STUDIES FROM THE BOOK OF JONAH CHAPTER FOUR

Transcription

1 STUDIES FROM THE BOOK OF JONAH CHAPTER FOUR Day One Read Jonah chapter 4 and answer the following questions. 1. Because of the repentance of the Ninevites, God relented from destroying this great city. But what was Jonah s reaction? 2. What are some of God s attributes, as found in verse 2? 3. What dramatic statement did Jonah make in verse 3, and how did the LORD respond (verse 4)? 4. Still hoping for the destruction of Nineveh, Jonah set up camp outside the city to watch. What happened in verses 6 and 7? 5. In what ways was Jonah s discomfort increased, according to verse 8? 6. God again asked Jonah if it is right to be angry. You can almost hear Jonah s anger in his response. What did he tell the LORD in verse 9?

2 7. The LORD then rebuked Jonah. What point did He make? Scripture Memory: Your Scripture Memory passage this week is the latter part of Jonah 4:2. You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Jonah 4:2b Day Two You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm (Jonah 4:2b). 1. The God of the Old Testament is often construed by some to be harsh, demanding, angry, and uncompassionate a God of rules and limitations, a God who is exacting and legalistic, a God of judgment and punishment. Can you think of some Old Testament stories or passages that might lead a person to (mistakenly) come to that conclusion? 2. Yet Jonah had come to the same conclusion as many other Old Testament characters who truly knew the LORD s nature, including Nehemiah, David, and Joel. Compare the attributes in your memory verse to the ones you find listed in the following scriptures. Nehemiah 9:17c Psalm 86:15 2

3 Joel 2:13 3. Which of the attributes of God that are listed in your memory verse do you wish you had more of? What can you do to make that wish a reality? Scripture Memory: Fill in the missing words from memory. You are a gracious and God, slow to and abundant in lovingkindness, One who from doing harm. 4:2b Day Three You may have noticed the use of the name LORD as opposed to Lord in our study. LORD is the covenant name of God, used to translate the Hebrew YHWH. Lord is a title, translated from the Hebrew Adonai. Our most commonly used name for the Supreme Deity is God, a translation of Elohim. There are several other titles for God found in the Bible. For instance, when Hagar fled into the desert, she called Him El Roi, the God who sees me (Genesis 16:11 14). Jehovah-Jireh means The LORD will provide, which is what Abraham named the place where God provided a ram for him to sacrifice instead of Isaac (Genesis 22:13 14). 1. Look up two or three other names of God from this list of verses. What do they mean? El Olam (Genesis 21:33) Jehovah (Exodus 3:14 15) Jehovah-Rapha (Exodus 15:25 26) Jehovah Nissi (Exodus 17:15) Jehovah-Sabaoth (1 Samuel 17:45) What other names of God can you think of? Which name of God has a personal meaning for you? Why? 3

4 2. The name Jesus is from Jeshua, which means YWHW is salvation. Look up three or four names of Jesus from this list of verses. Matthew 1:23 John 1:1 John 10:11 John 11:25 John 14:6 Isaiah 9:6 What other names of Jesus do you remember? Which name of Jesus has a personal meaning for you? Why? 3. Jesus called God My Father. What a perfect Father He is! Provider, healer, the One who listens and sees, who is merciful, kind, and loving. If you are a father, which of God s fatherly attributes would you like to have more of? Do you call God your Father? How close is your relationship to Him? If you would like to know Him more closely, talk to your group leader or one of the senior leaders after group time. Scripture Memory: Fill in the missing words from memory. You are a and God, slow to and abundant in, One who from doing harm. :2b Day Four 1. What wording do these three verses have in common? Jonah 1:17, Jonah 4:6, and Jonah 4:7 2. The same hands that prepared the great fish and prepared the plant also prepared the worm. This is a reminder to us that nothing comes our way which has not first passed through God s hands. What do the following verses say about God s preparations? 4

5 Ephesians 2:10 John 14:2 3 1 Corinthians 2:9 3. God is in control of all things, and that should give us comfort as Christians. While He does not promise to keep us from bad circumstances, He promises to be with us through them. What did the LORD tell Israel in Isaiah 43:1 3? Scripture Memory: Fill in the missing words from memory. You are a and God, slow to and in, One who from doing. : Day Five 1. If one of us had written the Book of Jonah, instead of God, we would probably have stopped at the end of chapter 3. At that point in the story, Jonah had learned his lesson and done what God called him to do; the people of Nineveh had repented; God had relented from destroying the city and they all lived happily ever after would seem a reasonable way to finish the story. But Jonah doesn t read like a fairy tale, because real life is not like that. Despite all Jonah went through, he still had lessons to learn and the same is true for us. There is no plateau that one reaches as a Christian, no single event that neatly caps off our spiritual lives. Spiritual growth and progression are a continual process, until the day we die. And in going forward, there will inevitably be some steps backward along the way. What do the following verses have to say about this? 5

6 2 Corinthians 4:16 Romans 7:19 24 Romans 12:2 Philippians 1:6 2. The LORD asked Jonah twice if it was right for him to be angry. While it is not a sin to be angry for the right reasons, anger often exhibits itself as a result of pride when we don t get our own way. Read Genesis 4:1 8 or 1 Samuel 18:6 12 and describe what happened. The Book of Jonah ends rather abruptly, with God essentially asking Jonah, If you can have pity on an insignificant plant, can t I have pity on these people who don t know right from wrong? If you are wondering if the LORD ever got through to Jonah s heart on this point, it is fairly safe to assume that, in the end, Jonah learned the lesson God was teaching him. The obvious author of this account is Jonah himself, and it is not likely that he would have written it if he remained in his selfish anger against God. 6

7 Scripture Memory: Fill in the missing words from memory. : Day Six: Personal Application 1. Perhaps the LORD is asking you Is it right to be angry about? Spend some time examining your heart for things you may be harboring anger over. Then answer the LORD s question in the space below. 2. Anger is not something that is easy for us, as men, to contain. It often turns to actions of violence, revenge, or abuse against others as we saw with Cain and Saul. If this is an area you struggle with especially if it is affecting those who are close to you talk to a pastor or group leader tonight. 3. Review again the attributes of God as listed in your Scripture Memory verse. Choose one and write an example of when God displayed this attribute in your own life. Then spend some time in prayer giving thanks for that example. 4. God prepared the great fish. God prepared the plant. And God prepared the worm. God is in control of all things, and nothing comes your way which He doesn t know and care about. What is something that you have been striving to control in your life? Can you give it over to Him and rest in the fact that He has everything under control? 7

8 5. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind the name and face of one of the men in your group. Pray for his needs and his spiritual walk and make it a point to continue to pray for him over the summer. Write a summary of the things you prayed for him. Scripture Memory: From memory, write out the Scripture Memory verse. : 2011 Brian Joel Jackson. All rights reserved. Express permission granted for use and reproduction by Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, CA. 1 Written by J.E. Bishop. Used by permission. Prayer Requests 8