Jonah Lesson #04

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RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

JONAH 3
Lesson #04
LESSONS OF OBEDIENCE, FAITH, AND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

• Memory Verse: Jonah 3:10

 

• Obedience is one of the primary lessons throughout the Bible that God desires that we learn. Jonah presents us with a good example of lessons of obedience.
• Read Mat 21:28-32
  • Notice that both sons are disobedient, one in the beginning and the other in the end.
  • The first disobedient son represents the Gentiles that did not know God and had no relationship with God until the church age in the book of Acts.
  • The second disobedient son represents the religious Jews, the scribes and Pharisees. They always said they were God’s people obedient to God’s law, but it was an outward attempt at obedience and in the end they did not obey by receiving Jesus Christ, their Messiah.
• Jonah is like the first son in Jesus’ parable. He did not obey at first but finally he did obey.
  • Obedience is a characteristic that must be learned by all believers.
    • Jonah had to learn obedience.
    • Jesus had to learn obedience. (Heb 5:7-9)
    • We must learn obedience.
  • How is obedience learned?
    • Obedience is learned through suffering. (Heb 5:7-9)
    • On a human level, obedience is learned through suffering the consequences of disobedience.
      • This is how a child learns obedience. He does what you told him not to do, and he suffers a spanking, which is the consequence of disobedience.
      • God corrects his children in the same way through chastisement. (Heb 12:7-8)
    • It is possible to learn obedience vicariously through the experiences of other people.
      • As you see the consequences of disobedience in the Bible or in the lives of your friends and family, it can lead you to obedience if you make the connection between the sin and the consequence.
      • This is the better way to learn obedience, and a wise person will learn it this way.
• The link between obedience and faith
  • Read Mat 8:8-10
    • The wise believer will understand that obedience is a part of his faith.
      • It is to put trust in God and His sovereignty when you do not see how things are going to work out. There are many times when we must use our faith to obey God.
        • Abraham trusted God’s promise enough to be obedient and leave Ur for the Promised Land.
        • David trusted God’s promise to make him a king, but he was obedient to wait until God raised him up. He did not kill Saul to become the king.
      • Faith without a step of obedience is empty faith.
    • The sovereignty of God will order circumstances in a believer’s life to bring him to obedience.
      • Jonah’s life is the example. God sent the storm and prepared the big fish.
      • The consequences of Jonah’s disobedience brought Jonah to the depths of despair and from there he called on God to save him.
  • Obedience is learning to be under proper authority.
    • God moves and works through the lines of authority. While most Christians know this in abstract terms, they do not live it in reality because they do not understand the sovereignty of God.
    • The sovereignty of God puts people in authority for our good and therefore, God works through those lines of authority to make us what He wants us to become.
      • The believer needs to learn the lesson of living under that authority unless and until God removes you or God removes the authority.
      • Here again is the obedience of faith in the sovereignty of God.

 

• Read Jonah 3:1-10 The Obedient Prophet
• Jonah’s prayer:
  • Read Jon 2:8
    • Jonah did not ask God to deliver him from the big fish.
    • Instead Jonah’s prayer is a praise to God for who He is. He is the God of salvation.
    • Jonah promises to pay his vow. This is a vow of obedience.
  • Jonah’s prayer is a sacrifice of praise.
    • A sacrifice costs you something. Obedience costs you something, as well.
    • This kind of praise occurs when we do not feel like praising God, but by faith and obedience we praise Him because He merits it.

 

• “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time…”

 

(1)
• We see God’s patience with His children.
• In His sovereignty, God knew that Jonah would eventually obey. He knew what pressures to apply to Jonah’s life to bring about that obedience. He does the same with us.

 

• “…Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.”

 

(3)
• Jonah had to travel 550 miles from the coast to the city of Nineveh.
• The three days’ journey refers to the amount of time required to walk through all areas of the city and its surrounding area within the two walls of the city.
• Jonah’s message:
  • Jonah began preaching his first day on entering the city. (4)
  • His message was that the people should repent. What does that mean?
    • Repentance is a change of heart where a person turns and goes in the opposite direction.
    • Repentance is evident in the outward actions of a repentant sinner.
      • In other words, feeling sorry for sin is not repentance because there is no change in the heart and no change in actions. (Heb 12:16-18)
      • Exterior action comes from a belief in the heart.
  • If the people did not repent, the city would be destroyed in 40 days.
    • In the Bible, the number 40 is a significant number. The number 40 represents testing for preparation. For example:
      • The rain that produced the flood in Noah’s day lasted 40 days and 40 nights. (Gen 7:4)
      • Moses was 40 years old when began his ministry. (Act 7:23)
      • The Israelites were 40 years in the wilderness.(Exo 16:35)
      • Moses was in the mountain waiting for the covenant of Law for 40 days and 40 nights. (Exo 24:18 Deu 9:9)
      • The 12 spies were in the Promised Land for 40 days. (Num 13:25)
      • The Israelites were under domination by the Philistines for 40 years (Jdg 13:1)
      • Each of Israel’s first three kings reigned over a unified nation for 40 years each. (Act 13:21) (2Sam 5:4) (1Kin 11:42)
      • Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights before he began his ministry. (Mat 4:2)
      • Jesus appeared to the disciples and others for 40 days before the ascension. (Act 1:3)
      • These examples are a few of the references for 40 days or 40 years.
    • The forty days in Nineveh was a time of grace that would test the faith of the people to see if repentance produced the corresponding actions of a new lifestyle.
• The results of Jonah’s message:

 

• “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”

 

(5)
• Sackcloth and ashes:
  • Sackcloth is a very coarse fabric sometimes traditionally worn to indicate an outward attitude of sadness, remorse, repentance, or mourning.
  • However, as we already discussed, true repentance is demonstrated by a change of lifestyle and not a change of clothes.
  • The custom with ashes was to throw them into the air toward God.
• Those people who repented were from all levels of society.
• How do we explain the fact that all the people of Nineveh repented and turned to God so quickly?
  • We see that Jonah preached only three days for the whole city to turn to God.
  • Three key elements were present to help Jonah:
    • =1= Three days and three nights in the stomach of the big fish bleached his skin with stomach acids. He therefore appeared as white as a ghost.
      • Did Jonah tell the people of his recent experience?
      • His appearance would raise questions. Probably he did, but the Bible does not tell us.
    • =2= It is a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit that touched each heart to bring the conviction of sin.
      • Revival comes only by means of the Holy Spirit.
        • Read Joh 16:8
        • Read Joh 6:63
      • The experience of the new birth, a new nature, and the giving of eternal life, occur only because the Holy Spirit is called the Sprit of Life. (Job 33:4 Rom 8:2)
    • =3= The approval, the advertisement, and the example of the conversion of the king (probably Ashur-dan III). (6-7)
      • Government approval by those in authority, including the king, made Jonah’s message legitimate.
      • Advertisement by the King made the message spread throughout the whole city. (7)
        • The prohibition of food and drink would catch the attention of everyone in the city.
        • A fast proclaimed by the King of Nineveh made this a public event that included even the animals.
          • Why did this public fast and repentance include the animals?
          • The animals are included to signify the completeness of the repentance in all levels of the community. This was a common practice in the Middle East.
• How long did this repentance last?
  • The repentance lasted for 37 years, until the next generation.
  • Thirty seven years later, the Assyrian empire continued its violence when they attacked and destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
  • About 150 years after Jonah’s preaching, God finally destroyed the city of Nineveh (612 BC) and fulfilled the prophecies in the book of Nahum.

 

• “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”

 

(10)
• Inherent in a message of a warning judgment from God is always the condition of repentance. Repentance is what God desires for all mankind. (Joh 17:3, 23)
• God always responds to repentance with forgiveness. Repentance is the response for which God waits.
• Read Mat 12:41
  • What did Jesus mean by Mat 12:41?
    • The people of Nineveh repented easily even though Jonah was a reluctant prophet.
    • The Jewish leadership to whom Jesus spoke did not repent even though Jesus was greater than Jonah and came directly from God.
  • Therefore, the judgment will be greater for those who hear the truth of God but do not repent and accept Christ as their Savior.

HOMEWORK
Jonah 4
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Jonah 3
  • How is your level of obedience to God?

 

• How is your level of faith?

 

• In what ways does your lack of obedience inhibit your growth of faith?

 

• Preparation for Jonah 4
• Read Jonah 4:1-5
  • How do you explain Jonah’s anger?

 

• What does this tell you about Jonah?

 

• What does this tell you about God?
  • Read Jonah 4:6-11
    • What is the significance of the object lesson that God gave to Jonah?

Memory verse: Psa 22:6