EXPERIENCING JONAH DISCOVERING BIBLICAL TREASURES. Michael H. Koplitz Sandy J. Koplitz

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2 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz DISCOVERING BIBLICAL TREASURES EXPERIENCING JONAH A Spiritual Discussion Guide for the Book of Jonah based on the Commentary developed using Ancient Bible Study Methods Michael H. Koplitz Sandy J. Koplitz 1

3 Experiencing Jonah This edition 2017 copyright by Bibleinteract, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission of the publisher. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission ( The NASB uses italic to indicate words that have been added for clarification. Citations are shown with large capital letters. Published by BibleInteract ISBN-13: ISBN-10: Cover design by Faith A. Benson BibleInteract 865 Los Pueblos Street Los Alamos, NM

4 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction... 5 Chapter 2 - Jonah Chapter One... 7 Chapter 3 - Jonah Chapter Two Chapter 4 - Jonah Chapter Three Chapter 5 - Jonah Chapter Four Chapter 6 Additional Thoughts

5 Experiencing Jonah 4

6 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz Chapter 1 - Introduction This spiritual discussion guide for the book of Jonah is a compendium to the commentary of Jonah developed by the Rev. Dr. Michael Koplitz. That commentary was developed using Ancient Bible study methods. This is the methodology that the followers of our Lord and Savior Yeshua (Jesus Hebrew name) used. By using this method of understanding the Scripture you will be able to understand what Yeshua s followers thought about the Scripture. The questions that are offered in this guide were developed on the ancient understanding of the book of Jonah. Dr. Koplitz has developed four video presentations, one for each chapter, on the interpretation of the chapters using Ancient Bible Study Methods. It is recommended that you watch each video and read the commentary before using this spiritual discussion guide. 5

7 Experiencing Jonah In true Hebraic style in Yeshua s day, you should have at least one study partner. Discussing and debating the Scriptures and its meaning was an extremely important aspect of learning Scripture in Yeshua s day. If you can be with a larger study group, so much the better. Take note that the guide is not in any order beyond a grouping by the chapters of Jonah. You can learn more about Ancient Bible Study methods and view the Jonah videos at May Yeshua bless you in your study of the book of Jonah. 6

8 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz Chapter 2 - Jonah Chapter One Surrendering to God s calling Jonah was called by the LORD to become a missionary to a foreign people. He was disturbed that the LORD would care about an enemy of Israel. He must have wondered, what kind of prophet would he be. Why would the LORD want to save Israel s enemy? So, Jonah tried to run away from the LORD. But the LORD followed him. Eventually, Jonah surrendered to God s calling. Questions: Have you ever felt that you were called by Yeshua (Jesus) to do some task that you did not want to do? How did you react to the calling? Did you run away from the calling and are you still running? If so, did Yeshua chase after you? Did you eventually surrender to the call of Yeshua? 7

9 Experiencing Jonah Where there any changes you experienced in your life after surrendering to God? If you did surrender to God s calling what was your experience? How did your surrendering to God change you? Are you happy that you surrendered? Whether you have been called to a specific task or not, we are called by Yeshua to surrender to a Christian life. There are several areas that Yeshua calls us to. Do you surrender a tithe of your income to the LORD and acknowledge that it should be 10% of your income? Do you come to worship as many Sundays as possible a year because Yeshua calls us to be in community with each other? Do you participate in at least one ministry in your church? Do you seek to continue to learn and educate yourself in understanding the Scriptures? 8

10 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz People are basically good even though from time to time they act badly The LORD would have viewed Jonah as a faithful and good person. When Jonah was told of his divine mission he ran away. In other words, he acted badly. When he realized what he had done, he prayed for forgiveness from the LORD Questions: Do you consider yourself a good person? If so, what is it that makes you a good person? How do you identify goodness in a person? Do you treat a person differently if you determine they are not a good person? Have you ever pointed out to a friend or colleague that their behavior is not acceptable? What happened? God s mercy toward those who are not following His way Jonah decided not to follow the LORD s mission. The big fish was acting as an agent for the LORD. The big fish swallowed Jonah, so that he would not drown in the sea. Jonah recognized this as the LORD s mercy. God could have allowed Jonah to drown. But the LORD did not. 9

11 Experiencing Jonah Questions: Why would the LORD show mercy to people who do not obey Him? How do you feel when you see God s mercy being bestowed on a person who clearly does not deserve it? Have you ever felt the mercy of the LORD when you felt that you did not deserve it? What would happen to us if the LORD did not show His mercy to us? Running away from God s calling to be a witness for Christ Jonah became a witness to the people of Nineveh. He could have shown them what it meant to be a faithful disciple. Instead, he ran away from his calling. Witnessing today means telling people about the mercy of the LORD through a faithful discipleship to Yeshua, God s Son. It is clear that in this world many people have never been witnessed to. Questions: Have you ever spoken to a family member about your faith in Yeshua? Have you ever spoken to a neighbor about your faith in Yeshua? Do you fear witnessing? If so, why? 10

12 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz If being a disciple of Yeshua is such a great gift from the LORD why would anyone be reluctant to share it? Have you ever lost a friend because of your active faith? God chases us when we say no Jonah ran away from God. The Holy Spirit of the LORD went after him. Yeshua wants every person to know him and to have a personal relationship with Him. Questions: Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit tug upon your heart? If so, can you describe that experience? How can you help other people to recognize the Holy Spirit tugging on their heart? Talking to our enemies The Ninevites were building a huge Empire to the north of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The empire of the Assyrians started to destroy every kingdom that stood in their way. The Ninevites were feared by all. Jonah must have been scared to talk to the enemy of God s children. Perhaps he also feared for his life. Questions: Why is it hard to speak to our enemies? 11

13 Experiencing Jonah If God told you to go to an enemy and talk peace would you do it? Why would the LORD send you to talk to your enemies? Jonah found it easy to talk to the pagan sailors about His God? Do you find it easy or difficult to talk to strangers about our God? Can you offer experiences? If it is not easy can you say why? Recognizing the power of God Jonah recognized that the storm and the big fish were sent by the power of God. Only the LORD could instruct a big fish to swallow Jonah and not digest him. Questions: How do you recognize the power of the LORD working in your life? If you recognize the power of the LORD in your life, do you know how to use the power of the LORD to help you? Randomness as a part of this world and a part of our daily lives Was Jonah s response to the LORD s calling a random response or was it planned by God? Better yet, is to ponder whether the LORD knew Jonah was going to reject the LORD s calling? If the 12

14 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz LORD knew that Jonah was going to reject the call then why did He not find someone else to bring His word to Nineveh. Consider foreknowledge in that God could have anticipated Jonah s response because God knows human behavior. Questions: Does randomness exist in God s world? If you believe in randomness, when have you experienced it and how did you feel about it? If randomness did not exist then God would know everything we were about to do. Did the LORD know what Jonah s reaction would be? God cares about the wicked Since the LORD sent Jonah to the wicked city of Nineveh He must have had compassion on the people. Questions: Why would the LORD care about wicked people? Should we care about wicked people and try to help them to change their ways? Could we be influenced by their bad behavior? 13

15 Experiencing Jonah Calling upon God s help in times of trouble The big fish swallowed Jonah. He knew that he was in big trouble. From inside the belly of the big fish Jonah prayed to the LORD. He did not pray to the LORD when he was commanded to go to Nineveh. He probably would not have spoken to the LORD if he was not in trouble and about to die. Speaking to the LORD is something we should do all the time. Questions: Do you pray and talk to the LORD in good times? Are you thankful to the LORD for the blessings He showers onto you and do you tell the LORD this daily? Do you know someone who only prays when they or a family member are in trouble? Why do you think they believe that God will respond positively to them when they have ignored the LORD? 14

16 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz Chapter 3 - Jonah Chapter Two Jonah experienced a transformation Jonah s transformation occurred while in the belly of the large fish. His transformation was spiritual in that he learned that life is better by following the commands of the LORD. Questions: Have you ever had a transformational experience? If so, can you describe it? How does it feel when you know you are doing something that God has asked you to do? How does it feel when you run away from God? The place of Jonah s potential death is the place of Jonah s rebirth Biologically, we know that Jonah could not last inside the belly of a fish indefinitely. Jonah was in a place where he was going to die. He had a simple choice. On one hand he could die. On the other hand he could accept the task that the LORD had for him. Questions: Have you ever been in a life or death situation? 15

17 Experiencing Jonah If you have not, using your imagination, what would be a situation (and place) where you could die but faith in God and through prayer you could be saved from death? Rebirth into a deeper relationship and service to God Jonah s born again experience resulted in a new selfdedication for the work of the LORD. It is clear that Jonah was not thrilled with this idea. However, he did do it. The story of Jonah seems incomplete because we do not learn about Jonah s relationship with the LORD after he completed his task. Questions: How can you develop a deeper relationship with God? Is relationship building with God, through Yeshua, something you should work on every day? God answers prayer Jonah prayed to the LORD and the LORD granted his request. God saved Jonah from death. Sometimes we offer prayer and it seems that nothing happens. This is a huge topic to tackle. Jonah was confident that his prayers would be answered. Questions: Are there specific prayers that God answers versus prayers that God may not answer? Explain your position? 16

18 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz What do you say to someone who believes that their prayers are not being answered? Have you ever felt that way? How does faith in the LORD play into God answering prayers? Are their sacrifices we have to make in order for God to answer prayer? Are there prayers that God will not answer the way we want them answered? Healing is an area of intense prayer. Is it possible that death can be the answer to healing prayers? Calling upon God in the good times as well as the bad times Jonah offered pray in bad times. You probably know many people who only pray in bad times. Questions: Why do people come to church and pray in only bad times? Do our Christian education classes teach us about the usage of prayer? What have you learned from the church about the usage of prayer? Should God answer prayer offered by people who believe in Yeshua when something bad happens in their lives? 17

19 Experiencing Jonah Should God answer the prayers of those who do not believe? Could unbelievers come to faith in God if their prayers are answered? Idol Worship The men on the ship with Jonah and the people of Nineveh worshiped idols and false gods. When Jonah came into the city he told them about the LORD and convinced them that they should abandon their idols. Questions: What are modern forms of idolatry? Why do you think a person would place their faith in an idol opposed to the LORD? How can you help another person come back to faith in Yeshua? 18

20 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz Chapter 4 - Jonah Chapter Three Repentance means to change one s behavior and/or attitude. The people of Nineveh repented for their sins with sackcloth and ashes. However, repentance means to change one s behavior and/or attitude so that the sin is not committed again. Many scholars point out that Jonah s mission was a failure because the Ninevites did create the Assyrian Empire which committed incredible moral sins. Therefore, we can say that the Ninevites understood their sins and offered the proper words and motions for repenting of their sins. But they didn t change their behavior because history tells us they did commit the sins the LORD told them not to do. Questions: What is the value of asking for forgiveness of sin if there is no true repentance? How many times do you think the LORD will forgive a person for sinning, repenting, then sinning again? Have you committed a sin, asked for forgiveness and did not change your ways (in other words committed the same sin)? If so, why are you committing the sin? There are sins I like and will not change. What does this say about the person committing the sin? How can you show them that it is incorrect thinking? 19

21 Experiencing Jonah The reverence of God as a behavioral change agent The English versions of the Bible like to say fear of the LORD instead of reverence of the LORD. If you are showing the LORD reverence then you are respecting the authority of the LORD. Reverence of the LORD is trying not to sin. The punishment of sin is something to be avoided. Questions: Why should we show reverence to God? Is the English translation of fearing God different then showing reverence to God? Does the fear of Final Judgment work in today s society? If not, why does it not? When did our society, in general, lose the fear of the LORD? Responding to God s forgiveness? The response of the Ninevites to God s forgiveness was to wear sackcloth and to sit on ashes. Even though they did not repent of their sins (by changing their ways), they did respond to God forgiveness. Questions: What do you consider to be a proper response to God s forgiveness? How can you show the LORD that you are truly sorry for your sins? Are there sins that are impossible to be forgiven for and why? 20

22 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz Chapter 5 - Jonah Chapter Four Being angry with God Jonah was angry with God because one of Israel s enemies was offered forgiveness of sins. Through the works of God s prophets we know that the LORD told His children many times that they were sinning. Yet the people continued to sin. Questions: Is there ever a time or circumstance that one can be angry with God? If so, when and why? How can a person, who is angry with God, express that anger? How can you help a person who is angry with the LORD to see that the LORD really cares about the person? Justice God issues justice as God deems it necessary. The Ninevites were given a warning, just like Israel, before justice was issued. Questions: What is human justice? What is God s justice? 21

23 Experiencing Jonah How are human justice and God s justice similar? How are human justice and God s justice different? God send us a blessing and the next day take it away The LORD gave Jonah a plant to offer him some shade from the hot sun and to remind him that the LORD loves him. The next day the plant was taken away from him. This give and take can also be seen in the book of Job. Questions: Why would the LORD take a blessing away from us? How can we prevent provoking the LORD from taking away blessings? How can we stay in God s favor? How can we show the LORD that we will be faithful no matter what happens? The book of Jonah ends abruptly It feels like something is missing when you reach the end of the book. There appears to be no conclusions. Questions: Why do you think God wants it to be open ended? What lessons might we gain from thinking about Jonah s life after this experience? 22

24 Michael Koplitz & Sandra Koplitz Chapter 6 Additional Thoughts God as a loving parent Sometimes helping children to learn about the real world requires a parent(s) to allow them to make mistakes. On occasion a parent must step in and correct their child from making a tragic decision. God allowed Jonah to decide. The decision was not acceptable to God. God is our loving parent and at times corrects us. Jonah s decision was a bad choice. Therefore, God the loving parent, helped him to see the error of his way. God allowed Jonah to decide and He allowed the Ninevites to decide. Questions: If you are parent, have you ever had to watch your child make a bad decision? Did you get involved after the bad decision was made? If so, how did you deal with the situation? Sometimes we know a child is making a terrible choice and we have no control to stop it (i.e. marriage). How do you deal with this kind of decision? 23

25 Experiencing Jonah ABOUT THE AUTHORS Rev. Dr. Michael Koplitz, D.Min., Ph.D. is a teacher at Bibleinteract, the Bible Learning University and is an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church. His desire to learn what the people in Jesus day thought has led him to learning the Hebraic nature of the Bible and that the Old Testament and the New Testament complement each other. He has learned to hear and understand the Scripture in Jesus day by removing the 1900 years of church filters and interpretation thus bringing back the First Century C.E. meaning to the Word of God. Using Ancient Bible Study Methods, which are taught at the Bible Learning University, he presents this commentary on Jonah to help students of the Bible to understand what the original intent of this letter was. Scriptures. Pastor Sandy Koplitz, M.S., is a licensed local pastor in the United Methodist church. She has the desire to learn about the Hebraic nature of the Bible and has been instrumental as a biblical study partner. She offers a personal touch to the academic studies of the 24