The Minor Prophets: Jonah Gods Mercy is Great

Lesson 5 11 March 2012

Introduction to Jonah
Jonah: means Dove Son of Amittai: Amittai means Certainty or Truth He is from Gath Hepher on the Sea of Galilee Time period of service: Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25) Theme: Gods great mercy Only Minor Prophet mentioned in both OT and NT
c.a. 780 BC 930 BC 722 BC 586 BC 536 BC 400 BC

The Divided Kingdom

Fall of Samaria

Fall of Jerusalem

Return to Jerusalem

The End of the Old Testament

Jonah 1: 1-16
The Prophet Runs From God
vs. 2: Gods Call Go to Nineveh and preach vs. 3: Jonahs Response Get out of Dodge
Goes to Joppa Pays his fare to go to Tarshish and escape the Lord

vs. 4-6: God causes the storm

Jonahs response: He sleeps The sailors response: fear

vs. 7-13: Jonahs sin is found out

Jonahs response The sailors response

vs. 14-16: The Solution to the storm

Jonahs fate The Sailors change of heart

Jonah 1:17-2:10
Jonahs Prayer
vs. 1:17: The Sign of Jonah (cf. Mt. 12:38-41)
A wicked and adulterous generation requires a sign The judgment brought upon men

vs. 2:2-3: Jonah acknowledges the Lord vs. 2:4-6a: Jonah confesses to the Lord his sin
He was cast out He deserved death

vs. 2:6b-8: Jonah offers thanks to the Lord

He is rescued by the Lord He remembered the Lord Worshipping idols forsakes access to Gods Mercy

vs. 2:9: Jonah vows to the Lord

He will do as he has vowed SALVATION IS OF THE LORD!!! the great confession

Jonah 3
The Greatest Revival in History
vs. 1-2: God commands again with a twist
Preach only what God tells him to say

vs. 3-4: Jonah obeys

The great city of Nineveh Jonahs message: short and to the point (5 words in Hebrew)

vs. 5-9: Nineveh responds in true repentence

The response of the people The response of the king Between Shalmaneser III (860-824 BC) and Tiglath-Pileser III (745727 BC)

vs. 10: Gods response

Mercy is Gods foremost desire Mercy is not reserved for only Gods people

Jonah 4
Jonah Requires Additional Schooling
vs. 1-3, 5: The unhappy prophet
He wanted Nineveh destroyed He is so angry he wants to die He abandons the city again

vs. 4: Gods question: Is it right for you to be angry? vs. 6-8: Gods object lesson to Jonah
We forget that we create nothing directly Gods lesson is a lesson in mercy Jonahs response to the death of the plant

vs. 9: God asks again but more specific

Jonah argues back

vs. 10-11: Gods teaching to the prophet

Jonah pities a plant; God pities mankind God ends with a question (the only book to do so)

References
The TANAKH. The Book of Jonah pp. 1036-1040 The NIV. The Book of Jonah The Narrated Bible in Chronological Order. The Prophecies of Jonah pp. 755-758 Bill T. and Beyer, Brian E. Encountering the Old Testament pp. 453-454 Boice, James Montgomery. The Minor Prophets vol. 1 pp. 261-310 Unger, Merrill F. Ungers Commentary on the Old Testament pp. 1827-1842