CHILDREN’S JONAH SERIES
PREP SCHOOL
JONAH - PART 1
Have you ever heard the story of Jonah and the “whale”? Well, we are going to begin a study on the Old Testament book named after him. Jonah was a prophet, which is someone chosen by God to tell people about His will, so he “worked” for God. One day, Jonah’s boss (God) gave Him a job to do:
Jonah 1:1-2 “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’”
So, Jonah packed a bag and headed straight for Nineveh, right?
Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship, which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
Jonah 1:1-2 “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’”
So, Jonah packed a bag and headed straight for Nineveh, right?
Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship, which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
Jonah 1:4-5 “And the LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.”
The chapter goes on to say that the rest of the people on the ship began to panic and prayed to their gods. Then, the captain found Jonah asleep, woke him up, and asked him to pray to his God. Interesting how fickle they were, huh? If their fake gods would not help, maybe another one would. In this case, the other One was actually THE God, the Creator of the Universe. Despite all of their prayers, though, the storm continued. So, they concluded that someone on board must be the reason for the storm and decided to find out exactly who it was.
Jonah 1:7 “Each man said to his mate, ‘Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.’ So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah”
Casting lots is like picking straws where whoever picks the shortest straw is the winner or the loser, depending on the reason for it. We can clearly see that God controlled this little game of chance since Jonah was shown to be the cause! Jonah admits to them that he is, indeed, the reason for the storm and tells them why God sent it.
Jonah 1:9-10 “He answered, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ This terrified them and they asked, ‘What have you done?’ (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)”
They then ask Jonah what they should do to calm the storm. His answer is a bit shocking.
Jonah 1:12 “And he said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.’”
Not surprisingly, the men did not want to throw him overboard. So, they did not listen to Jonah, at first. Instead, they began rowing with all their might to get back to land. This only made the storm worse. They finally gave up and did what Jonah said.
Jonah 1:15-16 “So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.”
God used Jonah’s discipline for disobedience as a way to show His glory and power to unbelievers- cool, huh? Anyway, now Jonah is in the ocean- what happens next?
Jonah 1:17 “And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.”
Wow! What a chapter! We can clearly see that God expects obedience from His children and will discipline us if we disobey Him. Unfortunately, our discipline often affects those around us. So, we should be obedient to His commands because of our fear of God, love for God, as well as our love for others!
Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
1John 5:2-3 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,”
The chapter goes on to say that the rest of the people on the ship began to panic and prayed to their gods. Then, the captain found Jonah asleep, woke him up, and asked him to pray to his God. Interesting how fickle they were, huh? If their fake gods would not help, maybe another one would. In this case, the other One was actually THE God, the Creator of the Universe. Despite all of their prayers, though, the storm continued. So, they concluded that someone on board must be the reason for the storm and decided to find out exactly who it was.
Jonah 1:7 “Each man said to his mate, ‘Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.’ So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah”
Casting lots is like picking straws where whoever picks the shortest straw is the winner or the loser, depending on the reason for it. We can clearly see that God controlled this little game of chance since Jonah was shown to be the cause! Jonah admits to them that he is, indeed, the reason for the storm and tells them why God sent it.
Jonah 1:9-10 “He answered, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ This terrified them and they asked, ‘What have you done?’ (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)”
They then ask Jonah what they should do to calm the storm. His answer is a bit shocking.
Jonah 1:12 “And he said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.’”
Not surprisingly, the men did not want to throw him overboard. So, they did not listen to Jonah, at first. Instead, they began rowing with all their might to get back to land. This only made the storm worse. They finally gave up and did what Jonah said.
Jonah 1:15-16 “So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.”
God used Jonah’s discipline for disobedience as a way to show His glory and power to unbelievers- cool, huh? Anyway, now Jonah is in the ocean- what happens next?
Jonah 1:17 “And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.”
Wow! What a chapter! We can clearly see that God expects obedience from His children and will discipline us if we disobey Him. Unfortunately, our discipline often affects those around us. So, we should be obedient to His commands because of our fear of God, love for God, as well as our love for others!
Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
1John 5:2-3 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,”
JONAH - PART 2
When we ended our last lesson, at the end of Jonah chapter 1, Jonah had been thrown over the side of the ship in order to stop the storm God sent and then was swallowed by a big fish.
Jonah 1:17 “Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Jonah 1:17 “Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
Has God ever caused you be alone for a time? Like, all of a sudden, you noticed that none of your friends were available to hang out and maybe even your siblings were too busy to play with you? A lot of times God does this for us when we are not spending enough time with Him, when He needs to talk to us, or when He needs us all alone so He can get us back on the right path. This is what He did with Jonah. He had given Jonah a very important job- to warn other people about His coming discipline- and Jonah chose to disobey. This time in the fish’s stomach was not only how God saved Jonah from drowning, but also how he got him all alone. Here he would have nothing else to do but think about his sin of disobedience and how his thinking was all wrong. So, how did Jonah respond to the grace of God which saved him from drowning? How did he spend his time in the fish’s belly? Jonah did exactly what God wanted him to- he prayed with repentance and gratitude. Here is Jonah’s prayer:
Jonah 2:1-9 “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said, ‘I called out of my distress to the LORD, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. For You had cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. So I said, “I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple”. Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, but You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into Your holy temple. Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.’”
Jonah understood this was his discipline for disobeying and was grateful to have been saved by God. As a result, he promises to do what the Lord commanded.
Remember, God does not expect sinless perfection from His children. He knows that we are imperfect, that we will all disobey His commands, and that we will continue to sin until the day we die. So, what exactly does He expect? He expects us to admit when we do something wrong and not try to hide it from Him (that is pretty silly as He sees and knows everything). He expects that, as with any child who disobeys their parents, we regret our disobedience, that we want to obey Him and are sorry when we do not. He expects us to remember the pain of discipline and allow it to become part of our motivation to avoid sin.
Revelation 3:19 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”
Psalm 32:1-4 “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”
So far we have learned how important it is to obey God- not only to avoid discipline, but to show our love for Him and others. We have seen the importance of repenting from our sin- admitting that we have sinned and desiring to avoid it in the future. We have seen that we cannot run or hide from God since He is everywhere and He knows everything. We also have been shown a beautiful example of God’s grace, in that when He disciplines us, He is also saving us from ourselves- saving us from continued sinning. What a loving, compassionate, patient, and faithful God He is!
Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Has God ever caused you be alone for a time? Like, all of a sudden, you noticed that none of your friends were available to hang out and maybe even your siblings were too busy to play with you? A lot of times God does this for us when we are not spending enough time with Him, when He needs to talk to us, or when He needs us all alone so He can get us back on the right path. This is what He did with Jonah. He had given Jonah a very important job- to warn other people about His coming discipline- and Jonah chose to disobey. This time in the fish’s stomach was not only how God saved Jonah from drowning, but also how he got him all alone. Here he would have nothing else to do but think about his sin of disobedience and how his thinking was all wrong. So, how did Jonah respond to the grace of God which saved him from drowning? How did he spend his time in the fish’s belly? Jonah did exactly what God wanted him to- he prayed with repentance and gratitude. Here is Jonah’s prayer:
Jonah 2:1-9 “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said, ‘I called out of my distress to the LORD, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. For You had cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. So I said, “I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple”. Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, but You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into Your holy temple. Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.’”
Jonah understood this was his discipline for disobeying and was grateful to have been saved by God. As a result, he promises to do what the Lord commanded.
Remember, God does not expect sinless perfection from His children. He knows that we are imperfect, that we will all disobey His commands, and that we will continue to sin until the day we die. So, what exactly does He expect? He expects us to admit when we do something wrong and not try to hide it from Him (that is pretty silly as He sees and knows everything). He expects that, as with any child who disobeys their parents, we regret our disobedience, that we want to obey Him and are sorry when we do not. He expects us to remember the pain of discipline and allow it to become part of our motivation to avoid sin.
Revelation 3:19 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”
Psalm 32:1-4 “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”
So far we have learned how important it is to obey God- not only to avoid discipline, but to show our love for Him and others. We have seen the importance of repenting from our sin- admitting that we have sinned and desiring to avoid it in the future. We have seen that we cannot run or hide from God since He is everywhere and He knows everything. We also have been shown a beautiful example of God’s grace, in that when He disciplines us, He is also saving us from ourselves- saving us from continued sinning. What a loving, compassionate, patient, and faithful God He is!
Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
JONAH - PART 3
In Jonah chapter 2, we read that Jonah repented from his sin of disobedience while in the belly of the big fish and promised to obey God’s command to go to Nineveh…
Jonah 2:10 “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land”
Phew! After 3 days and nights in the fish’s tummy, Jonah is finally free and out of the ocean! He must have been so relieved and probably soooo… needed a bath (lol)! Ok, so God gives him a second chance:
Jonah 3:1-2 “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’”
What did he do then? Did he hop on another ship? Did he run the other way? Did he hide in a cave?
Jonah 3:3a “Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.”
Jonah 2:10 “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land”
Phew! After 3 days and nights in the fish’s tummy, Jonah is finally free and out of the ocean! He must have been so relieved and probably soooo… needed a bath (lol)! Ok, so God gives him a second chance:
Jonah 3:1-2 “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’”
What did he do then? Did he hop on another ship? Did he run the other way? Did he hide in a cave?
Jonah 3:3a “Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.”
Romans 9:15 “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’”
Because He wanted to, that is why. Jonah neither understood why God was warning them nor did he like it, but our job is to simply trust and obey God. There will be many times in this life when we will not understand why things are happening. We may even think or say or hear others say things like, “Why is God letting this happen? It just does not seem fair!” In that moment, we must stop and remember that God is perfectly just, fair, and righteous.
Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”
We must also remember that God is in charge, that He created everything, and makes all of the rules. Then we must ask ourselves, who are we to question Him?
Romans 9:20 “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”
Ok, back to the story. How do you think these wicked pagans responded to Jonah? Did they laugh at him and throw him out of their city? Surprisingly enough, the Ninevites responded much like Jonah had- they repented, changed their mind about and regretted their sin! This included the King who commanded everyone to fast (stop eating) to show their regret and repentance:
Jonah 3:5,7 “The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. This is the proclamation he (the King) issued in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.’”
How do you think our faithful, compassionate, merciful God responded? It should be very obvious to you at this point.
Jonah 3:10 “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.”
This chapter should bring to mind the unbelievable mercy of God! God made it quite clear to both Jonah and the Nivevites that their disobedience and sin was unacceptable to Him. God warned them in different ways, but He got His message across, right? So it will also be for all of us. God may warn us in big, loud, scary ways like Jonah in the ocean and the belly’s fish; or He may warn us a little more quietly through others- friends, families, and the authorities in our lives. Either way, it is our job to heed His warning- to listen to it, repent from our sin, and put our focus back on God and His Word. We must never forget how big God is, how powerful God is, and how faithful God is. He promises to save His children from sin by whatever means necessary and He does what He says He will do… and that is a very good thing.
Numbers 23:19 “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
Because He wanted to, that is why. Jonah neither understood why God was warning them nor did he like it, but our job is to simply trust and obey God. There will be many times in this life when we will not understand why things are happening. We may even think or say or hear others say things like, “Why is God letting this happen? It just does not seem fair!” In that moment, we must stop and remember that God is perfectly just, fair, and righteous.
Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”
We must also remember that God is in charge, that He created everything, and makes all of the rules. Then we must ask ourselves, who are we to question Him?
Romans 9:20 “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”
Ok, back to the story. How do you think these wicked pagans responded to Jonah? Did they laugh at him and throw him out of their city? Surprisingly enough, the Ninevites responded much like Jonah had- they repented, changed their mind about and regretted their sin! This included the King who commanded everyone to fast (stop eating) to show their regret and repentance:
Jonah 3:5,7 “The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. This is the proclamation he (the King) issued in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.’”
How do you think our faithful, compassionate, merciful God responded? It should be very obvious to you at this point.
Jonah 3:10 “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.”
This chapter should bring to mind the unbelievable mercy of God! God made it quite clear to both Jonah and the Nivevites that their disobedience and sin was unacceptable to Him. God warned them in different ways, but He got His message across, right? So it will also be for all of us. God may warn us in big, loud, scary ways like Jonah in the ocean and the belly’s fish; or He may warn us a little more quietly through others- friends, families, and the authorities in our lives. Either way, it is our job to heed His warning- to listen to it, repent from our sin, and put our focus back on God and His Word. We must never forget how big God is, how powerful God is, and how faithful God is. He promises to save His children from sin by whatever means necessary and He does what He says He will do… and that is a very good thing.
Numbers 23:19 “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
JONAH - PART 4
When we last left Jonah, he had just shared God’s warning with the Ninevites and, great news, they repented from their sinful ways! Jonah was overjoyed, worshipping the Lord for His grace and mercy, right?
Jonah 4:1 “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.”
Wait… whaaattt???!!! Jonah was God’s prophet, sent out by God, Himself, to warn sinners to repent before they were destroyed. His mission was a success! Why in the world was He angry? Remember how we said before that the Assyrians were enemies of the Jewish people and that Jonah clearly did not want them to be shown God’s mercy? This was why Jonah initially disobeyed God’s command to go to Nineveh. One would think that after God’s discipline and then mercy towards Jonah that he would have experienced a change of heart when it came to these people. You would expect that he would rejoice when God showed them mercy like was shown to him, but, as we read in the verse above, he absolutely did not! How did the Lord Jesus Christ command us to think about and treat our enemies?
Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
It seems that Jonah forgot about this command. He even admitted to God that He did not want the Ninevites to be shown mercy and that is exactly why he got on a ship for Tarshish. He then tells God that he is so upset about it, he just wants to die.
Jonah 4:3 “Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
God allows Jonah to keep pouting for a bit, even when he decides to camp outside the city. He was waiting to see and hoping that God would change His mind and destroy it, instead. Does God just ignore Jonah’s evil attitude? Does God ever let any of us get away with sin?
Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Next, we see how God teaches Jonah a lesson. Jonah had built a little shelter for protection from the sun as he waited outside the city. So, God grew him a plant to provide even more shade, which made Jonah “extremely happy” (Jonah 4:6). Jonah spent the night there, still hoping for the destruction of Nineveh. He woke up to this lesson from God…
Jonah 4:7 “But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered and died.”
Jonah 4:1 “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.”
Wait… whaaattt???!!! Jonah was God’s prophet, sent out by God, Himself, to warn sinners to repent before they were destroyed. His mission was a success! Why in the world was He angry? Remember how we said before that the Assyrians were enemies of the Jewish people and that Jonah clearly did not want them to be shown God’s mercy? This was why Jonah initially disobeyed God’s command to go to Nineveh. One would think that after God’s discipline and then mercy towards Jonah that he would have experienced a change of heart when it came to these people. You would expect that he would rejoice when God showed them mercy like was shown to him, but, as we read in the verse above, he absolutely did not! How did the Lord Jesus Christ command us to think about and treat our enemies?
Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
It seems that Jonah forgot about this command. He even admitted to God that He did not want the Ninevites to be shown mercy and that is exactly why he got on a ship for Tarshish. He then tells God that he is so upset about it, he just wants to die.
Jonah 4:3 “Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
God allows Jonah to keep pouting for a bit, even when he decides to camp outside the city. He was waiting to see and hoping that God would change His mind and destroy it, instead. Does God just ignore Jonah’s evil attitude? Does God ever let any of us get away with sin?
Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Next, we see how God teaches Jonah a lesson. Jonah had built a little shelter for protection from the sun as he waited outside the city. So, God grew him a plant to provide even more shade, which made Jonah “extremely happy” (Jonah 4:6). Jonah spent the night there, still hoping for the destruction of Nineveh. He woke up to this lesson from God…
Jonah 4:7 “But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered and died.”
Jonah 4:10 “But the Lord said, ‘You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?’”
Do you see the lesson God is trying to teach Jonah? Jonah liked the plant because it made him comfortable, shading him from the sun. He was upset when it died because the loss of it made him uncomfortable. He cared about the plant and its life for selfish reasons. With the same selfish attitude, he did not care about the people of Nineveh and actually wanted them to die. He cared more about the life of the plant than for the people! Well, God created the plant, as well as all of the people and animals in Nineveh. He cares for His creation, not for selfish reasons but because HE created it. He has mercy and compassion because that is just who He is. God is trying to show Jonah how unmerciful he is being, and also that he is, selfishly, hoping for God to be unmerciful just because he does not like these people.
The book ends rather abruptly with the verse above; it is like God “dropped the mic”! (lol) We have learned so many wonderful lessons in this series, let us review them. We learned the importance of obedience to God, that we cannot run or hide from Him, and that no one gets away with anything. We learned that God desires us to repent from our sin and shows us mercy by discipling us and getting us all alone when we need it. We have seen how God can use our discipline to reveal His glory and power to others, including unbelievers. We have learned that God always does what He says He will, that we will not always understand the reasons for what He does or allows, but we can always trust Him because He is perfect, fair, gracious, merciful, compassionate, faithful, and patient.
Psalm 89:8 “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”
Do you see the lesson God is trying to teach Jonah? Jonah liked the plant because it made him comfortable, shading him from the sun. He was upset when it died because the loss of it made him uncomfortable. He cared about the plant and its life for selfish reasons. With the same selfish attitude, he did not care about the people of Nineveh and actually wanted them to die. He cared more about the life of the plant than for the people! Well, God created the plant, as well as all of the people and animals in Nineveh. He cares for His creation, not for selfish reasons but because HE created it. He has mercy and compassion because that is just who He is. God is trying to show Jonah how unmerciful he is being, and also that he is, selfishly, hoping for God to be unmerciful just because he does not like these people.
The book ends rather abruptly with the verse above; it is like God “dropped the mic”! (lol) We have learned so many wonderful lessons in this series, let us review them. We learned the importance of obedience to God, that we cannot run or hide from Him, and that no one gets away with anything. We learned that God desires us to repent from our sin and shows us mercy by discipling us and getting us all alone when we need it. We have seen how God can use our discipline to reveal His glory and power to others, including unbelievers. We have learned that God always does what He says He will, that we will not always understand the reasons for what He does or allows, but we can always trust Him because He is perfect, fair, gracious, merciful, compassionate, faithful, and patient.
Psalm 89:8 “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”
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