Bible Lesson: Miracles Of The Old
Testament: A Great Fish Swallows Jonah.
Occasion: Godly Punishment.
Location: Mediterranean Sea.
Bible Text: Jonah 1:1-17 NLT
Jonah 1:1-17 NLT (Jonah runs
from the Lord's call.)
1 The Lord gave this message to
Jonah son of Amittai:
2 “Get up and go to the great city
of Nineveh. Announce My judgment against it because I have seen how
wicked its people are.”
3 But Jonah got up and went in the
opposite direction to get away from The Lord. He went down to the
port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought
a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from The Lord by sailing
to Tarshish.
4 But The Lord hurled a powerful
wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break
the ship apart.
5 Fearing for their lives, the
desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo
overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound
asleep down in the hold.
6 So the captain went down after
him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get
up and pray to your god! Maybe He will pay attention to us and spare
our lives.”
7 Then the crew cast lots to see
which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm.
When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit.
8 “Why has this awful storm come
down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of
work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”
9 Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew,
and I worship The Lord, The God Of heaven, who made the sea and the
land.”
10 The sailors were terrified when
they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away
from The Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned.
11 And since the storm was getting
worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to
stop this storm?”
12 “Throw me into the sea,”
Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this
terrible storm is all my fault.”
13 Instead, the sailors rowed even
harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too
violent for them, and they couldn’t make it.
14 Then they cried out to The Lord,
Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for
this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O
Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”
15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up
and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once!
16 The sailors were awestruck by The
Lord’s great power, and they offered Him a sacrifice and vowed to
serve Him.
17 Now The Lord had arranged for a
great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three
days and three nights.
Jonah 1:1,2 NLT
1 The Lord gave this message to
Jonah son of Amittai:
2 “Get up and go to the great
city of Nineveh. Announce My judgment against it because I have seen
how wicked its people are.”
Jonah was a prophet to Israel. One day
The Lord gave him a message of warning to be delivered to the people
of Nineveh.
God in His great love, warns the wicked
to turn from their sins, before judgment falls.
Psalm 19:7-11 KJV
7 The law of The Lord is perfect,
converting the soul: the testimony of The Lord is sure, making wise
the simple.
8 The statutes of The Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of The Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of The Lord is clean,
enduring for ever: the judgments of The Lord are true and righteous
altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than
gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the
honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant
warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Jonah had a message
of warning, and a call from The Lord to warn the Ninevites.
The message was,
God had seen only too well the sins of Nineveh, and that unless they
repented, judgment would soon be coming.
Psalm 19:9 KJV
The fear of The Lord is clean,
enduring for ever: the judgments of The Lord are true and righteous
altogether.
Psalm 37:28 KJV
For The Lord loveth judgment, and
forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed
of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psalm 97:2 KJV
Clouds and darkness are round about
Him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne.
Ezekiel 18:4 KJV
Behold, all souls are mine; as the
soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul
that sinneth, it shall die.
But all this made
the prophet mad!
Why?
All this made Jonah
mad, because he knew that if he went to Nineveh, and preached
judgment, judgment, judgment, he would end up looking like a fool.
Why?
Because he knew in
his heart that they would turn from their sins, and that there would
be no judgment, and he would end up looking like some false prophet.
Poor Jonah, but God
did not feel sorry for him at all!
(Skipping ahead in
our story....)
Jonah 4:1-11 NLT
(Oh the wonder of God's love and mercy!)
1 This change of plans greatly upset
Jonah, and he became very angry.
2 So he complained to The Lord about
it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this,
Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a
merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with
unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.
3 Just kill me now, Lord! I’d
rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
4 The Lord replied, “Is it right
for you to be angry about this?”
5 Then Jonah went out to the east
side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see
what would happen to the city.
6 And The Lord God arranged for a
leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over
Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort,
and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
7 But God also arranged for a worm!
The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant
so that it withered away.
8 And as the sun grew hot, God
arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat
down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is
certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.
9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it
right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even
angry enough to die!”
10 Then The Lord said, “You feel
sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It
came quickly and died quickly.
11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000
people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals.
Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
Jonah 1:3 NLT
But Jonah got up and went in the
opposite direction to get away from The Lord. He went down to the
port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought
a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from The Lord by sailing
to Tarshish.
Disgruntled Jonah, had a better idea, rather than being made a
laughing stock, he would merely run away and do his own thing.
But the God who sees and knows all, had even a better idea.
Psalm 139:1-12 KJV
1 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising, thou
understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted
with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou
knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon
me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot
attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from
thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in
hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost
parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall
hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night
shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth
as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
God would not only save Nineveh, he would save His prophet as
well!
Psalm 37:23,24
KJV
23 The steps of
a good man are ordered by The Lord: and He delighteth in his way.
24 Though he
fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for The Lord upholdeth him
with His hand.
Oh, how many religious brethern today, would be so glad to have been
shipmates on board the vessel to throw poor old Jonah into its
deathly waters! And how great they would shine as having done such a
work of righteousness.
But, alas, they could not be any further from knowing The True And
Living God!
Psalm 3:2-4 KJV
2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
3 But thou, O Lord, art a Shield for me; my Glory, and the Lifter up of mine head.
4 I cried unto The Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill. Selah.
9 Don’t just
pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold
tightly to what is good.
10 Love each
other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each
other.
I Timothy 5:21
KJV
I solemnly
command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the highest
angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing
favoritism to anyone.
How thankful, (without end), we should be for The Wonderful And Wise
Living God, we have!
John 13:1 KJV
Now before the
feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He
should depart out of this world unto The Father, having loved His own
which were in the world,
He loved them unto the end.
Jonah 1:4,5 NLT
4 But The Lord
hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that
threatened to break the ship apart.
5 Fearing for
their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and
threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship...”
Does God, control the weather?
Yes! This is not to say that man cannot control it as well, with his
21st Century knowledge.
See
the blog posting ….. Weather
Oh, the mercy of The Living God, not only does He wish Nineveh saved
from judgment, and His prophet restored, but that Mediterranean
sailors would be set free from worshiping false, lifeless gods that
do not hear or help!
The
Sailors aboard the ship, did what any men would do when their very
lives are in jeopardy. They shouted out prayers to the god that they
were accustomed to worshiping, but there were no answers.
Jonah 1:5-10 NLT
“... But
all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold.
6 So the captain went down after
him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get
up and pray to your god! Maybe He will pay attention to us and spare
our lives.”
7 Then the crew cast lots to see
which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm.
When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit.
8 “Why has this awful storm
come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line
of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”
9 Jonah answered, “I am a
Hebrew, and I worship The Lord, The God Of heaven, who made the sea
and the land.”
10 The sailors were terrified
when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running
away from The Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned.
Christian out side the will of God, hear well the words of these
sailors!
“Oh,
why did you do it?”
May backslidden Godly people, bring the judgment of God on a sea,
a country and its people?
Ask Jonah!
Oh, if we but cry out to Him, He will hear us, He will restore us!
II Chronicles 7:14 KJV
If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked
ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and
will heal their land.
Psalm 23:3 KJV
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.
Jeremiah 30:17 KJV (Not only true for Israel, but all people
of God, everywhere.)
For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy
wounds, saith The Lord..."
Joel 2:25-27 KJV
25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten,
the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, My great
army which I sent among you.
26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the
name of The Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and
My people shall never be ashamed.
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst..."
Jonah 1:11-13 NLT
11 And since the storm was
getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to
you to stop this storm?”
12 “Throw me into the sea,”
Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this
terrible storm is all my fault.”
13 Instead, the sailors rowed
even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too
violent for them, and they couldn’t make it.
False gods, always reveal themselves for just who they are, no gods
at all!
I Chronicles
16:26 KJV
For all the
gods of the people are idols: but The Lord made the heavens.
Jeremiah 2:11-13
NLT
11
Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they
are not gods at all? Yet My people
have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols!
12 The heavens
are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
says
The Lord.
13 “For My
people have done two evil things: They have abandoned Me— The
Fountain Of Living Water. And they have dug for themselves cracked
cisterns that can hold no water at all!
Jeremiah 11:12
KJV
Then shall the
cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the
gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at
all in the time of their trouble.
Jeremiah
16:19-21 NLT
19 Lord, you
are my Strength and Fortress, my Refuge in the day of trouble!
Nations from around the world will come to you and say, “Our
ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped worthless
idols.
20 Can people
make their own gods? These are not real gods at all!”
21 The Lord
says, “Now I will show them My power; now I will show them My
might. At last they will know and understand that I am The Lord.
(Continued)
14 Then they cried out to The
Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us
die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his
death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good
reasons.”
15 Then the sailors picked Jonah
up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once!
16 The sailors were awestruck
by The Lord’s great power, and they offered Him a sacrifice and
vowed to serve Him.
God always uses evil for good!
Genesis 50:19,20 KJV (Joseph in Egypt, before his brothers.)
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of
God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it
unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people
alive.
Romans 8:28 KJV
And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
(Jonah continued)
17 Now The
Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was
inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Luke
11:29-32 NLT (Sign of Jonah)
29 As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, He said, “This evil
generation keeps asking Me to show them a miraculous sign. But the
only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.
30 What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that
God had sent him.
What happens to The Son Of Man will be a sign to these people that
He was sent by God.
31 “The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on
judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear
the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but
you refuse to listen.
32 The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this
generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their
sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is
here—but you refuse to repent.
Dear friend, do you know this wonderful God of love and mercy? God's
Son, Jesus has come to make a way of salvation and blessing open for
you.
Lamentations 3:22,23 KJV
22 It is of The Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because
His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
II Corinthians 5:21 NLT
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our
sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Acts 4:12 KJV
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
John 1:12 KJV
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
Acts 2:21 KJV
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name
of The Lord shall be saved.
Revelation 3:20 NLT
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and
open the door, I will come in..."
