Jonah - At A Glance

Theme: The book of Jonah shows the extent of God's grace. It has a message of salvation to all people. Although Jonah ran from God, God was still in control. He loves all the people of the world. And God did not reject Jonah for running away. He has great love, patience and forgiveness.

Jonah 1
At a Glance (17 V)
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1-3_The LORD told Jonah to go to Nineveh and cry against it because God had seen their wickedness. Instead, Jonah boarded a ship in Joppa that was headed for Tarshish. He was attempting to get away from the LORD's presence.

__4-6_The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea. The storm was so great that it seemed the ship would break up. The sailors began to lighten the ship by throwing cargo overboard. Jonah had gone below to sleep. The captain of the ship came down to ask him how he could sleep in such a storm? He told Jonah to get up and call on his God!

__7-9_The sailors decided that they should cast lots to discover who was the cause of this calamity. The lot fell on Jonah. They asked him of his country and occupation. Jonah explained that he was a Hebrew and that he feared the God who made the heavens, the sea and the dry land.

__10-14_The men were frightened when they realized that Jonah was fleeing from the LORD's presence. They asked him what they should do so that the sea would quiet down. He told them to throw him overboard. Instead they rowed desperately, but the storm only got worse.

__15-17_Finally, seeing no alternative, they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea. The sea immediately stopped raging. This caused the men to fear God greatly. They offered a sacrifice and made vows.

The LORD appointed a fish to swallow Jonah. He was in the stomach of that fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah 2
At a Glance (10 V)
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1-5_Jonah prayed to the LORD God from the stomach of the fish. He said, I called out of my distress to the LORD, and He answered me. Thou has cast me into the deep, and water that surrounded me was going to cause my death. Weeds were wrapped around my head.

__6-10_I descended to the roots of the mountains. My prayer came to You. I will sacrifice to You with thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay.

Then the LORD commanded the fish to vomit Jonah up on dry land.

Jonah 3
At a Glance (10 V)
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1-4_Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time. He said, go to Nineveh and proclaim to them what I will tell you. So Jonah went to Nineveh. It was a big city. He began walking through it saying, in forty days Nineveh will be over thrown.

__5-7_The inhabitants of Nineveh believed God's message. They called a fast. The king said that everyone from the greatest to the least was to put on sackcloth. Neither man nor beast was to eat or drink.

__8-10_Both man and beast was to be covered with sackcloth. Let every man call on God earnestly and turn from his wickedness. Perhaps God will relent from His anger so that we will not perish.

When God saw their deeds He did not bring calamity on them.

Jonah 4
At a Glance (11 V)
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1-2_Jonah was not happy when the LORD did not destroy Nineveh as He had said He would. He felt that this showed that he had been right to not want to come to Nineveh in the first place. This is why he had tried to go to Tarshish. He said that he knew that God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness.

__3-5_Jonah said, O Lord, take my life, for death seems better than life. The LORD asked Jonah if he really had a good reason to be angry?

Jonah went out to the east side of the city, and made a shelter from the sun. He sat under it while he waited to see if something might yet happen to the city.

__6-8_The LORD made a plant grow up quickly to make a better shade from the sun for Jonah. Jonah liked this plant very much. Then God sent a worm to attack the plant so that it withered. With the sun now beating down on him, Jonah said that he preferred death to life.

__9-10_God asked Jonah if he had good reason to be angry? Jonah said that he did indeed have good reason!

The LORD said, you had compassion on the plant for which you did not labor, because it lived only a short time.

__11_Shouldn't I have compassion on Nineveh which has been here a long time and is filled with people who have lived life without learning the truth? Don't you even care about the animals that would have been destroyed?

Chapters: 1 2 3 4