3\u00a0<\/sup>But Jonah ran away from the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship. After paying the fare, he sailed for Tarshish to flee from the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhy would Jonah run away? Why doesn\u2019t he want to go to Nineveh?<\/p>\n
First, it could be, he hates public speaking, and doesn\u2019t want to go preach.<\/p>\n
Second, Nineveh was the largest city in the world. It was larger than Babylon \u2013 according to one ancient source, Babylon was 385 furlongs, but Nineveh was 480. It was located in what is now modern Iraq.<\/p>\n
Third, the Ninevites were the enemies of the Israelites. So, he might like for the people of Nineveh to be wiped out. He might be thinking, \u201cNineveh, what good has ever come out of there?\u201d<\/p>\n
But, instead of doing what God commands, he takes off on a boat for Tarshish.<\/p>\n
What is Tarshish? The place you\u2019d rather be. The greener grass in the other yard. Tarshish is the place you go when you\u2019re not doing God\u2019s will. Tarshish is what you do when you\u2019re not doing what God has called you to do.<\/p>\n
A Storm arises while Jonah is asleep, and the sailors freak out. They blame Jonah for the storm.<\/p>\n
When they demand to know who he is, and where he\u2019s from, he says, \u201cI am a Hebrew and I worship the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong>, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n11\u00a0<\/sup>The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, \u201cWhat should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cPick me up and throw me into the sea,\u201d he replied, \u201cand it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u2026 Let me pause here. Why does he suggest they pick him up and throw him in the sea? Perhaps because he felt guilty that the Lord sent a storm that put these innocent sailors in danger. In fact, I looked on line, and I couldn\u2019t find a good reason why Jonah would tell them to throw him in the water. I have no idea. Anyone have any ideas they\u2019re willing to share?<\/p>\n
But, they didn\u2019t kill him, as Jonah suggested.<\/p>\n
13\u00a0<\/sup>Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14\u00a0<\/sup>They cried out to the Lord, \u201cPlease, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man\u2019s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.\u201d<\/h3>\nI feel sorry for these tempest tossed sailors. They are stuck between a horrible storm, and throwing a man overboard, because he told them to.<\/p>\n
15\u00a0<\/sup>Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.<\/strong> 16\u00a0<\/sup>At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis reminds me of the story of John Newton, the author of the song Amazing Grace\u2026 (Explain Story) \u2026 That day at the helm, March 21, 1748, was a day that changed Newton forever. He later wrote, \u201cOn that day the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.\u201d He also said, \u201cOnly God\u2019s amazing grace could take this rude and profane slave-trading sailor and change him into a child of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
17\u00a0<\/sup>Now the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.<\/strong><\/h3>\nWe\u2019re going to skip the prayer of Jonah\u2026<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>And the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAnd that\u2019s it for the story of the whale\u2026 a huge fish. Two sentences. The story of Jonah is not about the whale.<\/p>\n
So, what is the story of Jonah about?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s keep reading.<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Then the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> came to Jonah a second time:<\/strong> 2\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n3\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah obeyed the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.<\/strong> 4\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah began by going a day\u2019s journey into the city, proclaiming, \u201cForty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.\u201d 5\u00a0<\/sup>The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1007\/2021\/01\/head-king-Sargon-of-Akkad-Nineveh-Akkadian-c-2300-bce.jpg\")
<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\nEven the king took off his royal robes, and repented. The king issued a decree proclaiming a fast for all people and animals, and urged everyone to call on God.<\/p>\n
In verse 10, God changes his mind.<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.<\/strong><\/h3>\nGod changed God\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n
Another example of God relenting, and changing God\u2019s mind is in Genesis, when God is determined to destroy Sodom. Abraham asks would the Lord spare the city if Abraham can find 50 righteous men. Tell the story \u2013 He answered, \u201cFor the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This opens the door to deep theological consideration.<\/p>\n
If God changes God\u2019s mind, what does that mean?<\/p>\n
It means that no matter what we do, no matter how bad we are, God has already forgiven us.<\/p>\n
Just like God forgiving the people of Nineveh, God forgives our sins and transgressions when we repent and turn from our evil ways.<\/p>\n
Chapter 4 \u2013 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2\u00a0<\/sup>He prayed to the Lord, \u201cIsn\u2019t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3\u00a0<\/sup>Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is disappointed and angry with the Lord, because the Lord spares the people of Nineveh.<\/p>\n
In Jonah\u2019s own words, the Lord is gracious and compassionate. The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love. The Lord relents from sending calamity.<\/p>\n
There are several possible reasons for Jonah\u2019s desire to see Nineveh destroyed. First, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, and these people were enemies of Israel. Nineveh\u2019s destruction would have been seen as a victory for Israel.<\/p>\n
Second, God changing God\u2019s mind about the destruction of Nineveh could have made Jonah\u2019s words appear illegitimate, since he had predicted the city\u2019s destruction. It made him look bad.<\/p>\n
In his anger, Jonah goes and sits outside the city, and the Lord provides a plant to shade Jonah. The next day, the plant died, and Jonah got angry again, about the loss of the plant.<\/p>\n
Verse 9 \u2013\u00a0<\/sup>But God said to Jonah, \u201cIs it right for you to be angry about the plant?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cIt is,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so angry I wish I were dead.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n10\u00a0<\/sup>But the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> said, \u201cYou have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.<\/strong> 11\u00a0<\/sup>And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left\u2014and also many animals?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is stubborn, unmerciful, and unloving. He was angry after God didn\u2019t destroy Nineveh. Yet when God took the plant from him he becomes just as angry. He cares more for the plant than for his fellow humanity in Nineveh.<\/p>\n
We can learn from Jonah\u2019s negative example that we should praise God for His goodness. Our God is a merciful God, ready to forgive all those who repent. The Ninevites were Gentiles, yet God still extended His salvation to them. In His goodness, God warned the Assyrians before sending judgment, giving them a chance to repent.<\/p>\n
The primary theme in Jonah is that God\u2019s compassion is boundless, not limited just to \u201cus\u201d but also available for \u201cthem.\u201d Even Jonah is the object of God\u2019s compassion.<\/p>\n
The story of Jonah is about God\u2019s forgiveness. God\u2019s forgiveness is for everyone. For the enemy, for the stranger, for sailors, for everyone. We are made in the image of God, so God forgives who God forgives, and neither we nor Jonah can do anything to stop it.<\/p>\n
Nothing on heaven or earth can keep us from God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n
God love us, just as God loved the Ninevites. Just as the Lord loved Jonah.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s amazing grace takes the most hardened heart and turns it into a child of God.<\/p>\n
This is God\u2019s promise, let us sing God\u2019s praises.<\/p>\n
****************************************************************<\/p>\n
11\u00a0<\/sup>The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, \u201cWhat should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cPick me up and throw me into the sea,\u201d he replied, \u201cand it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u2026 Let me pause here. Why does he suggest they pick him up and throw him in the sea? Perhaps because he felt guilty that the Lord sent a storm that put these innocent sailors in danger. In fact, I looked on line, and I couldn\u2019t find a good reason why Jonah would tell them to throw him in the water. I have no idea. Anyone have any ideas they\u2019re willing to share?<\/p>\n
But, they didn\u2019t kill him, as Jonah suggested.<\/p>\n
13\u00a0<\/sup>Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14\u00a0<\/sup>They cried out to the Lord, \u201cPlease, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man\u2019s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.\u201d<\/h3>\nI feel sorry for these tempest tossed sailors. They are stuck between a horrible storm, and throwing a man overboard, because he told them to.<\/p>\n
15\u00a0<\/sup>Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.<\/strong> 16\u00a0<\/sup>At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis reminds me of the story of John Newton, the author of the song Amazing Grace\u2026 (Explain Story) \u2026 That day at the helm, March 21, 1748, was a day that changed Newton forever. He later wrote, \u201cOn that day the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.\u201d He also said, \u201cOnly God\u2019s amazing grace could take this rude and profane slave-trading sailor and change him into a child of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
17\u00a0<\/sup>Now the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.<\/strong><\/h3>\nWe\u2019re going to skip the prayer of Jonah\u2026<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>And the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAnd that\u2019s it for the story of the whale\u2026 a huge fish. Two sentences. The story of Jonah is not about the whale.<\/p>\n
So, what is the story of Jonah about?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s keep reading.<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Then the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> came to Jonah a second time:<\/strong> 2\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n3\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah obeyed the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.<\/strong> 4\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah began by going a day\u2019s journey into the city, proclaiming, \u201cForty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.\u201d 5\u00a0<\/sup>The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\nEven the king took off his royal robes, and repented. The king issued a decree proclaiming a fast for all people and animals, and urged everyone to call on God.<\/p>\n
In verse 10, God changes his mind.<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.<\/strong><\/h3>\nGod changed God\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n
Another example of God relenting, and changing God\u2019s mind is in Genesis, when God is determined to destroy Sodom. Abraham asks would the Lord spare the city if Abraham can find 50 righteous men. Tell the story \u2013 He answered, \u201cFor the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This opens the door to deep theological consideration.<\/p>\n
If God changes God\u2019s mind, what does that mean?<\/p>\n
It means that no matter what we do, no matter how bad we are, God has already forgiven us.<\/p>\n
Just like God forgiving the people of Nineveh, God forgives our sins and transgressions when we repent and turn from our evil ways.<\/p>\n
Chapter 4 \u2013 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2\u00a0<\/sup>He prayed to the Lord, \u201cIsn\u2019t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3\u00a0<\/sup>Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is disappointed and angry with the Lord, because the Lord spares the people of Nineveh.<\/p>\n
In Jonah\u2019s own words, the Lord is gracious and compassionate. The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love. The Lord relents from sending calamity.<\/p>\n
There are several possible reasons for Jonah\u2019s desire to see Nineveh destroyed. First, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, and these people were enemies of Israel. Nineveh\u2019s destruction would have been seen as a victory for Israel.<\/p>\n
Second, God changing God\u2019s mind about the destruction of Nineveh could have made Jonah\u2019s words appear illegitimate, since he had predicted the city\u2019s destruction. It made him look bad.<\/p>\n
In his anger, Jonah goes and sits outside the city, and the Lord provides a plant to shade Jonah. The next day, the plant died, and Jonah got angry again, about the loss of the plant.<\/p>\n
Verse 9 \u2013\u00a0<\/sup>But God said to Jonah, \u201cIs it right for you to be angry about the plant?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cIt is,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so angry I wish I were dead.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n10\u00a0<\/sup>But the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> said, \u201cYou have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.<\/strong> 11\u00a0<\/sup>And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left\u2014and also many animals?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is stubborn, unmerciful, and unloving. He was angry after God didn\u2019t destroy Nineveh. Yet when God took the plant from him he becomes just as angry. He cares more for the plant than for his fellow humanity in Nineveh.<\/p>\n
We can learn from Jonah\u2019s negative example that we should praise God for His goodness. Our God is a merciful God, ready to forgive all those who repent. The Ninevites were Gentiles, yet God still extended His salvation to them. In His goodness, God warned the Assyrians before sending judgment, giving them a chance to repent.<\/p>\n
The primary theme in Jonah is that God\u2019s compassion is boundless, not limited just to \u201cus\u201d but also available for \u201cthem.\u201d Even Jonah is the object of God\u2019s compassion.<\/p>\n
The story of Jonah is about God\u2019s forgiveness. God\u2019s forgiveness is for everyone. For the enemy, for the stranger, for sailors, for everyone. We are made in the image of God, so God forgives who God forgives, and neither we nor Jonah can do anything to stop it.<\/p>\n
Nothing on heaven or earth can keep us from God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n
God love us, just as God loved the Ninevites. Just as the Lord loved Jonah.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s amazing grace takes the most hardened heart and turns it into a child of God.<\/p>\n
This is God\u2019s promise, let us sing God\u2019s praises.<\/p>\n
****************************************************************<\/p>\n
\u2026 Let me pause here. Why does he suggest they pick him up and throw him in the sea? Perhaps because he felt guilty that the Lord sent a storm that put these innocent sailors in danger. In fact, I looked on line, and I couldn\u2019t find a good reason why Jonah would tell them to throw him in the water. I have no idea. Anyone have any ideas they\u2019re willing to share?<\/p>\n
But, they didn\u2019t kill him, as Jonah suggested.<\/p>\n
13\u00a0<\/sup>Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14\u00a0<\/sup>They cried out to the Lord, \u201cPlease, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man\u2019s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.\u201d<\/h3>\nI feel sorry for these tempest tossed sailors. They are stuck between a horrible storm, and throwing a man overboard, because he told them to.<\/p>\n
15\u00a0<\/sup>Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.<\/strong> 16\u00a0<\/sup>At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis reminds me of the story of John Newton, the author of the song Amazing Grace\u2026 (Explain Story) \u2026 That day at the helm, March 21, 1748, was a day that changed Newton forever. He later wrote, \u201cOn that day the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.\u201d He also said, \u201cOnly God\u2019s amazing grace could take this rude and profane slave-trading sailor and change him into a child of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
17\u00a0<\/sup>Now the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.<\/strong><\/h3>\nWe\u2019re going to skip the prayer of Jonah\u2026<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>And the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAnd that\u2019s it for the story of the whale\u2026 a huge fish. Two sentences. The story of Jonah is not about the whale.<\/p>\n
So, what is the story of Jonah about?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s keep reading.<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Then the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> came to Jonah a second time:<\/strong> 2\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n3\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah obeyed the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.<\/strong> 4\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah began by going a day\u2019s journey into the city, proclaiming, \u201cForty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.\u201d 5\u00a0<\/sup>The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\nEven the king took off his royal robes, and repented. The king issued a decree proclaiming a fast for all people and animals, and urged everyone to call on God.<\/p>\n
In verse 10, God changes his mind.<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.<\/strong><\/h3>\nGod changed God\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n
Another example of God relenting, and changing God\u2019s mind is in Genesis, when God is determined to destroy Sodom. Abraham asks would the Lord spare the city if Abraham can find 50 righteous men. Tell the story \u2013 He answered, \u201cFor the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This opens the door to deep theological consideration.<\/p>\n
If God changes God\u2019s mind, what does that mean?<\/p>\n
It means that no matter what we do, no matter how bad we are, God has already forgiven us.<\/p>\n
Just like God forgiving the people of Nineveh, God forgives our sins and transgressions when we repent and turn from our evil ways.<\/p>\n
Chapter 4 \u2013 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2\u00a0<\/sup>He prayed to the Lord, \u201cIsn\u2019t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3\u00a0<\/sup>Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is disappointed and angry with the Lord, because the Lord spares the people of Nineveh.<\/p>\n
In Jonah\u2019s own words, the Lord is gracious and compassionate. The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love. The Lord relents from sending calamity.<\/p>\n
There are several possible reasons for Jonah\u2019s desire to see Nineveh destroyed. First, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, and these people were enemies of Israel. Nineveh\u2019s destruction would have been seen as a victory for Israel.<\/p>\n
Second, God changing God\u2019s mind about the destruction of Nineveh could have made Jonah\u2019s words appear illegitimate, since he had predicted the city\u2019s destruction. It made him look bad.<\/p>\n
In his anger, Jonah goes and sits outside the city, and the Lord provides a plant to shade Jonah. The next day, the plant died, and Jonah got angry again, about the loss of the plant.<\/p>\n
Verse 9 \u2013\u00a0<\/sup>But God said to Jonah, \u201cIs it right for you to be angry about the plant?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cIt is,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so angry I wish I were dead.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n10\u00a0<\/sup>But the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> said, \u201cYou have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.<\/strong> 11\u00a0<\/sup>And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left\u2014and also many animals?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is stubborn, unmerciful, and unloving. He was angry after God didn\u2019t destroy Nineveh. Yet when God took the plant from him he becomes just as angry. He cares more for the plant than for his fellow humanity in Nineveh.<\/p>\n
We can learn from Jonah\u2019s negative example that we should praise God for His goodness. Our God is a merciful God, ready to forgive all those who repent. The Ninevites were Gentiles, yet God still extended His salvation to them. In His goodness, God warned the Assyrians before sending judgment, giving them a chance to repent.<\/p>\n
The primary theme in Jonah is that God\u2019s compassion is boundless, not limited just to \u201cus\u201d but also available for \u201cthem.\u201d Even Jonah is the object of God\u2019s compassion.<\/p>\n
The story of Jonah is about God\u2019s forgiveness. God\u2019s forgiveness is for everyone. For the enemy, for the stranger, for sailors, for everyone. We are made in the image of God, so God forgives who God forgives, and neither we nor Jonah can do anything to stop it.<\/p>\n
Nothing on heaven or earth can keep us from God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n
God love us, just as God loved the Ninevites. Just as the Lord loved Jonah.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s amazing grace takes the most hardened heart and turns it into a child of God.<\/p>\n
This is God\u2019s promise, let us sing God\u2019s praises.<\/p>\n
****************************************************************<\/p>\n
This reminds me of the story of John Newton, the author of the song Amazing Grace\u2026 (Explain Story) \u2026 That day at the helm, March 21, 1748, was a day that changed Newton forever. He later wrote, \u201cOn that day the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.\u201d He also said, \u201cOnly God\u2019s amazing grace could take this rude and profane slave-trading sailor and change him into a child of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
17\u00a0<\/sup>Now the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.<\/strong><\/h3>\nWe\u2019re going to skip the prayer of Jonah\u2026<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>And the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAnd that\u2019s it for the story of the whale\u2026 a huge fish. Two sentences. The story of Jonah is not about the whale.<\/p>\n
So, what is the story of Jonah about?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s keep reading.<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Then the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> came to Jonah a second time:<\/strong> 2\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n3\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah obeyed the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.<\/strong> 4\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah began by going a day\u2019s journey into the city, proclaiming, \u201cForty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.\u201d 5\u00a0<\/sup>The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\nEven the king took off his royal robes, and repented. The king issued a decree proclaiming a fast for all people and animals, and urged everyone to call on God.<\/p>\n
In verse 10, God changes his mind.<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.<\/strong><\/h3>\nGod changed God\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n
Another example of God relenting, and changing God\u2019s mind is in Genesis, when God is determined to destroy Sodom. Abraham asks would the Lord spare the city if Abraham can find 50 righteous men. Tell the story \u2013 He answered, \u201cFor the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This opens the door to deep theological consideration.<\/p>\n
If God changes God\u2019s mind, what does that mean?<\/p>\n
It means that no matter what we do, no matter how bad we are, God has already forgiven us.<\/p>\n
Just like God forgiving the people of Nineveh, God forgives our sins and transgressions when we repent and turn from our evil ways.<\/p>\n
Chapter 4 \u2013 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2\u00a0<\/sup>He prayed to the Lord, \u201cIsn\u2019t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3\u00a0<\/sup>Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is disappointed and angry with the Lord, because the Lord spares the people of Nineveh.<\/p>\n
In Jonah\u2019s own words, the Lord is gracious and compassionate. The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love. The Lord relents from sending calamity.<\/p>\n
There are several possible reasons for Jonah\u2019s desire to see Nineveh destroyed. First, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, and these people were enemies of Israel. Nineveh\u2019s destruction would have been seen as a victory for Israel.<\/p>\n
Second, God changing God\u2019s mind about the destruction of Nineveh could have made Jonah\u2019s words appear illegitimate, since he had predicted the city\u2019s destruction. It made him look bad.<\/p>\n
In his anger, Jonah goes and sits outside the city, and the Lord provides a plant to shade Jonah. The next day, the plant died, and Jonah got angry again, about the loss of the plant.<\/p>\n
Verse 9 \u2013\u00a0<\/sup>But God said to Jonah, \u201cIs it right for you to be angry about the plant?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cIt is,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so angry I wish I were dead.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n10\u00a0<\/sup>But the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> said, \u201cYou have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.<\/strong> 11\u00a0<\/sup>And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left\u2014and also many animals?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is stubborn, unmerciful, and unloving. He was angry after God didn\u2019t destroy Nineveh. Yet when God took the plant from him he becomes just as angry. He cares more for the plant than for his fellow humanity in Nineveh.<\/p>\n
We can learn from Jonah\u2019s negative example that we should praise God for His goodness. Our God is a merciful God, ready to forgive all those who repent. The Ninevites were Gentiles, yet God still extended His salvation to them. In His goodness, God warned the Assyrians before sending judgment, giving them a chance to repent.<\/p>\n
The primary theme in Jonah is that God\u2019s compassion is boundless, not limited just to \u201cus\u201d but also available for \u201cthem.\u201d Even Jonah is the object of God\u2019s compassion.<\/p>\n
The story of Jonah is about God\u2019s forgiveness. God\u2019s forgiveness is for everyone. For the enemy, for the stranger, for sailors, for everyone. We are made in the image of God, so God forgives who God forgives, and neither we nor Jonah can do anything to stop it.<\/p>\n
Nothing on heaven or earth can keep us from God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n
God love us, just as God loved the Ninevites. Just as the Lord loved Jonah.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s amazing grace takes the most hardened heart and turns it into a child of God.<\/p>\n
This is God\u2019s promise, let us sing God\u2019s praises.<\/p>\n
****************************************************************<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s it for the story of the whale\u2026 a huge fish. Two sentences. The story of Jonah is not about the whale.<\/p>\n
So, what is the story of Jonah about?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s keep reading.<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Then the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> came to Jonah a second time:<\/strong> 2\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n3\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah obeyed the word of the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.<\/strong> 4\u00a0<\/sup>Jonah began by going a day\u2019s journey into the city, proclaiming, \u201cForty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.\u201d 5\u00a0<\/sup>The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\nEven the king took off his royal robes, and repented. The king issued a decree proclaiming a fast for all people and animals, and urged everyone to call on God.<\/p>\n
In verse 10, God changes his mind.<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.<\/strong><\/h3>\nGod changed God\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n
Another example of God relenting, and changing God\u2019s mind is in Genesis, when God is determined to destroy Sodom. Abraham asks would the Lord spare the city if Abraham can find 50 righteous men. Tell the story \u2013 He answered, \u201cFor the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This opens the door to deep theological consideration.<\/p>\n
If God changes God\u2019s mind, what does that mean?<\/p>\n
It means that no matter what we do, no matter how bad we are, God has already forgiven us.<\/p>\n
Just like God forgiving the people of Nineveh, God forgives our sins and transgressions when we repent and turn from our evil ways.<\/p>\n
Chapter 4 \u2013 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2\u00a0<\/sup>He prayed to the Lord, \u201cIsn\u2019t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3\u00a0<\/sup>Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is disappointed and angry with the Lord, because the Lord spares the people of Nineveh.<\/p>\n
In Jonah\u2019s own words, the Lord is gracious and compassionate. The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love. The Lord relents from sending calamity.<\/p>\n
There are several possible reasons for Jonah\u2019s desire to see Nineveh destroyed. First, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, and these people were enemies of Israel. Nineveh\u2019s destruction would have been seen as a victory for Israel.<\/p>\n
Second, God changing God\u2019s mind about the destruction of Nineveh could have made Jonah\u2019s words appear illegitimate, since he had predicted the city\u2019s destruction. It made him look bad.<\/p>\n
In his anger, Jonah goes and sits outside the city, and the Lord provides a plant to shade Jonah. The next day, the plant died, and Jonah got angry again, about the loss of the plant.<\/p>\n
Verse 9 \u2013\u00a0<\/sup>But God said to Jonah, \u201cIs it right for you to be angry about the plant?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cIt is,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so angry I wish I were dead.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n10\u00a0<\/sup>But the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> said, \u201cYou have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.<\/strong> 11\u00a0<\/sup>And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left\u2014and also many animals?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is stubborn, unmerciful, and unloving. He was angry after God didn\u2019t destroy Nineveh. Yet when God took the plant from him he becomes just as angry. He cares more for the plant than for his fellow humanity in Nineveh.<\/p>\n
We can learn from Jonah\u2019s negative example that we should praise God for His goodness. Our God is a merciful God, ready to forgive all those who repent. The Ninevites were Gentiles, yet God still extended His salvation to them. In His goodness, God warned the Assyrians before sending judgment, giving them a chance to repent.<\/p>\n
The primary theme in Jonah is that God\u2019s compassion is boundless, not limited just to \u201cus\u201d but also available for \u201cthem.\u201d Even Jonah is the object of God\u2019s compassion.<\/p>\n
The story of Jonah is about God\u2019s forgiveness. God\u2019s forgiveness is for everyone. For the enemy, for the stranger, for sailors, for everyone. We are made in the image of God, so God forgives who God forgives, and neither we nor Jonah can do anything to stop it.<\/p>\n
Nothing on heaven or earth can keep us from God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n
God love us, just as God loved the Ninevites. Just as the Lord loved Jonah.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s amazing grace takes the most hardened heart and turns it into a child of God.<\/p>\n
This is God\u2019s promise, let us sing God\u2019s praises.<\/p>\n
****************************************************************<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\nEven the king took off his royal robes, and repented. The king issued a decree proclaiming a fast for all people and animals, and urged everyone to call on God.<\/p>\n
In verse 10, God changes his mind.<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/sup>When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.<\/strong><\/h3>\nGod changed God\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n
Another example of God relenting, and changing God\u2019s mind is in Genesis, when God is determined to destroy Sodom. Abraham asks would the Lord spare the city if Abraham can find 50 righteous men. Tell the story \u2013 He answered, \u201cFor the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This opens the door to deep theological consideration.<\/p>\n
If God changes God\u2019s mind, what does that mean?<\/p>\n
It means that no matter what we do, no matter how bad we are, God has already forgiven us.<\/p>\n
Just like God forgiving the people of Nineveh, God forgives our sins and transgressions when we repent and turn from our evil ways.<\/p>\n
Chapter 4 \u2013 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2\u00a0<\/sup>He prayed to the Lord, \u201cIsn\u2019t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3\u00a0<\/sup>Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is disappointed and angry with the Lord, because the Lord spares the people of Nineveh.<\/p>\n
In Jonah\u2019s own words, the Lord is gracious and compassionate. The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love. The Lord relents from sending calamity.<\/p>\n
There are several possible reasons for Jonah\u2019s desire to see Nineveh destroyed. First, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, and these people were enemies of Israel. Nineveh\u2019s destruction would have been seen as a victory for Israel.<\/p>\n
Second, God changing God\u2019s mind about the destruction of Nineveh could have made Jonah\u2019s words appear illegitimate, since he had predicted the city\u2019s destruction. It made him look bad.<\/p>\n
In his anger, Jonah goes and sits outside the city, and the Lord provides a plant to shade Jonah. The next day, the plant died, and Jonah got angry again, about the loss of the plant.<\/p>\n
Verse 9 \u2013\u00a0<\/sup>But God said to Jonah, \u201cIs it right for you to be angry about the plant?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cIt is,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so angry I wish I were dead.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n10\u00a0<\/sup>But the <\/strong>Lord<\/strong> said, \u201cYou have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.<\/strong> 11\u00a0<\/sup>And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left\u2014and also many animals?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\nJonah is stubborn, unmerciful, and unloving. He was angry after God didn\u2019t destroy Nineveh. Yet when God took the plant from him he becomes just as angry. He cares more for the plant than for his fellow humanity in Nineveh.<\/p>\n
We can learn from Jonah\u2019s negative example that we should praise God for His goodness. Our God is a merciful God, ready to forgive all those who repent. The Ninevites were Gentiles, yet God still extended His salvation to them. In His goodness, God warned the Assyrians before sending judgment, giving them a chance to repent.<\/p>\n
The primary theme in Jonah is that God\u2019s compassion is boundless, not limited just to \u201cus\u201d but also available for \u201cthem.\u201d Even Jonah is the object of God\u2019s compassion.<\/p>\n
The story of Jonah is about God\u2019s forgiveness. God\u2019s forgiveness is for everyone. For the enemy, for the stranger, for sailors, for everyone. We are made in the image of God, so God forgives who God forgives, and neither we nor Jonah can do anything to stop it.<\/p>\n
Nothing on heaven or earth can keep us from God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n
God love us, just as God loved the Ninevites. Just as the Lord loved Jonah.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s amazing grace takes the most hardened heart and turns it into a child of God.<\/p>\n
This is God\u2019s promise, let us sing God\u2019s praises.<\/p>\n
****************************************************************<\/p>\n
Jonah is disappointed and angry with the Lord, because the Lord spares the people of Nineveh.<\/p>\n
In Jonah\u2019s own words, the Lord is gracious and compassionate. The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love. The Lord relents from sending calamity.<\/p>\n
There are several possible reasons for Jonah\u2019s desire to see Nineveh destroyed. First, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, and these people were enemies of Israel. Nineveh\u2019s destruction would have been seen as a victory for Israel.<\/p>\n
Second, God changing God\u2019s mind about the destruction of Nineveh could have made Jonah\u2019s words appear illegitimate, since he had predicted the city\u2019s destruction. It made him look bad.<\/p>\n
In his anger, Jonah goes and sits outside the city, and the Lord provides a plant to shade Jonah. The next day, the plant died, and Jonah got angry again, about the loss of the plant.<\/p>\n