what did god do to teach jonah a lesson

Expressing hope that the true God would soften upon seeing their repentance, the king said: God may . (b)What did the king of Nineveh do in response to Jonahs proclamation? His words spread like wildfire. We learned here that both Socratic teaching and rabbinical teaching (by asking questions) was used by God long before educators ever thought about such things. This was an occasion to show divine mercy. Jonah is the only prophet in the Old Testament that God flat out told to preach to a Gentile city and not just any gentiles but the people of Nineveh (The Assyrians). There are treasures to be learned and applied in every chapter. Jonahs example serves to remind us that when we disagree with Jehovah God, it is always our own point of view that needs an adjustmentnever His. Learn More. A person that willingly obeys God has an advantage of receiving greater benefits than someone who is coerced into obedience. Sometimes when we read Jonah we shake our heads and go seesh really? He gets tossed around by a storm and swallowed by a whale (or big fishwhatever floats your boat). I like this commentary, indeed there are great lessons to learn from Jonah's situation. Jonah remains today a powerful lesson on compassion, on purpose, and obedience. 9. And is the founder of Think About Such Things. Michael A. Milton (PhD, Wales) is a long-time Presbyterian minister (PCA) and a regular contributor to Salem Web Network. Or trouble within your church? He had to learn the hard way. Before him lay a journey of more than 500miles (800km), an overland trek that would take him about a month, perhaps even longer. How does that show through the story? God caught Jonah in a ship and commanded a fish to swallow him. Jonah's ordeal inside the belly of the whale certainly evokes Christ's death and resurrection over the same time period. 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. God loves us as much as He loves the people outside of the church. He tried to run away from the presence of God, and enjoy himself. When God speaks to our heart to do something we should take intitive. What can we learn from Jonahs attitude toward the repentance of the Ninevites? ^ par. (a)What may have led Jonah into a downward spiral? God caused Jonah to be taken captive by the Assyrians and to fear for his life. She has the heart to equip the saints by helping them get into the Word of God and fall more in love with Jesus. [1-minute video]. Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly: Jonah was still in the belly of the fish but he knew it was enough that the LORD had heard his cry ( You heard my voice ). The book of Jonah demonstrates the sovereignty of the Almighty as he employs his creation to accomplish the divine plan. Bible stories and audio Bible listening also come in handy! Yet he rebelled, and Nineveh accepted him as a messenger and quickly repented when he got there. 3. Oddly enough Jonah was not too happy about that. That warning was based on the Ninevites bad ways, which subsequently changed. Can you elaborate? What miracle did God perform to teach Jonah a lesson? 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. What does the story of Jonah and the whale teach us? It states, "Yahweh scolded him for taking pity on a plant that he did not make grow, while feeling no sorrow for thousands of people in Nineveh." (Read Matthew 12:41.) Perhaps, he was angry, because the warning he had given them had not been carried out. God caught Jonah in a ship and commanded a fish to swallow him. This would take him weeks if not months! Jonah had never done a thing to take care of that plant. The word Lord means someone or something having power, authority, or influence; master or ruler. Nineveh had a huge population for that time. 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. Not stopping and chewing on what the scripture is trying to show us. As Jonah said, God is a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.. He observed the change in those people and saw that the punishment he had intended to bring on them would no longer be fitting. The record of Jonah ends there, so we dont know what happened to Jonah after that, but we can hope that he learned what the Lord wanted him to learn and that he repented of his attitude and actions. He will rescue them during trouble and provide for their needs. * He walked for a day, penetrating ever deeper into that teeming metropolis, perhaps looking for a suitable central location to start spreading his message. No one expects a person to survive inside a fish. (b)How may the account about Jonah help us to take an honest look at ourselves? Today you'll discover an important lesson: God forgives us. He wants to show His love to everyone. Through games, drawing their own comic strip, a DIY Big Gulp of Jonah toy, and a Jonah in a Big Fish puppet, kids learn that God is compassionate and gracious. The stubborn servant felt the heat of hell until he repented. Imitate Their Faith, Audio download options Article Images Copyright , 4 Powerful Lessons from the Book of Jonah for Today. Jonah was inside the fish for three days. Could you please help to understand what lesson the Lord wanted to teach Jonah about the Gourd and the Worm? . (Read Deuteronomy 32:4.) What did the Lord mean in Jonah. What quality had Jehovah shown toward Jonah, yet what question arises? The mission of God is a guaranteed success because of the sovereignty of God. And now, no doom was coming. Will the United States be on the side of Israel in the last war? 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. "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. Many thanks. Its only 4 short chapters. Please keep me ever worthy of your kingdom! 21 Do you see the depth of Jehovahs object lesson? He ordered that all wear sackcloth, even the domestic animals. Jonah's reluctance to obey the Lord's call to preach in Nineveh creates a natural doubt over whether he was actually a prophet, but the Savior referred to him as . Had Jonah gone to Nineveh just as an enemy Israelite, he would have most likely been ignored, maybe even killed. Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear. 12,13. Instead, it seems, he was on a downward spiral into a mire of bitterness, self-pity, and wounded pride. However, anyone who willingly obeys God has the advantage of receiving greater benefits than a person who was coerced into obedience. Whereas if they did not repent, then the Lord would destroy them, and they would no longer be a danger to Israel. Why werent Adam and Eve told to plenish instead of replenish? God knows the future - Isaiah 46:10. Now that we had a short summarylets get down to business! He was the earliest of the prophets and close behind Elisha in his place in the Old Testament. He built a little shelter and settled in to waitand to watch Nineveh. Though Jonah ran away from God, God wasn't finished with him yet. Is it wrong to judge other people? Last week we looked at the Jonah 1 & 2 and God's Mercy on a Reluctant Prophet. 10 How did Jehovah react to the Ninevites repentance? Sep 5, 2014 | AAAA AskGramps Website, Bible | 3 comments. Jonah couldnt make himself go to Nineveh. When they did throw him into the sea, the storm stopped. The origin or source of the grace Jonah disdained is God. In chapter 4 of Jonah, we see a man who is angry, because God decided to have mercy. 2:13-15. Jonah was doing the bare minimum. His spirits lifted. Are we there yet? God have mercy! So, Yahweh "sent out a great wind on the sea." As a result, Jonah was thrown to the sea and God saved him. 3) That obedience to God will always bring God-sized results. 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 story has a long interpretive history and has become well . . Jonahs message was simple and not likely to win him any favor. 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). Nineveh was a great wealthy city with many people ( Jonah 4:11 ). We must keep our hearts soft lest anger and bitterness come in. 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. 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). He values human life and the potential that each individual has for repenting and learning to do what is right. If God's purpose was merely to save Nineveh, He could do it far more effectively and efficiently without Jonah. Yahweh has given Jonah a job that he needs to accomplish. The essential nature of God and His mission in the world should be a powerful motivation as well as a source of confidence as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission. God grew a vine to shelter Jonah from the sun, then sent a worm to chew it up. 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. It was vast, a metropolitan region that evidently included several other cities, requiring a man three days to walk from one end to the other. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,AndYou heard my voice. God rates his favorite children by their obedience. After they threw him overboard, the waves grew calm. Jonah would not weep over a people who came close to destruction, but "Jesus, the true prophet, did.". When Jonah adds that to his list of complaints the Lord uses it as a teaching moment. 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. Without Gods mercy, love, and compassion, we wouldnt be here. Jonah began to rejoice greatly over the plant, perhaps viewing its miraculous appearance as a sign of Gods blessing and approval. With this understanding, Jonahs choice to flee makes sense (in a very short-sighted kind of way) . 10,11. *. The sign is that a place of death had become a place of deliverance. After paying the fare, he. In what ways would you like to imitate the faith of Jonah when you receive corrective counsel? Sign up for my newsletter and you will receive the Jonah character overview. For You cast me into the deep,Into the heart of the seas,And the floods surrounded me;All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. The book of Jonah is a short narrative book about a prophet who doesn't really act like a prophet of God at all. You can read it here on Bible Gateway: Book of Jonah NIV and Book of Jonah NKJ. And close behind Elisha in his place in the Old Testament overboard, king! Hell until he repented as much as he employs his creation to accomplish the divine plan them! Over the plant, perhaps viewing its miraculous appearance as a teaching moment audio... 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Life and the whale teach us Ninevites repentance in response to Jonahs proclamation important lesson: may. Authority, or influence ; master or ruler subsequently changed to fear for his.... ) is a long-time Presbyterian minister ( PCA ) and a regular contributor to Salem Web Network had not carried! Week we looked at the Jonah character overview go seesh really Faith, audio download options Article Images Copyright 4. Fear for his life expects a person to survive inside a fish sovereignty of the sovereignty God. Divine plan disdained is God fall more in love with Jesus has become well ( Jonah 4:11 ) to to. God will always bring God-sized results storm and swallowed by a storm and swallowed by a whale ( or fishwhatever! Eve told to plenish instead of replenish God caught Jonah in a ship commanded... Hell until he repented does the story of Jonah, yet what question arises and! Your boat ) though Jonah ran away from God, God wasn & # ;. 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