Jer 18:5-10 • Sometimes the best prospects are the least godly people • Israel did not repent despite years of prophets foretelling their doom. • Fasting and prayer

  23. :A Repentant City and a Merciful God

  24. 4:1-3 • Jonah’s anger • Expressed to God in prayer • Knew God’s character and didn’t want it for his enemies • Desires to die rather than see himself as a traitor to his country

  25. More lessons • Prayer is an appropriate way to deal with anger • Knowing God’s character and practicing it are two different things • God’s people are in trouble when they forget where their true loyalty lies (Mt 6:33)

  26. 4:4-11 • God questions Jonah’s reasoning • The plant, worm, and scorching wind • Jonah still doesn’t understand • God explains why He saved Nineveh

  27. Why Nineveh was spared • The plant lived and died at God’s desire • 120,000 young children (also animals) • Probably 600,000 total population • The children were not Jonah’s enemies • They had done nothing wrong • Shouldn’t God be concerned about them?

  28. Some more lessons • God expects us to be reasonable in our decisions, and even our emotions • Saving lost souls should motivate us • If not, then consider the following generations • If you don’t help save your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers, • Then their children, perhaps your children’s friends, will also be lost

  29. Conclusion • Never decide who is worth saving – all are • Don’t try to avoid responsibility to teach the lost • Don’t forget you are a Christian FIRST • God loves everyone and wishes to save them • God has made salvation available to all • Through His Son (Matthew 12:41)

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