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Today, we continue our journey through the Bible with today’s study of Jonah. I pray God shows us what He wants us to learn.

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14.

As we study the Bible alone or in a group setting, there are several questions we can ask ourselves to help us dig deeper. The five questions are:

1. What does the scripture say about God?
2. Then what does the scripture say about me?
3. Does something in this passage challenge me?
4. What gives me hope in this passage?
5. Is anything unclear to me?

I hope these questions help you as much as they help me.

Book of Jonah

• Author: Jonah.
• Audience: People of Israel.
• Date Written: About 785-760 B.C.
• Length: Four Chapters.
• Keywords: Compassion.
• Key Verses: He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. (4:2.
• Key People: Jonah, the ship’s crew, and the people of Nineveh.

Summary of Jonah:

Jonah is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Nevi’im (Prophets) in the Hebrew Bible, and an individual book in the Christian Old Testament. The book tells of a Hebrew prophet named Jonah, son of Amittai, who God sends to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh, but attempts to escape his divine mission. The story has a long history of debate between its origins as a myth or as a parable. Jesus vouched for its truth in Matthew 12:39-41.

This book differs from the other prophetic books because it tells the story of the prophet and does not center on his prophecies. In fact, only one verse summarizes his message to the people of Nineveh (3:4). Jonah is a historical narrative.

Sections of the Book:

The book of Jonah contains two significant themes, which are:

1. Jonah Flees the Mission (chs.1-2).
2. Then Jonah Fulfills His Mission (chs.3-4).

Messages in Jonah:

We find several messages within the pages of this book. First, the lesson here is that you can’t hide from God. He is all-knowing, all-seeing and everywhere. Jonah learned this lesson under the most challenging of circumstances, and those that read his story can learn that same lesson without such hardship.

The next message from following a false sense of patriotism over God’s command to us to share the Gospel. Assyria was Israel’s enemy and Jonah wanted no part in their salvation or preservation. Jonah wanted them destroyed. The message is loud and clear that God’s saving mercy is for every nation of the world. God wants us to love our enemies enough to share the Gospel with them, too.

Final thoughts:

And like so many other books in the Bible, we see God’s character on display in this book. They are:

1. Merciful – 4:2, 10-11.
2. Provident – 1:4, 15.
3. Wrathful – 4:2.

Jonah attains notoriety as the only prophet whom Jesus Christ identified with Himself (Matt. 12:39-41). Just as Jonah remained three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, Christ uses this experience as an example of the three days and three nights Christ would lie in the grave after His crucifixion.

All Lessons from the Bible

Each book of the Bible contains lessons for us to learn and historical information. We must study God’s Word to see what to do and what not to do in life. Paul reminds us of the importance of the words within the text in 2 Timothy 3.

2 Timothy 3:14-17; “14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Prayer

Grace and Peace to you,

Yvonne M. Morgan is a Christian #author, #blogger, and #speaker. #BibleGatewayPartner

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

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