1. Jonah Jonah 1:1-3

2. Introduction Jonah was the son of Amittai From the town of Gath Hepher- II Ki. 14:25 He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, king of the northern kingdom of Israel This was a time of renewed prosperity in Israel Jonah was called to go and preach to a foreign nation He is the only prophet who refused to obey God’s call This book tells how God dealt with Jonah

3. Jonah’s Call Other prophets were told to speak against various Gentile nations Jonah was called to go and to cry against Nineveh The capital of the powerful Assyrian nation To warn them that God would destroy them if they continued in their evil ways This shows God’s displeasure with sin not only among His people but also among those who don’t know Him

4. Jonah’s Response Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh The Ninevites were an idolatrous, proud and cruel people He boarded a ship going to Tarshish A city in Spain far away from Nineveh in almost the opposite direction Jonah thought that he could flee from the presence of the LORD- v. 2 The LORD caused a great storm on the sea

5. The Great Storm The sailors feared for their lives and cried to their gods They cast cargo overboard to lighten the ship but still struggled to steer the ship They cast lots to see who was responsible for the storm Jonah confessed that he was the cause of the storm- v. 9 Finally, they cast Jonah into the sea praying to Jehovah to spare their lives- v. 14 Immediately the sea became calm The sailors offered a sacrifice to Jehovah and took vows- v. 16

6. Jonah in the Great Fish God prepared a great fish- 1:17 Not a whale as we know it today Its purpose was to swallow Jonah and it did He was in the fish’s stomach for 3 days and nights In cold and darkness He knew his death was certain unless God helped His experience in the fish must have been terrifying

7. Jonah’s Prayer One who thought to escape from God was now a prisoner inside a fish Jonah prayed from the stomach of the fish He had faith that God would hear- v. 2 He describes his hopeless condition- 2:5-6 His promise suggests repentance- v. 9 Jonah expressed confidence that God could save him God answered Jonah’s prayer- v. 10 & I Pet. 3:12

8. Jonah’s Deliverance God cause the fish to carry Jonah to shore and vomit him out on dry land Atheists and agnostics make fun of this story But thy also deny the other miracles found in the Bible God can do anything that is according to His will- Mt. 19:26 Jesus said it was true- Matt. 12: 40 He said He would be in the earth 3 days and nights

9. Jonah’s Second Chance-1 Jonah was told again to go and preach to the Ninevites- 3:2 This time he promptly obeyed His sermon was short and simple He said in 40 days Nineveh would be overthrown- 3:4 The king put on sackcloth, sat in ashes and commanded fasting, prayer and repentance- 3:6-9 The Ninevites believed Jonah’s message and repented- Mt. 12:41

10. Jonah’s Second Chance-2 Why did they believe Jonah? Lot’s sons-in-law didn’t believe him- Gen. 19:14 Jesus said Jonah became a sign to them- Lk. 11:30 They must have known of his experience Jonah alive was a sign to the people of Nineveh They genuinely repented and God spared them Repentance is still required to avoid destruction- Lk. 13:3

11. Jonah’s Displeasure We might expect that Jonah would have rejoiced But he was displeased and became angry- 4:1 The Assyrians were Israel’s enemies who later conquered them Jonah had feared God would spare them- 4:2-3 He waited to see if God would destroy them God used a shade plant to teach Jonah another lesson- 4:10-11 Perhaps, Jonah learned from his second lesson

12. Lessons from Jonah-1 1. We cannot hide from God- Psa. 139:7-12 Jonah tried and failed God knows all that we think and do – Heb. 4:13 This is a comfort to His children and a terror to His enemies 2. God loves every soul- II Pet. 3: 9 Jonah didn’t love the souls of his enemies God expects us to love our enemies as He does- Matt. 5:44-45 And rejoice when they repent- Lk. 15:10

13. Lessons from Jonah-2 3. We cannot tell who will and who will not repent The Ninevites did but the Jews didn’t- Matt. 12:41 We need to teach all we possibly can 4. God is great in His mercy He showed mercy toward Jonah He was merciful to the Ninevites He is merciful to us in forgiving our sins- Heb. 8:12 Do you need to respond to God’s mercy this afternoon