Jonah and the Whale..

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Jonah and the whale bible story.

Jonah’s story teaches us about obedience,

willingness of spirit, gratitude,

compassion and God’s patience and mercy.

The story of Jonah and the whale is too important to be left as just a children’s story. There are lots of life lessons in the Book of Jonah for children and adults. Jonah’s story teaches us about obedience, willingness of spirit, gratitude, compassion and God’s patience and mercy.

Jonah was a prophet from Galilee and his story takes place somewhere between 780 B.C and 760 B.C. During this period of history, Assyria was a powerful, evil nation and Israel’s most dreaded enemy. The Lord spoke to Jonah and told him to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and preach to the Ninevites. (Jonah 1:2) Jonah was supposed to warn the Ninevites to repent or suffer the consequences of their wickedness.

Jonah had other ideas, though. Instead of heading for Nineveh, he took off for Tarshish, Spain. His motives could have been fear. The Assyrians had committed terrible atrocities against the people of Israel: traveling into their midst would have been frightening. Jonah also despised the Assyrians and probably would have liked to see God punish them. Yet, Jonah knew God’s nature. He knew that if he preached repentance to the Ninevites, they would repent and God would spare them. (Jonah 4:2)

The sailors all question Jonah about what he’s done to bring this storm on them. He confesses that he is running away from the Lord’s will and tells the sailors to throw him overboard to spare their lives. This they do. (Jonah 1:8-15)

As Jonah is sinking into the sea, a big fish (whale) swallows him. (Jonah 1:17) Here we see God’s great mercy. He could have let Jonah suffer the consequences of his actions and drown. Yet, God intervenes and spares Jonah’s life. We often complain to God about the consequences of our sins but do we ever wonder how often He has spared us from consequences? I do think about that often...

Jonah sat in the whale’s belly for three days and nights. He spends that time in prayer, thanking God for saving him. He realizes the miracle that God has affected to save him and is truly grateful. I’m not certain how grateful I’d be sitting in a whale’s belly come day two or three. I would certainly have been glad at first, but possibly would have started complaining pretty quickly. This is often the case for people: we beg for relief from our circumstances and when it comes, we aren’t satisfied with it. But Jonah doesn’t complain. He is sincere in his prayer and God tells the whale to spit Jonah out on shore. (Jonah 2:1-10)

Then, the Lord tells Jonah again to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. Imagine being Jonah, walking into a city of your enemies and preaching a message that is bound to be unpopular. It would be terrifying! But, Jonah this time does as he’s told and amazingly the people repent. The king orders all to fast, put on sackcloth and beg for forgiveness. (Jonah 2:1-10)

There are a couple of important lessons here. Many Christians are afraid to talk about their faith. We don’t want to look foolish or be unpopular. We’re afraid of standing out and being different. There could have been no city less likely to repent than Nineveh, but when Jonah was finally willing to do as he was told, they did repent! Nineveh was so huge that it took three days to cross it.

Imagine

all the lives spared by one willing voice.

Think of all that would have perished if that voice had not been there.

This same issue is with us today. So many are not saved or have never been told the Good News simply because some Christians have been too fearful to tell it. We have no way of knowing what someone will decide about Christ, we only have the obligation to tell people about Him.

Miracles

can happen in people’s lives

when we share

the Word of God with them.

By withholding the Word, we are failing in our responsibility.

Nineveh is spared and Jonah walks away from the situation mad at God.

He builds himself a little shelter outside of town and pouts.

He thinks that God should have destroyed the Ninevites rather than spare them.

So angry is Jonah that he says he’d rather die than live!
“2 So he prayed to the Lord, and

said, "Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country?

Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that

You are a gracious and merciful God,

slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness,

One who relents from doing harm.

3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me,

for it is better for me to die than to live!" (Jonah 4:2-3 NKJV)

What Jonah is really angry about is that God has given the gift of salvation to a nation that Jonah finds undeserving. Jonah felt that it was wrong for Jews to be sharing their God with people they considered heathens. It may seem foolish to us that Jonah got mad at God for saving the Ninevites. Think about this, though.

Are there people that you resent and would like to see fail? Are there those that have wronged you and you’d like to get revenge on them? This is just what Jonah wanted.

Honesty, I don't think we want harm on people just justice! Let there be truth and justice!

God’s mercy and salvation is for everyone-we are all sinners none of us have arrived.

Sin is SIN ...there is not a yard stick on sins!

God tells Jonah, “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 4:11 NLT)

Thankfully, God does feel sorry for us and spares us in spite of ourselves. He was able to use Jonah to deliver a message despite Jonah’s unwillingness and complete distaste for the message.

YOU may be asking, Deb why talk about Jonah? Well, I can see where I have been running away from God about certain things.

One the gifts,

Two the fear of others,-past hurts have been at the forefront of my mind and not wanting to have to see those, that I have allowed to hurt me deeply by their actions or behavior.

Yet, I see that just reconizing it and allowing God to heal and set me free from these things is the beginning of coming out of the Whale.

Things have been so stirred up lately in my life and the lack there of. I have been so focus on getting the job and car and maintaining. Not on the gifts that God has bestowed on me to be used -As the fear of having to move, or go somewhere that I did want to go, was there and made me tremble to the core of my being. Here is where God comes in, and holds my hand as we walk together down the path that he has prepared for me to walk down. As I allow my hand to grap hold of his, he talks to me and we get through this time in my life together.

This GUYS is healing!

I am going to embrace

the truth and listen to Gods voice and obey!

I do love sharing God's salvation and his word to others.

As well as, seeing people healed and set free!

I would hate that anyone would perish

and

not know the TRUTH

that does set you FREE...