Bible

In the Bible room today, we’re reading the summary of the four chapters of the book of Jonah.

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Jonah

Introduction to Jonah:

Writer: Uncertain. Most likely Jonah.

Scope: As a prophet, Jonah ministers in the period 800 b.c. to 750 b.c., during the reign of King Jeroboam II in Israel, making him a contemporary of Amos and Hosea.

Chapter 1. Overboard

On the sea, in a boat, in a storm, Jonah is thrown overboard:

• The great city of Nineveh has grown extremely wicked;
• The Lord tells Jonah to go there and preach against it;
• But Jonah will not accept the assignment from the Lord;
• Instead, he goes down to the seaport of Joppa;
• His intention is to run away from the Lord’s presence;
• He books passage on a cargo ship going to Tarshish;
• The ship sets sail and soon a strong wind blows up a storm;
• Jonah is down in the cargo hold of the ship, fast asleep;
• The storm is so violent the sailors fear they will sink;
• To lighten their load, they throw their cargo overboard;
• The ship’s captain asks Jonah to pray to his God to help them;
• The sailors cast lots to determine who is causing the storm;
• They choose Jonah who explains to them who he is;
• He tells them he is running away from the Lord;
• The storm gets stronger, Jonah tells them he is the problem;
• They resist, but he tells them to throw him overboard;
• They do as he says and the storm subsides;
• The Lord has prepared a large fish that swallows Jonah;
• He spends three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.

Chapter 2. Prayers

From inside the fish, Jonah sends up fervent prayers to the Lord:

• The Lord hears the prayers of Jonah;
• Jonah says he has been cast out of the Lord’s sight;
• He prays, and repents, and turns back to the Lord;
• He promises the Lord he will offer sacrifice, pay his vows;
• The Lord speaks to the fish; it vomits him out onto dry land.

Chapter 3. Preach

Jonah goes to Nineveh and begins to preach as the Lord has told him:

• The Lord calls Jonah the second time about Nineveh;
• This is a very large city, a three-days walk across it;
• Jonah obeys the Lord, goes to Nineveh;
• He preaches: Forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed;
• The people hear the message, repent, turn to the Lord;
• The king also repents, decrees that everyone repent;
• The Lord sees their response, there will be no disaster.

Chapter 4. Lovingkindness

Jonah sees the lovingkindness of the Lord, and it makes him angry:

• Jonah prays to the Lord, explains to Him why he is angry;
• He tells the Lord this is why he rebelled in the first place;
• He knew the Lord’s lovingkindness would forgive this people;
• So, he tells the Lord to take his life, he cannot live any longer;
• The Lord asks Jonah if it’s right for him to be angry;
• He goes out to a place where he can sit and watch the city;
• He puts up a shelter to shade himself from the sun;
• Then the Lord causes a plant to grow up for more shade;
• Jonah is thankful for the shade from the plant;
• The next day the Lord sends a worm to damage the plant;
• It withers and can no longer provide any shade;
• The Lord sends a hot wind, and sunshine for Jonah to suffer;
• He grows faint and wishes he could die;
• The Lord asks him if he should be angry about the plant;
• He answers the Lord that he should be angry, even to death;
• The Lord tells him he did not make the plant to grow, or die;
• The Lord says He has the right to care for Nineveh;
• A great city of 120,000 uneducated people and much cattle.

End of the book of Jonah.