If you have ten or fifteen minutes, stop and read it through. The title of the studysalvation belongs to the lordcomes directly from jonah 2. Lessons from the book of jonah by bob mendelsohn given at lcje 9 august 2012 how many of you would vote for jonah to remain in the bible. Beautifully balanced, deep and profound jonah s adventure opens a window into the heart of god. Messianic life lessons from the book of jonah pdf people need direction. The foundational source for the book was likely jonah s own telling of the story after his return from nineveh. But who then wrote the book and where do those intimate details of the story come from. Instead, he sat outside the city in the shade of a bottlegourd plant and pouted. This book is allegory jonahs three days in the belly of the whale symbolize the three jewish exiles this satire on prevalent beliefs.
A prophet with a bad attitude gateway international missions. Dive into an intriguing tale of mercy in the book of jonah. Jonah is the fifth book of what is traditionally referred to as the minor prophets. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to go preach to the ninevites. Introduction jonah is the book of the bible which perhaps has been criticized more than any other. Click on the get activity button below to view andor download the teaching picture pdf. Jonah and the whalethe book of jonah sunday school. What did you learn from the book of jonahwatch the video family worship. Get ready for a fun bible unit based around the story of jonah and the great fish.
See more ideas about bible lessons, bible for kids and sunday school lessons. While such a lesson would certainly suggest im plications for jonah, israel and us, the narrators resolution concerns the character. This did not mean, however, that jonah remained the same. Commentary on the book of jonah relevant bible teaching. I have appreciated our recent study in the book of jonah, both in our adult bible fellowships as well as in our childrens sunday school classes. Clues to the meaning of the object lesson one of the possible clues to the object lessons purpose is the use of the compound divine. The lord had given a specific great fish a new task swallow jonah. The book of jonah is more than just a delightful story for children. I see the gospel clearly represented in this short read so i am titling the book the gospel according to jonah. As we follow his word, gods goal is for each of us to find happiness in his prese. The book is a record about a man of god who was chosen as gods instrument in proclaiming gods message to the assyrians, particularly to the idolatrous pagans of nineveh. Lessons from jonah there are many other great lessons in the book of jonah, but lets consider these that we have studied.
An overview of the books of exodus and leviticus, with a series of 20 questions for each of the 26 lessons in this free bible class book pdf file size. Jonah should have understood that gods word is allpowerful since the holy spirit is working through that word, and no person is beyond hope or outside of gods loving concern. First, we should note that this marvelous narrative has suffered the brunt of the critics barbs for a long while. Here are 10 valuable lessons gleaned from jonahs encounter with the great fish and the. While there are many important lessons we can learn from this book, the truth that has impacted me the most in recent days is. Perhaps we could reflect upon a few of these matters.
If you have ever attended church, sunday school, or bedtime story sessions as a child, you have likely heard about the story in the book of jonah at some point. Jonah learning from jehovahs mercy, and then answer the following questions what challenges did the three publishers in the video face. Interestingly, the book of jonah consists of only 4 chapters, 48 verses, and just over 1,300 words. The book of jonah focuses on gods mercy toward a foreign people and the reluctant prophet he sent to them.
We wish to benefit from gods work and from peoples virtues and faults. In this sermon we will study the book of jonah and glean some general lessons from the book. The purpose of the book of jonah is to show gods people that his plan is exceedingly compassionate god is gracious and exceedingly certain god is sovereign. Interestingly enough, this is the point at which the book starts. When jesus prophesied his own suffering, death, and resurrection in matthew 12, he pointed to the example of jonah, who was punished for his disobedience, buried within the fish, and then. Since jonah prophesied during the reign of jeroboam ii 782753 b. Below you will also find links to our free sunday school lessons based on the book of jonah. What lesson should jonah have learned from the ninevites response to gods call for repentance and faith. Jonah and the whale printable pdf bible printables scripture printable craft whale jonah and the bible whale cup bible craft kids can make for sunday school bible story 736 x 736 100 kb jpeg kids sunday school craft jonah and fish jonah and the fish. Jonah and the whale inside this packet are a series of games, activities, worksheets, and full lessons that stem from the bible story in the book of jonah. A lesson from jonah that we can all learn new life. As a type of the messiah, jonah and the record of his prophecy cause us to glorify the god of all creation. It may have been a while since you read the book, but lets remember that a prophet of god should be a man who hears god.
These lessons learned from the book of jonah need to be taught to children of every generation. I am presently writing a book on jonah and was surprised at someone else writing about this awesome old testament book. Commentary on the book of jonah jonah 1 1the word of the lord came to jonah the son of amittai saying, 2arise, go to nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me. It is not the writers intention to take part in this argument, but to show that, no matter what conclusions may be reached as to the value of the book as historic fact, there are deep spiritual lessons to be learned from the experiences of jonah, lessons which are of much. May we learn jonahs lesson as we study this short, little book. Jonah sermon sermon outline by kevin cauley on the life of jonah and those lessons from it that are profitable for us today date written. The condition of his soul, and gods loving discipline of him, instruct and humble the reader. Jonah started out and made his way into the city the distance of one days walk, and proclaimed. Outline of the book with questions for each section. Much time has been spent in trying to prove or disprove the possibility of the occurrences related in the book of jonah. For it begins with a commission to jonah and with jonahs refusal to heed it, in other words, the book of jonah begins with a formal expression of gods sovereign will and with a mans determined opposition. The book ends with jonah brooding over nineveh, angry with god for the grace he gave to the people jonah so despises. Rabbis have different explanations for reading jonah on the holiday commonly called the day of atonement.
As we begin this verse by verse study of the book of jonah, i think we just need to stop and reflect upon the importance of this little book in the entire bible. Jonah and the fish bible activity book bible lessons for. Jonahs own telling of the story after his return from nineveh. Jonah went at once to nineveh in accordance with the lords command. In his word, jehovah has preserved the life stories of men and women of faith in order to teach us valuable lessons. This is the teaching picture for jonah and the fish ot11l4tp. Read through this weeks verses using both your observation.
The incidentals in the book of jonah are the fish, the gourd, the east wind, the boat, and even the city of nineveh. Conservative scholars place the writing of the book of jonah before 745. When god calls abraham to offer his son isaac as a sacrifice, abraham gets up early in the morning and goes, but when god calls jonah, jonah runs away. The word of the lord came to jonah and jonah refused. The book of jonah is different from other prophetic books, as many have noted. You will also remember how god provided jonah with a living submarine to get him back where he belonged. Jehovah had been patient and merciful with jonah, but jonah was not merciful with the people of nineveh.
The surface lessons are easily grasped and the content of the book is deep enough to challenge every christians mind. Jonah sermon lessons from the life of jonah proposition. Concern for the salvation of all people, including ones enemies, is the proper attitude for people of god. It is a well known story for obvious reasons, not least of which are a disobedient prophet, an obedient fish and a wicked nation that starts out bad, yet ends up good. The book of jonah the book is unique in that it is more concerned with the prophet himself than with his prophecy. When we left jonah at the end of chapter one it is fair to say he was in a slightly sticky situation. Some explain that jonah is evidence that no one can escape the presence of god, even while trying to run from the almighty.
God fulfills this need by providing his word, a spiritual map to guide and direct our lives. One teacher of israel says the story of jonah is more about repentance than it is about the fish. We read nowhere in the book that jonah confessed his sin and received a new heart. Clicking the link to a book all lessons or a single lesson below will open a pdf that you can print or save to your files. The purpose of the book of jonah was to encourage all gods people to extend mercy to the nations of the world, something they were not at all inclined to do. I am drawn to the book of jonah not only because i. Review each lesson and write a brief reflection on their relevance for your spiritual journey. The book of jonah in the old testament is a short book with just four chapters. The book of jonah is filled with valuable information and timeless lessons. Full text in english of the book of jonah my jewish. Any attempt to escape from the lord is an act of futility. Lessons from the book of jonah the christian science.
Although the author of jonah is never identified in the book itself, jonah himself has traditionally been identified as the author. The essentials here are jehovah and jonahgod and manthat is what the book is all about. Every lesson from gods unfolding story for older preschoolers includes a fullcolor teaching picture for use in teaching the lesson. We wish to take from this beautiful book beneficial lessons for our life. The book is anonymous, and there are no indicators elsewhere in scripture to identify the author. Im sure youre familiar with the story of jonah and the whale big fish. Date since jonah prophesied during the reign of jeroboam ii 782753. Unfortunately, many christians thoughtlessly cast aspersions upon this important book in the canon of scripture without realizing that they are playing into the hands of the critics and innocently becoming the dupes of the skeptics. The title of the book is the name of the main character, jonah. Nineveh was an enormously large city a three days walk across. Him to show you his purpose in including this account in his book, the bible.