Posted by Chester Morton / Sunday, 5 February 2017 / No comments
How Jonah was swallowed by the fish
JONAH SWALLOWED BY THE FISH
God asked Jonah to go and preach to the people of Nineveh
because their wickedness had come up to him in heaven. However, Jonah did not want
to go because he believed that God was a merciful God and would forgive them if he
preached to them and they repent. Meaning Nineveh would never be punished for
their wickedness.
Jonah went to Joppa and paid a fare to escape from God to
Tarshish. When the ship set sail from Tarshish, Jonah was aboard. He went deep
inside the ship and fell asleep.
On the high Seas, there arose a great storm that threatened
to break the ship apart and everyone on board was praying to his god to help save
the situation while Jonah was still asleep. The Seafarers, at a point, threw
some of the luggage on board into the Sea to make the ship lighter but it did
not help.
The Captain of the ship went to Jonah and told him to also
call upon his god to come and save them. After some time, they cast lot to see
on account of whom they were facing the situation in which they were and the
lot fell on Jonah. They all quizzed him about his occupation, his nationality
and his race. Jonah confessed that he was a Hebrew and a servant of the God
that made the Oceans and the dry land.
They people became afraid when they heard this and inquired
from Jonah what they must do. Jonah told them to cast him into the Sea because
he was the cause of their problem. They refused to throw him into the Sea and
rather tried to contain the situation. After some time, when they realized that
they could not stabilize the ship and the storm was getting even stronger, they
threw Jonah into the Sea and God sent a big fish to go and swallow Jonah.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
FROM THE STORY
1. It is possible for people to suffer the consequences of other
people’s sins.
2. People must learn from other people’s experiences and turn
to God.
3. There are dangerous consequences awaiting those who
disobey God.
WAYS IN WHICH THE
NATURE OF GOD WAS REVEALED IN THE ACCOUNT
1. God owns the world so he can use any of his creations to
accomplish his purpose.
2. God is not confined to any geographical location, He is
everywhere in the entire world.
3. Nobody can truly run away from the presence of God.
4. God can orchestrate any situation to compel
people to believe him and turn to him.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. a. Relate the story of Jonah as he escaped from God to
Tarshish.
b. What three moral
lessons can be learned from his experience?
2. a. Narrate the story of how Jonah came to be in the belly
of the fish.
b. What three
lessons does this story teach about the nature of God?
3. a. What circumstances led to Jonah being thrown in to the
Ocean?
b. In which three ways
was the universality of God revealed in the story?
4. a. How did Jonah react to God’s message?
b. What three lessons
can be learned about the nature of God?
Jonah's experience in the belly of the fish and in Nineveh>>
Jonah's experience in the belly of the fish and in Nineveh>>
