- II Kings 14:23-25 – Timeline of the book of Jonah.
- The book of Jonah was written about 780 B.C.
- Matthew 12:39-41 – Jesus Himself testified to the factuality of the story of Jonah. It is not just a myth or fairytale as some claim.
- Two main points of the book of Jonah:
- God is the God of all, not just the Jews.
- God is anxious to save all, even the Gentiles.
- Jonah 1:1-17 – This book is full of miracles and acts of God. It is not a miracle that a great storm arose that endangered the ship. We also know there are creatures in the sea that are large enough to swallow a man. It is a miracle that Jonah was able to survive in the belly of the fish.
- Jonah 2 – Jonah recounts his prayer for salvation. God delivers Jonah from the belly of the fish.
- Jonah 3 – Jonah preaches to Ninevah and the people repented. God repented of the punishment He had planned for the city (Jonah 3:10).
- See Luke 11:30 – Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites. The Ninevites repented because of what had happened to Jonah.
- Jonah 4 – Jonah shows his prejudice and becomes angry with God because of the repentance of Ninevah.
- Lessons from the book:
- God’s love and mercy for all people.
- The evil of being narrow-minded and prejudiced.
- National sin requires national repentance.
- All that God created is in His control.
- We can’t run from disobedience.
JJ
November 08, 2015
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