Youth Bible Study Lessons > Jonah

Submit to God's Plan: The Conclusion of Jonah

Aug 1st, 2009
by Anthony Delgado.
is-jonah-historical-fact-or-fictional-narrativeWhy did Jonah become angry? (v. 1-3)

Jonah knew that when a message of destruction is preached that Israel would repent. (This is different than a simple message to repent, Jonah was told to proclaim destruction, not repentance.) He knew then that Nineveh would repent if he were to preach their. Israel was suppose to be a light to the world, but instead they saw themselves as being better than the world. Jonah was offended that God might provide salvation to gentiles, so he fled to Tarshish in an effort to prevent that from happening. Being obedient to God offended his own pride so much that he would rather die than witness the salvation of the gentile nation.

Submit, therefore, to the will of God. Even in areas that don’t appear to be sin we can put our pride above God’s will. It is easy for this to happen in the church. We can decide that we want to be a part of a certain ministry or event and refuse to listen to God’s call if it is leading us away from it.

Does Jonah have a right to be angry? (v. 4)

God asks this question in order to answer it. The rest of the chapter is focused on answering this question.

The circumstances. (v. 5-8)

Jonah did not know at this point if God was going to withhold his hand from Nineveh or not. We can assume that Jonah spend the better part of 40 days in Nineveh and is now leaving the city in order to be safe from the destruction if God follows through.

We can make assumptions about the character of God as Jonah did, but we cannot know for sure what His will is until He does it. We are to be obedient when we are called and can then wait to see God’s plan be done.
Jonah was aware that the sun would be a problem in the scorching desert so he built a shack or a booth to sit under in order to get out of the sun. We know Jonah had no intention of staying long because he did not build a complete structure. A booth is missing a side. This was so that Jonah could look out. It is also the means that God uses to bring peril upon Jonah. Since Jonah was to the east of the city, he would have had the opening on the west side so that he could watch the city. God brings an east wind which blew strait into Jonah’s window so that he had no protection at all from the elements of the desert.

Why did God save Nineveh? (v. 9-11)

The plant provided shade for Jonah so he was upset when it was gone even though he did not do anything to get the plant nor did he deserve it. God is comparing Himself to Jonah. God is saying that up to this point, He has done nothing to make Nineveh grow, but since it has grown to such a large number of people, He would be upset if He destroyed it since there is so much benefit to allowing it to remain in existence. We know that Assyria played a large role in the exile. They were also used by God to reveal the wickedness in the hearts of Israel.

The application is simply that where God did not predetermine existence, he does decide when to give and take away life. And He is here working in the world in order to complete His plan.

Conclusion.

The major theological conclusion from Jonah is bi-fold. First, God has complete control over his plan. He is working in this world so that His plan will be done. We see this throughout Jonah, but especially in this last chapter. Second, salvation is for all. Even in the times of Israel, salvation was available to all people. We see this both with the Ninevites and with the sailors in chapter 1. The application which we must derive from this book is that we should always be seeking God’s purpose for our lives; the purpose that he has set aside for us to do to further His kingdom. An underlying theme throughout the book is that we must set aside our own presuppositions about God in order to fully give ourselves over to do His work.

The book of Jonah is left at a bit of a cliff hanger. We don’t know if Jonah finally repented of His self idolization or if he took it to his grave. At any rate, we know that God’s will has been done on earth and that He is still working towards the completion of His plan. It is likely that it was left this way in order to prevent us from justifying our own unwillingness to follow God’s direction at the hope of future repentance.

Image Credits: Brent Nelson, flickr.com

Repent and Serve–Jonah 3

Jul 25th, 2009
by Anthony Delgado.

is-jonah-historical-fact-or-fictional-narrativeAs we go through Jonah, chapter three, there are a handful of important factors which all lead up to one major theological point and one major implication. This chapter of Jonah continues in the theme of the sovereignty of God to do His perfect will, but it also shows us that salvation was no different in the days of Jonah than it is today. It is by grace, through faith that the Ninevites were saved.

Verse one of this chapter makes it very clear that there was a waiting period before God called upon Jonah again. Jonah did not go to Nineveh upon being vomited out by the fish. It may have been that he needed some time for physical restoration or simply that God allowed him that time to ensure he repented. At any rate, he was called a second time to go to Nineveh. It’s important to note that up to this point in the story, God has not told Jonah exactly what message to preach, just that he would “cry out against it” (1.2). God says, “…proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you” (v. 2). At this time, Jonah goes in ignorance and obedience to do the work of God.

There is a bi-fold application here. First, we do not have to have full understanding in order to serve God; we simply must be willing. God can use us more if we serve out of weakness than out of our strength. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” In response Paul wrote, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12.9,10). God desires to use us in the areas that we are weak. Why? So that He alone gets the glory.

I use this example all the time as it is part of my personal testimony. God uses me as a teacher of His word. When I was growing up (and still to a great extent) I had very poor reading comprehension. I would read things over and over and have very little idea what I was reading. But, when I read God’s word, it comes alive to me and I understand, not just the raw narrative, but also the intricacies of it. I also am not a skilled teacher. My wife likes to point out that my brain works very different than most people. I guess I see the world a little different and as a result lack the ability to explain things to people. But again, when it comes to God’s word, He uses me to bring His word to His people. Do I of my own accord have anything to boast about? No way! In every way I serve Christ, I do so out of my weakness.

Now an area which is strength for me is music. In this area, God has used me for a long time, but in the last few years, God has made it abundantly clear that He will use me elsewhere. I have no choice but to glory in His sovereignty and submit to His good and perfect will regardless of my own personal desire.

This is not to say that we should immediately discard any talents that we might have; rather we should be aware of where God desires us to serve. Often that will be in our weakness, but it will always be for His glory. If we find ourselves receiving the glory, we must change our direction.

Second application is that obedience to God is proof of our repentance of sin. God never set out to form a legalistic society that would “not sin;” instead He wants people to do His work. “So…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10.31). I tell people all the time to quit worrying about what might be sin and focus instead on how what you are doing glorifies God. If all we do glorifies God then we are not in sin. Sin is not sin because it is ‘bad.’ Sin is sin because it is counterproductive to the good and perfect will of God our Father. So as we are obedient, as we do whatever we do and do it for His glory, then we are demonstrating repentance from sin.

In verse four, Jonah begins to go into the city. It is noted that it would take three days to get through the city, but that he only went one day into it proclaiming God’s message. He had one simple message, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (v.4). Again there are two major implications of this text. First, God’s work might look hard, but He will make it easy on us. Jesus said, “…my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11.30). Jonah preached God’s message for one day and we find as we read on that it spread through the whole city, even to the king. Second, God is Lord over the harvest. It is our responsibility to do God’s work, to preach His word, as He has commanded and whoever has ears to hear will hear and will come to God. When we do the simplest things for God or say the simplest things, as Jonah did, and God provides fruit, then the glory is all His.

In verse five through eight, we see Nineveh come to repentance. They repented in sackcloth and ashes, by fasting and by turning away from evil. Sackcloth was made from camel or goat fur and was often black. It often covered the whole body, including the head. Ashes were either put on the head or sat on. There is some definite symbolism here, but the point in Jonah is that the people were mourning their sin. This was a demonstration of their remorse. The fasting is interesting as well. The Israelites and other cultures as well, recognized the dead as being unclean. So, if someone died in your house it became unclean and you were not able to prepare food to eat. Also, if someone were to bring you food from outside, it would become unclean upon entering the house. There were so many legalistic cleanliness rights that it became a common practice to simply fast during times of mourning over death. The fasting of the people of Nineveh was also an act of mourning. The last thing mentioned as part of repentance is the turn from evil. They quit doing what did not honor God. When we are in sin, we must mourn that sin in order to get rid of it, to truly repent. If we are not convinced to the point of mourning that our sin is wrong, then we cannot be fully repentant of it. Even Judas, when he betrayed Jesus, and he realized his sin, he returned the coins to the Pharisees as an act of remorse (Matt 27.3). I’m not making an argument that Judas was saved; it is a picture of how God wants us to repent.

In verse nine, we find out that they repented because of the possibility that God might decide not to destroy them. This plays out really well in Psalm 2. Verse twelve of this Psalm says, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry…Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Even the Assyrians (Ninevites) recognized that a return to God would bring blessing upon them and deliver them from wrath. The application: we never have committed too much sin, or any sin so heinous that God will reject us. If we repent in sackcloth and ashes, in mourning over our sin, and repent of sin, God will deliver us.

Image Credits: Brent Nelson, flickr.com

Discipline and Deliverance–Jonah 1.17-2.10

Jul 9th, 2009
by Anthony Delgado.

is-jonah-historical-fact-or-fictional-narrativeJonah, chapter 2, is about repentance. Jonah is being disciplined by being cast into the ocean according to the will of God (v. 1.15) and being swallowed by the great fish (v. 1.17). He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding (Prov 15.32). God is trying to give Jonah, through discipline, understanding of His plan. Through discipline we gain understanding of God’s plan for us and if we are wise, we will act in accordance with that knowledge. To ignore the knowledge which comes from discipline is stupid (Prov 12.1). This chapter of Jonah outlines the stages of repentance beginning with God’s acknowledgment of the one who is in sin, the role of grace and the solution to the discipline.

God reacts to Jonah’s sin in two ways, through discipline and by expelling him from His sight (v. 2.4). This does not mean that God was ignoring Jonah. On the contrary, God was watching Jonah very closely. The reference to expulsion has to do with Jonah’s ability to enter into the throne room of God. Jonah could not come to God in prayer until his heart was free from sin. “If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Ps. 66.18).

God uses discipline to bring Jonah to repentance so that he can be restored. Jonah’s rejection of God’s plan was so great that he was brought to the point of death before he was willing to repent (v. 2.5). A speculation on logistics says that Jonah was cast into the ocean (v. 1.15), he was engulfed in the waves and the seaweed (v. 2.5), he sunk to the depths of the sea (v. 2.6) and at this point cried out to God from the depths of Sheol (the brink of death) and was swallowed by the great fish (v. 1.17). It is clear that artistic license was taken in chapter 2 by the author since verses 1.17 and 2.10 contradict the events as outlined in 2.1-9 as is often the case with Hebrew poetry. It is at this point, when Jonah was “fainting away” to death (v. 2.7) that his heart reflects a true desire of repentance. As a result, he was not only saved physically from the discipline, but he was also restored to fellowship so that his prayers could reach God (v. 2.7).

We see a glimpse of Jonah’s understanding of the doctrine of grace when in the midst of discipline, he says, “Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple” (v. 2.4). This is brought to fruition in verse 2.7, “And my prayer came to you.” NIV puts this perfectly, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (v.2.8). Jonah was idolizing his own self interest and his pride for his nation (as we will find out in further studies). He recognizes this as worthless idolatry. Anything that is put above God is idolatry and anything that is not for God is worthless and is sin, deserving of death. Jonah deserved death at this point, but through grace he was able to be forgiven and restored to fellowship with God. Had he not repented, he would have forsaken faithfulness to God (NAS v. 2.7) and died when grace could have been his.

As part of his repentance, Jonah takes vows and sacrifices to the Lord (v. 2.9). When you are being disciplined it is not simply enough to ask forgiveness. Forgiveness has already taken place at the cross. Even for Jonah, forgiveness was taken care of through the foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice. In addition to asking forgiveness, we are to praise God for his forgiveness repent of our wickedness and take vows to do His work (remembering that all we do is either for or against the kingdom of God). The last step is to remember who is in control. Often we deny that our discipline comes from God. Similarly it is easy to forget who delivers us from discipline. Jonah does this when he says plainly, “Salvation is from the Lord” (v. 2.9). For Jonah, this deliverance comes after he has been in the belly of the fish for three days, readying his heart to do God’s work; God commands the fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land.

In conclusion, this chapter in Jonah gives a very practical explanation of the principles of discipline and repentance. When we are disciplined, we must recognize that it is God’s hand upon us, acknowledge our sin before Him, repent of our sin, and take vows to return to the path and plan of God. It is in this way that we are restored to fellowship with God.

Image Credits: Brent Nelson, flickr.com

A Will to Choose God–Jonah 1.1-16

Jun 25th, 2009
by Anthony Delgado.

is-jonah-historical-fact-or-fictional-narrativeJonah 1.1-4—free will

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.

Men have freedom to choose. When the God calls us to do His work, we have a responsibility to Him to perform it, and otherwise there are consequences. In Jonah’s case, his refusal to submit to the will of God led him into a storm. This is a reminder that where we have the freedom to choose, God’s will ultimately will be done.

Jonah 1.5,6—monotheism; cultural background

All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish.”

Jonah lived in a monotheistic culture. Many of the cultures of this time would worship one God, but recognize many. It was easy for them to do so since they had faith based on works. It never required any real interaction with their God. The men on the ship were hoping that since their gods did not help them that maybe Jonah’s would.

Jonha 1.7—lots

Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

Casting lots is a common practice of many ancient cultures. I believe that when they are used in accordance with the plan and will of God, then they are reliable, but that when other cultures used them for unholy practices, they did not have the power of God in them and only produced random results. In this case since God was in control, he allowed the lots to fall to Jonah.

Jonah 1.8-10—fear of the Lord

So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)

The cultures surrounding the Israelites surely knew that they claimed to worship the one true God. You can almost see the light bulb come on for them. They were able to see now that the one true God has caused this calamity. At this point they realize that their gods are manmade and that there is a higher authority.

Jonah 1.11,12—Self-sacrifice for the greater good

The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

Jonah knew that the only way to save the other men was for him to leave them. In the middle of the sea, the only way was out into the water. At this point Jonah is uninterested in repentance as he does not pray or ask forgiveness; rather he asks the men to deliver him to his end in order to save themselves. This is the first point in which we sea Jonah’s inability to submit to discomfort on account of God’s will.

Jonah 1.13-15—Natural law and submission to God’s authority – parallel account: Rahab, Joshua 2

Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.

Then they cried to the LORD, “O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.

The men knew by general revelation that murder was evil. They knew that it was better to save him; however, sin is only sin if it is outside of God’s command. In this case, it was God’s will that the men “kill” Jonah by throwing him over (although we know God will save him) so it is not sin. We can define sin as that which is outside of God’s desire for us.

Jonah 1.16—whoever believes in me – John 3.16

At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.

This demonstration contains all of the requirements of salvation. The men feared God which means that they believed. They offered sacrifice as a profession of their faith and took vows, which means that they had a desire to be sanctified.

The basic point of this opening section is to show that God has a plan for His people. If you make a profession of faith to follow God, there is the benefit of eternal life, but you are not required to follow His commands, but be comforted; His “yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11.30). If we deny His will, there is discipline. I would wager to say that the men on the boat understood this.

Jonah – God’s Plan for Salvation

Feb 18th, 2009
by Anthony Delgado.
jonah-gode28099s-plan-for-salvation

renetewitt, www.sxc.hu/photo/813406

The tale of “Jonah and the Whale” is a common children’s Sunday school lesson, normally focusing on the repentance of Jonah and God’s desire for repentance. Where it is true that God desires that all repent from evil, it is not the only lesson to be learned from the story. The main theme of the book of Jonah is the fulfillment of God’s holy plan. This theme is followed with three underlying themes which are required for the God’s plan to become complete for this story. Those underlying themes are God’s authority over creation, salvation through faith and salvation available to all mankind.

God’s authority over creation is expressed mainly in two places, chapters one and four. The sea raged at the appointing of the Lord (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 1.15,16). The great fish swallowed Jonah (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 1.17). The plant grew up to shade Jonah from the heat upon God’s command (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 4.6). The worm was appointed by God to destroy the plant (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 4.7). Finally the scorching wind was at the command of God (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 4.8). God has control over all creation, but has provided that man is able to choose. Where God has control over all mankind, he has given the gift of freewill, so Jonah would have to be encouraged to repent and follow, whereas the fish, for example, had no choice. It is not that God could not have forced Jonah to repent, rather that he allowed him to make his own choice based on His encouragement.

It is this same type of choice that is an expression for faith which is required for salvation. God’s plan was for Jonah, but the choice to repent was his own. God encouraged strongly, but Jonah chose (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 3.3). It was the same for Nineveh. They had the promise of destruction if they did not repent. The promise was God’s encouragement, but the choice was their own. Nineveh could easily have chosen to ignore God’s call to repentance and been destroyed. Instead they chose to repent from their wickedness (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 3.5).

There is a logical nature to the idea of salvation for all which is alluded to in this book. If wickedness existed before the Abrahamic covenant with Israel, then certainly salvation from wickedness existed as well, or all from that time would have suffered eternal condemnation. Faith in God was the way to salvation just as it is today, and just as it was for Israel. We see a glimpse of this on the boat when the men, who are probably polytheistic in religion, recognize the deliverance and the authority of God and offer sacrifice and worship to Him (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 1:14). Nineveh as well expressed their belief in the true God when they chose to believe Jonah’s words and repented of their sins (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 3:5-10). They worshiped through fasting and grieved their sins with sackcloth and ashes.

The themes of God’s authority over all creation, salvation through faith and salvation for all are critical in establishing consistency of God’s plan for Jonah with that of the new covenant. And they are important in recognizing the fulfillment of God’s plan. There are two major events that took place within the book of Jonah that represent this fulfillment. The first is that God’s plan for Jonah was to preach His words to Nineveh, which was fulfilled (The MacArthur Study Bible, Jon. 3.4).  The second is that it is possible God required Nineveh to recognize Him in order for the Assyrian empire to align with Israel in later years when Nineveh would become the capital of Assyria (This is based on the assumption that Jonah was an early prophet). Regardless of the reason for Nineveh’s repentance, it was part of God’s plan, which was fulfilled.

Works Cited

The MacArthur Study Bible: Updated New American Standard Translation. MacArthur:

Thomas Nelson Inc., 2006.