Jonah - RSV

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 Amit'tai, __________, [2] "Arise, go to Nin'eveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their __________________ has come up __________ me." [3] But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went on _________, to go with them to Tarshish, away 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 hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty ____________ on the sea, so that the ship __________________ to break up. [5] Then the ______________ were afraid, and each cried to his god; and they threw the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to ____________ it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. [6] So the ____________ came and said to him, "What do you mean, you ____________? Arise, call upon your god! ____________ the god will give a ____________ to us, that we do not perish." [7] And they said to one ____________, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. [8] Then they said to him, "Tell us, on whose account this evil has come upon us? What is your __________________? And whence do you come? What is your ____________? And of what people are you?" [9] And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; 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, "What is this that you have done!" For the men knew that he was ____________ 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 quiet down for us?" For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. [12] He said to them, "Take me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you." [13] _____________________ the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous ____________ them. [14] ________________ they cried to the LORD, "We ____________ thee, O LORD, let us not __________ for this man's life, and lay not on us ______________ blood; for thou, O LORD, hast done as it ____________ thee."

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 took up Jonah and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. [16] Then the men feared the LORD ___________________, and they offered a ________________ to the LORD and made vows. [17] And the LORD appointed a great fish to ____________ up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three __________.

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 belly of the fish, [2] saying, "I called to the LORD, out of my ______________, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and thou didst hear my voice. [3] For thou didst cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me; all thy waves and thy billows passed over me. [4] Then I said, 'I am cast out from thy ______________; how shall I again look upon thy holy temple?' [5] The waters closed in over me, the deep was round about me; weeds were ____________ about my head [6] at the roots of the ________________. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever; yet thou didst bring up my life from the Pit, O LORD my God. [7] When my soul ____________ within me, I __________________ the LORD; and my prayer came to thee, into thy holy temple. [8] Those who pay regard to vain idols ____________ their true ____________. [9] But I with the voice of _____________________ will ________________ to thee; what I have vowed I will pay. ___________________ ____________ to 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 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it ____________ out _________ upon the dry land.

7. Jonah Answers God's Second Call.

Jonah 3:1-4 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, [2] "Arise, go to Nin'eveh, that great city, and ______________ to it the ____________ that I tell you." [3] So Jonah arose and went to Nin'eveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nin'eveh was an ___________________ great city, three days' journey in ____________. [4] Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he cried, "Yet forty days, and Nin'eveh shall be __________________!"

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

8. How Does Nineveh Respond?

Jonah 3:5-9 And the people of Nin'eveh believed God; they __________________ a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the ______________ of them to the least of them. [6] Then tidings reached the king of Nin'eveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered ____________ with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. [7] And he made _____________________ and ________________ through Nin'eveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let ____________ man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water, [8] but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry ______________ to God; yea, let every one turn from his evil way and from the ______________ which is in his hands. [9] Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish 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 When God saw what they did, how they __________ from their evil way, God ______________ of the evil which he had said he would do to 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 was angry. [2] And he prayed to the LORD and said, "I pray thee, LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a ______________ God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in ________________ love, and ________________ of evil. [3] ________________ now, O LORD, take my life from me, I beseech thee, for it is better for me to die than to live." [4] And the LORD said, "Do you do well 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 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he __________ see what would become of the city. [6] And the LORD God appointed a plant, and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his __________________. So Jonah was ___________________ glad ____________ of the plant. [7] But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm which ______________ the plant, so that it ______________. [8] When the sun rose, God appointed a __________ east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah so that he was faint; and he asked that he might die, and said, "It is __________ for me to die than to live."

What can be learned from this? ____________________________

______________________________________________________

12. Was Jonah Thinking Clearly?

Jonah 4:9-11 But God said to Jonah, "Do you do well to be angry for the plant?" And he said, "I do well to be angry, angry enough to die." [10] And the LORD said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night, and ______________ in a night. [11] And should not I pity Nin'eveh, that great city, in which there are more than a ____________ and twenty ______________ ____________ who do not know their right hand from their left, and also 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 them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall 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 whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the ______________ with this generation and condemn it; for they ______________ at the ________________ of Jonah, and behold, ________________ ____________ 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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