What did Jonah learn?
(Jonah 1-4; Isaiah 6:1-8; Nahum 3:1-4) Blog Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 2023
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: God calls believers in Jesus, even though they are not perfect, to bring others into fellowship with God. The good news of what Jesus did to save us is their message. By leaving their comfort zone and submitting to God’s call they entertain strangers and intercede for the lost. God works with them to fill his church with disciples who continually desire to learn more about God.
Jonah’s Call
1. What did God ask Jonah to do? God asked Jonah to go cry against Nineveh (Jonah 1:2).
2. Why did God ask Jonah to cry against Nineveh? Because the wickedness of Nineveh came up before God (Jonah 1:2; Rev. 18:5).
3. What kind of wickedness was Nineveh known for? Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was known for its violence, cruelty, dishonesty, robbery, whoredoms, & witchcraft (Nahum 3:1-4).
4. How does the meaning of Jonah’s name reveal his personality type? Jonah means “dove” revealing his mild, gentle nature (Jonah 1:1; Gen. 8:11; Song. 2:14; Isa. 38:14; Hosea 7:11).
5. What can we learn about Jonah’s father from the meaning of his name? Amittai means “my faithfulness” telling us that Jonah’s father must have been a man of faith (Jonah 1:1).
6. What must Jonah have thought when God called him to cry against wicked Nineveh? Jonah must have thought of the difficulties & impossibility that Nineveh would respond & that God had called the wrong man for that job description & that God could find a more appropriate person if he went far away (Jonah 1:1-3)
7. After Nineveh repented what did Jonah tell God was his reason for not accepting the call to Nineveh? Jonah said that it was his knowledge of God’s graciousness, mercy, & kindness that made him flee to Tarshish (Jonah 4:2).
Jonah’s Response
8. When God called him to go to Nineveh, did Jonah make excuses like Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah? No, Jonah just ran the other direction (Jonah 1:3; Ex. 3:10-12; 4:10-16; Jud. 6:1-16; Jer. 1:4-10).
9. How did God demonstrate that Jonah was the right man for the mission to Nineveh? God sent a great wind & a great fish to get Jonah back on track for his mission to Nineveh (Jonah 1:4-17).
10. How did Jonah consider that God had treated him while in the belly of the great fish? When cast out of God’s sight, Jonah told God that he had been merciful to him by preserving him for his mission (Jonah 2:6-9).
11. When Jonah proclaimed God’s message to Nineveh how did the people respond? All the people of Nineveh believed God, repented, fasted, & turned from their evil ways (Jonah 3:4-9; Matt. 12:41).
12. Why was Jonah’s mission to Nineveh such a success? The success of Jonah’s mission was because God’s man proclaimed God’s message at God’s time in God’s mission field (Jonah 3:1-4)
13. Why was Jonah unhappy at the repentance of the Ninevites? Jonah was worried that he might be considered a false prophet & he lacked love for their souls (Jonah 4:1-3).
What Jonah Learned
14. What did Jonah not think of when questioning the wisdom of God in calling him to go to Nineveh? Jonah forgot that God was all powerful & all wise & that he knew what he was doing (2 Kings 4:18-37).
15. What truth about God did Jonah realize when he was in the belly of the great fish? Jonah realized that it is God alone that saves people — that no human effort brings us eternal life — that he was just called to be an instrument in God’s hands (Jonah 3:20-21).
16. What was God trying to teach Jonah with the gourd vine? God wanted Jonah to adopt God’s attitude toward the lost: to desire their salvation (Heb. 11:35).
17. What should we learn from the fact that Jonah was the most successful missionary of all time. We should learn that God makes no mistakes even when he calls imperfect people to do his work (Luke 7:11-17).
18. What did imperfect Isaiah realize when God looked for workers? Isaiah learned that God calls all his children to work for him & that if you hear God’s call you must willingly respond (Matt. 10:28; Mark 5:38-39).