JONAH BIBLE SURVEY. Chapter 2: Jonah prays from inside the fish. The fish vomits Jonah on dry land.

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1 JONAH BIBLE SURVEY Background: 2 Kings 14:23-25 Jonah 1:1) Jonah the son of Amittai the same Jonah in both books. This passage locates Jonah s ministry in the northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam II ( B.C.) The book of Jonah has been described as a parable, an allegory, or nice fish story. For those who consider the book of Jonah untrue, we have to remember that Jesus himself reaffirms both the book and the man in Matthew 12:39-41; 16:4; Luke 11:29-32). Chapter 1: God called Jonah to go to Nineveh. But Jonah ran away. God sends a storm. The sailors throw Jonah overboard. The sea becomes calm. God sends a giant fish to swallow Jonah. Chapter 2: Jonah prays from inside the fish. The fish vomits Jonah on dry land. Chapter 3: A second time, God told Jonah to go to Nineveh. This time Jonah obeyed God and went. Jonah preaches and God withholds his judgments on Nineveh (Jeremiah 18:7-10). Chapter 4: Jonah was more concerned about the vine and shade than the people of Nineveh perishing. Message of the book: God desires salvation of all people, regardless of their race, nationality, religion, or wickedness (both Jew and Gentile). Lessons Learned from Jonah: #1 Disobedience) Jonah 1:1-3; 10 But Jonah ran away. He decided not to obey God. Instead he goes on a Mediterranean boat cruise. Jonah was supposed to be traveling east to Nineveh, but instead goes to Joppa, and boards a ship going west. Jonah knowingly disobeyed God.

2 But why? He disobeyed because the Assyrians were the enemies of Israel. He wanted Nineveh to be crushed and destroyed. Then Israel would not have to worry about their enemy any more. Jonah saw Assyria only as a dangerous enemy to be destroyed. Anyway you slice it, or dice it. Jonah was disobedient to God. Some of you are also running away from God in disobedience. King Saul: 1 Samuel 15: Because he disobeyed God s word, God rejected (judged) him as king! Although this did not happen immediately as chapter s shows, it did lead to his downfall/death. Saul: Saul s good looks (handsome and tall), his physical size, and his success in war, made him an obvious choice to be first king of Israel. Although Saul appeared to be well suited to be King, his reign ended in tragedy, because he ignored the word of God. Story on disobedience: A man went to a home builder and told him what size house he wanted built, a two story 8,000 square feet house. The house builder said, He could build it. After he built it, he called the man and told him it was built. When the man came over to look at the house, it was a three story 10,000 square feet house. The man asked the home builder, Why didn t you build it the way I asked. The home builder said, I thought you would like it better, if I built it this way. Guess what, the man didn t buy the house, and neither will God buy your excuse if you don t follow His orders. #2 Affliction) Jonah 1:17-2:10 The school of the whales : When we go our own way (or run away from God) like Jonah did, God has to afflict us. Sometimes God uses pain and suffering as a school teacher. God afflicted Jonah by sending him to the school of the whales. Psalm 119:67, before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word. God also afflicted both (Israel and Judah) with exile and slavery. #3 Go, being sent) Jonah1:2; 3:1-2

3 Go: the Great Commission in Matthew 20 says to go to all nations (peoples). Most of the world has never heard the gospel s message. God is still calling people to go into the fields for the end time harvest (Matthew 9:37-38). The message of the book of Jonah is that God desires salvation of all people, regardless of their race, religion, nationality or wickedness. Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh because the Assyrians were enemies of Israel. Somebody tell Jonah, this is not a cafeteria style plan where you walk through the line, and pick and chose what you want. I like that, but I don t want that. Isaiah 6:8: here am I, send me. Romans 10:14-15: Preacher sent from God. Question: Where does God want to send you? On being sent: 1) Many people think they have to go to China, India, South America or some other far place 2) That only missionaries, evangelists, or pastors go. Wrong! Every believer is called to go into their part of the world ; where you work, or go to school, where you pay your bills, or buy your food and gas. You can be sent to your neighbor or someone near you (district, vicinity or neighborhood). Sharing the Spoils of Warfare: In the book of 1 Samuel 30, David and his men came home from battle to find their town burned to the ground. So David set out with 600 men in pursuit of the Amalekites. When they reached Besor Brook, 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross, but the other 400 kept going. These 200 soldiers may have been weary from battle fatigue, or perhaps some were injured or sick, but they were not cowards. They were simply held back by circumstances. As David prepared to move on, he entrusted to these men s care all the stuff the army had to leave behind: equipment, utensils, clothing, weaponry and such. As David and his men drew closer, they saw the Amalekites sprawled out among their tents. David and his men surrounded the camp and then attacked. When the battle was over David had triumphed and recovered everything. Not a single person, animal or possession taken from his men had been lost. Then they returned to River Besor where the 200 soldiers, who had stayed behind were.

4 When the 400 soldiers who had gone into battle saw the 200 soldiers who had stayed behind, they began to grumble. They said to each other, we re not going to divide the spoils with these lazy laggards. They didn t risk going out to fight like we did. They didn t accept the challenge and pay the price. But David had the heart of God in that moment. When David came near the 200 men, he saluted them. He told them, this victory is as much yours, as it is of those who went out to battle. You were useful right where you were, and, as your king, I declare that you are to share equally in the spoils of victory. You get the picture; it was entirely equal, between those who went, and those who stayed. Many Christians feel guilty that they re not serving on a foreign mission field. But staying home with the stuff is also a high calling. I want to speak to every Christian who can t go to a foreign mission field, but has to stay back because of circumstances. I m referring to those who are faithful in prayer, in giving and supportive of mission works. To all such believers, there is a clear message from (1 Samuel 30). You are the supply line to the battlefront. You are God s present day backup army ; and the spoils of war are yours too. We are going to share equally. The backup army is just as important as those who went to the battlefront. These men cared for all the stuff the army had to leave behind: equipment, utensils, weaponry, clothing and such. Likewise, if you re a businessperson, a lawyer, a doctor: rest in your calling. If you re a salesperson, a mechanic, a teacher, a food service worker, you don t have to try to work up a calling to the same mission field to please God. Unless the Spirit Himself is stirring you, you can be at rest where you are, in what you do. Note: This was taken from David Wilkerson (November 26, 2007) Sharing in the Spoils of Warfare #4 Jonah obeyed (and went to Nineveh) Jonah 3:3 Jonah finally did what the Lord asked him to do back in (1:2). Wouldn t it have been much easier for Jonah to just have obeyed God the first time and not to have gone to whale school for three days to change his mind? As Jonah was walking to Nineveh, he might have been thinking about what he had heard about the Assyrians. Jonah knew this mission had a job hazard or danger to it. If the Assyrians didn t like what Jonah said, he could be skinned alive, impaled upon a sharp pole or had his head cut off.

5 Jonah went to Nineveh (3:3): Went means to go. But, was Jonah at right then? He was somewhere along the Mediterranean Sea Coast (2:10). It would take Jonah about a month to walk from the Sea Coast to Nineveh (about miles). Jonah saved a city/nation from God s judgment (because he obeys). In Luke 5:4-10, Peter also obeys. Peter could have said to Jesus, we are professional fisherman. You are not. How many times we tell God, That won t work. But Peter obeyed His word, and let down the nets. It was at Joppa that Peter got his call to go to the Gentiles in Acts 10. At Joppa Jonah disobeys, and at Joppa, Peter obeys. Isaiah 1:19-20.