Erica's Bible Study and Journal: Jonah

Jonah 4:1-11 Summary

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:38:00 GMT

In the previous chapter, Jonah finally obeyed God and warned the people in Nineveh that they were going to be judged for their violence. Everyone listened to Jonah and they all repented. The chapter begins with Jonah being so angry with God for forgiving them that he wished he were dead! Here is a man that hears from God almighty and he has the nerve to chastise God for being gracious and merciful. He even said he disobeyed God because he knew He would forgive them and he didn’t want that.

God asked him if he felt justified in his anger and with that Jonah left the city and made himself a tent so he could watch the city from a distance. God caused a gourd to grow up over Jonah to shelter him and to relieve some of his grief. Jonah was happy about that. The next morning God caused a worm to injure the gourd, which caused it to wither. God then used the elements to make Jonah uncomfortable. Jonah was again so miserable that he wanted to die again.

God did all this to point out to Jonah that his priorities were wrong. Jonah cared more for that gourd than he did for the thousands of people that God spared. Jonah played no part in the creation of the gourd yet he was upset that it died. The people of Nineveh were far more valuable to God than the gourd.

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Jonah 2:1-3:1-10 Summary

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:03:07 GMT

In chapter two, we get just a glimpse of what it was like being in the belly of the fish. He was constantly beaten by waves in the fish’s belly. I’m sure the water was cold, dirty, and smelly. He probably struggled to keep his head above the water and weeds and debris had wrapped around his head. For three days he was submerged in water so his skin had to have turned gray and wrinkled. He felt every movement of the fish. He felt the changes in air pressure depending on the depth of the fish. He had no concept of time or space because there was no sun and no light in the fish. This was not a quiet respite. This was tortuous.

Every time he thought he was going to die, he remembered God and he was sustained in his prayers. He knew God had orchestrated this situation and God heard his cries for help. As he gave the sacrifice of thanksgiving (called a sacrifice, probably, because there didn’t seem to be much to be thankful for after 3 days and nights in a fish’s belly), God spoke to the fish and the fish vomited Jonah onto the shore.

Now Jonah is ready to obey God. God told him to go to Nineveh and say what he was told. Nineveh was a city that took 3 days to cross. It was huge. Jonah went into the city less than half way and told them that in 40 days God was going to overthrow them. That’s all! And they believed. How easy was that? God had sent prophets to Israel for YEARS, and they wouldn’t listen. Now here comes Jonah to Nineveh after being in the belly of a fish for 3 days, looking like something the fish threw up, and they believed him. The king even removed his robes in morning. He commanded that every person and animal was to fast and mourn before God and repent for their violence. And God seeing this spared them.

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Jonah 1:1-17 Summary

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:52:35 GMT

Everyone is at least familiar with the story of Jonah. Immediately, a man in the belly of a whale comes to mind. However, there is a lot more than that going on here. Jonah, it appears, was accustomed to hearing from God. When God told him to go to Nineveh and decry their wickedness, Jonah wasn’t shocked that God spoke. Rather he didn’t want to do what God told him to. He decided to outrun and hide from God so he boarded a ship going to Tarshish, which I imagine was in the opposite direction of Nineveh.

It sounds funny to read that this man who knew all-knowing, all-powerful God thought he could hide. But if we examine our own hearts, how often do we do what we know we shouldn’t and hope that God isn’t watching. If I started to list the times I tried to hide from God, I’d have to start a separate blog just to write it all.

After the ship to Tarshish set sail, a storm erupted with such force that it almost shattered the ship to pieces. All the sailors prayed to their gods and started throwing the cargo into the sea in an attempt to make the ship lighter. While all this was going on, Jonah was asleep. I don’t think he would have slept but for the fact he knew what was going on. He knew, I think, that God was at work.

The shipmaster woke Jonah up and instructed him to pray to his God to spare them. They decided to cast lots (I’m not sure how that worked) to determine who was the cause of this storm. It must have seemed supernatural in every way for them to think a person was to blame. I imagine they left shore, and there was no sign of rough weather, when suddenly there was a storm. The lot indicated that Jonah was the cause.

They immediately began to question Jonah. They wanted to know who he was, why this thing was happening, and what to do to stop it. Jonah told them that the storm would stop if they threw him overboard. That must have been a very difficult suggestion to make. He hadn’t read the next chapters so he didn’t know that God had already prepared the way to save him. It is possible that Jonah would rather die than go to Ninevah. The men prayed to God and asked Him not to hold them responsible for what they were about to do and threw Jonah into the water. The sea immediately calmed down and all those on the ship feared God. God had found a way to use Jonah’s stubbornness to make believers out of these idolaters.

The last verse of this chapter says that God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah to preserve his life. He spent 3 days and 3 nights inside this smelly, disgusting fish. It was dark, and wet, and utterly retched. And it could have been avoided if Jonah had obeyed God in the beginning. It is amazing the situations we can find ourselves in when we are disobedient!

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