A Study of Jonah
Background: Jonah was a Hebrew prophet sent to Nineveh to preach against it's wickedness. Nineveh ...
A Study of Jonah
Background: Jonah was a Hebrew prophet sent to Nineveh to preach against it's wickedness. Nineveh is approximately 54 miles long (3 days journey to travel through it). It is the capital of the Assyrian empire. Walls that were 100 feet tall and 10 feet thick protected it. There were over 1,500 towers 200 feet tall to protect by watchmen. The population of this capital was at least 120,000 people but most scholars
claim that there were 600,000 people living here.
- Jonah was called by God to preach to Nineveh of their wickedness.
- He fled from his calling and went down to Joppa to sail to Tarsus.
- He fell asleep on the ship when a great storm came.
- The men on board thought they were going to die so they woke up Jonah.
- They cast lots to find out who was responsible.
- They asked Jonah what they could do to stop the storm.
- He told them to throw him overboard.
- The men on board tried to save themselves by rowing the ship to land but
failed.
- They had to sacrifice Jonah to stop the storm and save their selves.
- They cast him out into the stormy sea and it was calmed by this sacrifice.
- By seeing this, they feared God and worshipped Him.
- Jonah was swallowed by a great fish and lived in its belly for 3 days/nights.
- During this time in the fish's belly:
- Floods compassed him about
- Cast out of God's sight
- Raised from corruption
- Soul fainted and he remembered God
- His prayer was heard
- God spoke to the fish and it vomited him out on the shore.
- Jonah preached to Nineveh what God had told him, “That Nineveh would
be destroyed in 40 days.”
- The entire city repented and worshipped God for their forgiveness from
sins.
- God repented of destroying the city and it made Jonah very angry.
- God made a gourd grow up for a shade from the heat to Jonah and he was
very pleased.
- That night, God caused a worm to destroy the gourd and it made Jonah very
upset because of the extreme heat he experienced the next day.
- God used the gourd to teach Jonah a lesson.
|
Some Lessons to Learn From This Book
- You can't hide from God even in a belly of a fish at the bottom of
the sea.
- God wants each and every one of us to have a “soul that faints” to
cause ourselves to “remember God”. God uses scary and troubling
times to bring us closer to Him. When no one else can help you but
God. This is total sacrifice for God and complete surrendering to
Him. The change God was looking for occurred in the belly at the bottom
of the sea; his “soul fainted”. Notice how Jonah allowed
these men to throw him out into a stormy sea! What kind of courage
is this?!
- God doesn't give up on us. Even if we try to run from Him.
- We are to give thanks to God no matter what situation we are in. We
are always where we are for a reason.
- Don't underestimate God's will for us. One man's
preaching caused over 600,000 people to turn to God. Why did this happen? That's
simple...because it was God's will and he obeyed it.
- God is very merciful when we take the steps needed to “prove” our
repentance.
- Vengeance is God's; He will repay not you, never wish evil on anyone!
- Jonah was a Type for Jesus. (Matt. 12:39-41) –sacrificed, buried
3 days, preached to lost
- We are not to judge anyone nor are we to think we know the future for anyone's
souls.
- “the Lord sent out a great wind..”, “the Lord had prepared
a great fish..”, “God prepared a gourd..”, “God prepared
a worm..”, “God prepared a vehement east wind...”. God
directs our trials to sculpt and mold us!
- Trials usually come with his whole family (ie. Great wind, great fish,
worm, and east wind)
- Look at what is happening around you and you might see the good the Lord
is reaping because of your trials (ie. The men on the ship were saved and
turned to the Lord, 600,000 souls were saved!)
- God uses very unusual situations to speak to us, don't try to listen
for His voice, but listen for His words.
|
|
