Lesson 10 3 July Jonah Beholds God's Mercy

Transcription

1 Lesson 10 3 July 2016 Jonah Beholds God's Mercy Lesson Scope: Jonah 3:4 to Jonah 4:11 Lesson Focus Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the most powerful empire of the area. The Assyrians were especially noted for their ruthless dominance over other nations and their inhumane torture of their victims. Significantly, Nahum 3:1 calls Nineveh "the bloody city," and Zephaniah 2:13-15 portrays her as proud and careless. Obviously Nineveh's cup of iniquity was full. Jonah also knew that his own nation was not likely to escape the Assyrian scourge. In Luke 11:30, Jesus refers to Jonah as "a sign unto the Ninevites." Possibly the people of Nineveh had come to know that Jonah had been cast into the deep and miraculously delivered. This would have added weight to Jonah's message, filling the hearts of the people with terror. They heard; they believed; they were filled with fear; and they repented, from the greatest to the least. Give some thought to the idea that the Ninevites possibly knew of Jonah's experience in running away from God and being miraculously delivered from the sea. Reference is made to this in the Lesson Focus. Also give attention to the fact that the Ninevites had a knowledge of God through their familiarity with Israel. Note the statement in 3:5: "So the people of Nineveh believed God." This confirms the thought that they had some knowledge of the God of heaven. Consider also that this narrative of Jonah's mission to Nineveh was written for the sake of Israel. Jonah intended to teach his people of the inclusiveness of God's grace and mercy, and thus to rebuke that exclusive attitude toward surrounding peoples. God's purpose in the establishment of Israel as a nation was that they would be a source of light to other nations. Sad to say, there were times when the influence was working in reverse. But God in mercy worked with them and was able to fulfill His purposes. Societies that disobey God's laws are destined for judgment. However, God will be gracious and merciful to those who cry to Him and turn from their evil ways.

2 Lesson Aim: To see principles related to God's abundant mercy. Theme Verses: Acts 10: Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Lesson Text: "God Saw... That They Turned" Jonah 3: And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. 6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. "Should Not I Spare?" Jonah 4: But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. 3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. 4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry? 5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. 6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. 7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. 8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that

3 God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. 9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. 10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? Questions for Study "God Saw... That They Turned" 1. Of what value was Jonah's message to the Ninevites? 2. In what way was God's goodness manifested to the Ninevites? 3. What important lessons about repentance can we learn from the king's response to Jonah's proclamation? 4. How does God warn people today of coming judgment? "Should Not I Spare?" 5. Explain Jonah's attitude of displeasure. 6. In what way was God's goodness extended to Jonah? 7. How might we express faulty concepts of God's mercy? Analyzing the Passage In spite of Israel's failures, she left an indelible witness to the nations around her. The Ninevites, like the mariners of chapter 1, obviously had some amazingly accurate impressions of Israel's God. They knew they should fast and dress in sackcloth; they understood that He was merciful and would potentially turn from His anger. Jesus referred to this remarkable response in Matthew 12:39-41 in an effort to help the scribes and Pharisees see their unbelief. God's repentance (3:10) means that He changed the verdict on the basis of Nineveh's repentance. He "saw their works, that they turned from their evil way" (3:10). Therefore, He was able to lift their sentence of judgment. Grief (4:6) is translated from the same word as wickedness in 1:2. This indicates that God was seeking to deliver Jonah from his ungodly attitudes as well as from his physical discomfort. The overruling hand of God was displayed by the prepared gourd, the prepared worm, and the prepared wind. Jonah was again brought to his wits' end; he asked again that he might die. God repeated His question: "Doest

4 thou well to be angry for the gourd?" Jonah's answer revealed that he was still out of harmony with the tender mercy of God. Principles and Applications "God Saw... That They Turned" 1. God mercifully warns men of coming judgment (3:4). He sent warnings to Israel through the prophets. The Scriptures give ample warning of the coming final Day of Judgment. Second Peter 3:9-12 gets right to the point: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise... but is longsuffering... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come... We are to be His witnesses. 2. When the wicked turn to the Lord, He will extend to them His mercy (3:5-10). The Ninevites expressed true repentance in their response to the preaching of Jonah. Their sincerity and deep contrition was shown by fasting and dressing in sackcloth. They cried mightily unto God. This emphasizes the practical outworking of inner repentance. True repentance involves not only believing God but also turning from wickedness. 3. God in mercy withholds judgment from those who truly repent (3:10). God lifted the sentence of judgment when He saw Nineveh's works and knew that they had repented. Those who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are delivered from eternal damnation. "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Romans 5:9). All who repent can have this blessed hope of eternal life. "Should Not I Spare?" 4. Natural man's selfish and vengeful spirit stands in opposition to God's mercifulness (4:1-3). Jonah was displeased because God had spared some of Israel's enemies. The solution to such anger is to have God's love within our hearts. As disciples of Jesus, we are to love our enemies and return good for evil. As recipients of God's mercy, we in turn must show mercy to others. If children are to receive a true picture of God from their parents, they must receive not only discipline but also mercy. 5. God employs even the elements of nature to administer and illustrate His mercy (4:6-10). The gourd was first an administration of God's mercy to Jonah in a natural sense. Later, along with the worm and the blistering elements, it became God's way of helping Jonah understand the reasonableness of His mercy to Nineveh. God is still using the natural experiences of life to get our attention and to help us sense our need of His mercy and grace. By faith we know that God can make all things work together for our good if we are His children.

5 6. Those who fail to harmonize with God's mercy are driven to confusion and despair (4:8-9). Without faith, life becomes unreasonable and hard to accept. But God in love directs the circumstances of men's lives to bring the best out of them. He calls us to forgive as we have been forgiven and to be merciful as He is merciful. Therein lies the true meaning and purpose of life. 7. God's mercy is solidly founded upon divine prerogative and compassion for the souls of men (4:10-11). God foreknows who will respond positively to His invitations and warnings and who will spurn them. He is totally just in extending mercy to the former while sending judgment upon the latter. We do well to humbly surrender to God's movings and find rest and peace in the carrying out of His divine purposes. Important Teachings 1. God mercifully warns men of coming judgment (3:4). 2. When the wicked turn to the Lord, He will extend to them His mercy (3:5-10). 3. God in mercy withholds judgment from those who truly repent (3:10). 4. Natural man's selfish and vengeful spirit stands in opposition to God's mercifulness (4:1-3). 5. God employs even the elements of nature to administer and illustrate His mercy (4:6-10). 6. Those who fail to harmonize with God's mercy are driven to confusion and despair (4:8, 9). 7. God's mercy is solidly founded upon divine prerogative and compassion for the souls of men (4:10-11). 8. God speaks to all, regardless of race, class, or station (3:5-6). 9. The goodness of God leads men to repentance (3:5-9). Answers to Questions 1. Of what value was Jonah's message to the Ninevites? Jonah's message to the Ninevites gave them an opportunity to repent and turn to God. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Jonah's message was a way for them to hear. Their response of faith delivered them from the sentence of judgment. The city was preserved from destruction, and their lives were spared from death. 2. In what way was God's goodness manifested to the Ninevites? God's goodness was manifested in that He repented of the judgment that Jonah had predicted would come. That was the very desire of His heart.

6 God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God's goodness gave the Ninevites a warning and an opportunity to turn from their evil. 3. What important lessons about repentance can we learn from the king's response to Jonah's proclamation? The repentant humble themselves. The king demonstrated his humility by his actions; he laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. The repentant are concerned about others. He made a decree that influenced his people to believe God and cry out for mercy. 4. How does God warn people today of coming judgment? God has given the message of the Scriptures. It is miraculous how all of the writings agree and do not contradict each other. He also gave the witness of the church through the power of the Holy Spirit. As disciples of Jesus, we give out a message of warning and hope to the lost about us. 5. Explain Jonah's attitude of displeasure. Jonah was displeased because Nineveh was spared from judgment. In his mind Nineveh was an enemy of Israel and deserved no mercy. It is of interest that Jonah fled to Tarshish because he saw the possibility that the Ninevites might repent, and he knew what God would do if they did repent (4:2). Therefore, he did not want to give them the warning message. 6. In what way was God's goodness extended to Jonah? Twice God challenged Jonah with the question, "Doest thou well to be angry?" God did not desert Jonah because of his anger, but He sought to bring him into sympathy with His own heart. Further, God revealed Himself to Jonah by sending the gourd, the worm, and the east wind. God used Jonah's pity on the gourd to help him understand why He was showing mercy to Nineveh. 7. How might we express faulty concepts of God's mercy? We can be subtly influenced by racial, cultural, or social prejudice. We may be inclined to assume the position of a judge. We may fail to forgive and accept a brother who has repented of gross sin. We may decide that a person has gone so far off track that he will never come back, and so forth. Summarizing the Lesson "But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him" (Acts 10:35). "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:12-13).

7 Research Guide 1. Read Old Testament accounts of Gentiles influenced by or received into Israel. Rahab, Ruth, and Naaman are a few examples. 2. In Acts 10, read the account of the Holy Spirit being given to the Gentiles and how the Jews were astonished.