Jonah - NKJ

1. Jonah Had a Different Idea than God Had.

Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, __________, [2] "Arise, go to ____________, that great city, and cry out against it; for their __________________ has come up __________ Me. " [3] But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and _________ a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Nineveh was to the north and east of where Jonah lived. But Jonah chose to go west to the sea and get on a boat going even father west. Verse 3 says that Jonah was going to Tarshish to get away from the ______________ of the Lord.

2. Jonah Tried to Run Away from God.

Jonah 1:4-9 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty ____________ on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. [5] Then the ______________ were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to ____________ the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. [6] So the ____________ came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, ____________? Arise, call on your God; ____________ your God will ______________ us, so that we may not perish. " [7] And they said to one ____________, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us. " So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. [8] Then they said to him, "Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your __________________? And where do you come from? What is your ____________? And of what people are you? " [9] So he said to them, "I am a __________; and I fear the Lord, the God of __________, who made the sea and the dry land. "

Where did the ship's sailors find Jonah? __________________.

3. The Sailors Did Not Want to Do What Jonah Suggested.

Jonah 1:10-14 Then the men were ___________________ afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done this? " For the men knew that he fled from the ______________ of the Lord, because he had told them. [11] Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us? "--for the sea was growing more tempestuous. [12] And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me. " [13] _____________________ the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea ________________ to grow more tempestuous ____________ them. [14] ________________ they cried out to the Lord and said, "We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not __________ us with ______________ blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it ____________ You. "

The sailors prayed a prayer to the Lord. They said, we earnestly pray, O Lord, that you do not let us _______________ on this man's account.

4. And So, Jonah Went for a Whale of a Ride.

Jonah 1:15-17 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. [16] Then the men feared the Lord ___________________, and offered a ________________ to the Lord and took vows. [17] Now the Lord had ______________ a great fish to ____________ Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

What might Jonah have been thinking as he was thrown from the boat? Do you think he wanted to be thrown into the water? ___________.

5. Read Jonah's Prayer in the First Nine Verses of the Second Chapter of Jonah.

Jonah 2:1-9 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly. [2] And he said: "I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He ______________ me. "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. [3] For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. [4] Then I said, 'I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple. ' [5] The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. [6] I went down to the ______________ of the ________________; The earth with its bars closed behind me ____________; Yet You have ____________ up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. [7] "When my soul ____________ within me, I __________________ the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. [8] "Those who regard ________________ idols ____________ their own Mercy. [9] But I will ________________ to You With the voice of _____________________; I will pay what I have vowed. ________________ is of the Lord. "

1) Was Jonah in any distress? ___________________

2) Did Jonah think he would escape from the deep? ________________

3) In verse nine Jonah said where salvation comes from. Can the Lord give salvation to whomever He wishes? _______________.

6. God Did Something Unusual.

Jonah 2:10 So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it ____________ _________ onto dry land.

7. Jonah Answers God's Second Call.

Jonah 3:1-4 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, [2] "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the ____________ that I tell you. " [3] So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an ___________________ great city, a three-day ____________ in __________. [4] And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be __________________! "

What is Jonah's message? "Yet ___________ days and Nineveh will be __________________".

8. How Does Nineveh Respond?

Jonah 3:5-9 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the ______________ to the least of them. [6] Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered ____________ with sackcloth and sat in ashes. [7] And he caused it to be proclaimed and ________________ __________________ Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let ____________ man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. [8] But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry ______________ to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the ______________ that is in his hands. [9] Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not __________?

1) Did the people of Nineveh believe in God? _________________

2) Did the king of Nineveh take Jonah's message seriously? _________.

9. Did God Destroy Nineveh?

Jonah 3:10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God ______________ from the ______________ that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

What can be learned from this? ____________________________

______________________________________________________

10. Did Jonah Know That God was Merciful?

Jonah 4:1-4 But it __________________ Jonah ___________________, and he became angry. [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 __________________ to ______________; for I know that You are a ______________ and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in _________________________, 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! " [4] Then the Lord said, "Is it right for you to be angry? "

1) Jonah said, ___________ is better than __________ to me.

2) God said, do you have ___________ reason to be _____________?

11. What Is with the Worm?

Jonah 4:5-8 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. [6] And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to ____________ him from his misery. So Jonah was very ______________ for the plant. [7] But as ____________ dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so ____________ the plant that it ______________. [8] And it ______________, when the sun arose, that God prepared a ______________ east wind; and the sun beat on ____________ head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, "It is better for me to die than to live. "

What can be learned from this? ____________________________

______________________________________________________

12. Was Jonah Thinking Clearly?

Jonah 4:9-11 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant? " And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death! " [10] But the Lord said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and ______________ in a night. [11] And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty ______________ ____________ who cannot ____________ ____________ their right hand and their left--and much ________________? "

1) How many people lived in Nineveh? _________________

2) Did God want Jonah to share His concern for the people of Nineveh? _________.

3) What have you learned from the story of Jonah?

4) Do you thing the story of Jonah is a true story? ______.

13. Jesus Referred to Jonah.

Matthew 12:39-41 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. [40] For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh will rise up in the ______________ with this generation and ____________ it, ____________ they ______________ at the ________________ of Jonah; and indeed a ____________ than Jonah is here.

1) Did Jesus believe the story of Jonah? ___________.

2) The people in Jesus time believed the story of Jonah and his warning to Nineveh. Jesus said that someone greater than Jonah was in their midst to warn them. Who was He referring to? _________________.

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