Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord
1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea
7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
A Great Fish Swallows Jonah
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (ESV)
Here’s my blog that summarizes what the book of Jonah is about: http://www.churchforhighschoolers.com/blog/jonah/
Check it out and leave a comment letting me know if you are in to read this book over the next four days here on SOTD!
Fantastic blog Bobby!
Hey, True North! I set up a time for fellowship with people from our church! Tuesday @ 1, we are playing pick-up basketball games!
Wow! I can’t copy and paste the verse cuz I’m on my iPod. But, it’s disappointing to see that Jonah didn’t obey the Lord by telling Ninevah that the Lord was angry at them. We can’t look down at him, but he does share his faith with people on the ship. Then, what also suprised me in this chapter after Jonah flees in a ship. God controls the water and makes the water arise into a storm. Then have Jonah get swallowed by a whale. Like wow, God’s plan to have Jonah go through this is frightening!
Fellowship @ chapparosa park
1. update your iPod
2. Hold your finger at the beginning of the verse
3. drag the box to the end and hit copy
4. hold and let go in the text box, hit paste.
Daniel, thanks for the help! I know, what you’re talking about. I used to be able to. It just won’t let me do it on this site now. I can do it on other sites. I have the newest version of the software too.
When we first read this chapter we always think, oh wow Jonah was such a bad guy for think about God like that. But if we stop to think about it, we are just like or worse that jONAH. Replace going to a sinful city to preach about God, with your mom telling you to do something as simple as cleaning your room. You try to run away, you go out side maybe and play out there, but over time your mom will go check your room and find you. That may not be a perfect example just guys, we are no better than Jonah. Whether we want to admitt it, every time we know God might want us to help tear down an event at the church, but we decide we want to help with toddlers instead that is still trying to please God and running away from his will.
Very insightful, practical application Austin! Praying for you as you go off to NM!
Great comment, Austin. I believe God gives us these testaments so that we can have a right perspective on checking our OWN hearts and making sure that we are aware of the sins and temptations that lure and bait us. God means for us to be HUMBLE, and too often we falsely fill ourselves up when we read about our ancestors chunking it. But if I get really honest, I’ve chunked it worse than most of THESE guys…
Praising God for His forgiveness and love, for His mercy and grace.
I’m making it my goal to get all four days.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
I don’t want to be a moocher and just steal the great point Pastor Bobby made in his blog (which you should read), but this could have been God’s plan all along. God is infinitely intelligent and most likely planned this so he could reveal His glory to the sailors. God works in mysterious ways!
I like that goal Daniel!
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord
Now I am no profit, but i can remember a great many things I should have “called out against”, and instead kept my mouth shut because of the fear of man! How silly and small that seems to me now, Being concerned what someone might think of me for proclaiming the truth of God! God almighty ,CREATOR OF ALL THINGS, forgive my sin of silence oh God, remove my need for the approval of man, stengthen me to be strong and bold for your namesake!! Renew in me a passion to speak your word, your truth, and reflect your light on anyone YOU choose to contact THROUGH me lord, YOU are the first and the last, the only true living God of the universe, and you alone are worthy of my obiedience and worship!!!!
Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah…
Big Idea: God gives us instruction and, regardless of our response, His will gets done. He may take us on the long path to get us to do it but it gets done.
Then: Jonah hears, runs from and gets the red card for 3 days in the penalty box. Just enough for him to break and repent.
Always: God’s plan is executing, with or without help from us. He wants us to be part of it for His purposes, not because He needs us but for His pleasure and our growth.
Now: seek what we are running from God about, repent and ask for forgiveness. Then do it because He doesn’t want us to be defiant and it’s for our own good! Time is short and He is coming soon.
1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
I never had a very high view of Jonah while I was growing up. I remember wondering how he would completely go against God’s will when he was told directly to go the Ninevah. But then I realized that I do the same thing probably everyday. I have been given the Word of God, yet how much of it do I refuse to obey or make excuses for my lack of obedience?
James 4:17 says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” This verse doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for my excuses…. It doesn’t say if I’m tired, I don’t have to obey; or if I’m busy, I don’t have to obey; or if I think I know better, I don’t have to obey. It says it is a sin to not do the right thing. The right thing is ALWAYS what God tells me to do. The right thing is found in his Word. May I walk today in obedience to what God has told me to do through his Word and never make excuses to sin.
Great comment, Kates! Totally…
Amazing eye-opener Katie!!!!!!! I totally agree with everything you said!!!!
1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
God directly commanded Jonah to do something he didn’t want to do. So instead of obeying Jonah tried to run away from God. I read this story and think, wow, Jonah was really stupid! How could he think that he could run away from God?? But then I look at my own life. How many times have I know I was supposed to do something but I didn’t want to do it so I just kept putting it off and putting it off. Did I really think that God wouldn’t notice? Did I really think God would let me get away with it? I need to just obey, the first time. God sees all that I do and he sees my motivations. No one can run away from God. Obedience is what God expects and it is what I need to do.
Great comment, Meisha! Right on.
9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
When the mariners asked Jonah what he was all about, Jonah replied with “I fear the Lord.” But we see that due to his actions, he was in direct contradiction to his words. This happens all to easily. Words are just words unless they are backed up by actions. I can say that I’m a Christian and 100% sold out for Jesus Christ, but unless people see that there is really somthing different about me, they aren’t going to think anything of my words, or will actually think I’m a hypocrite. I’m praying that I wouldn’t speak in a hypocritical way, but that by my words and through my deeds I will show my love for Jesus Christ!
So true! our actions and words reveal our heart.
Nice prayer Summer! I can always see God working through you and you do a great job of always backing up your words with your actions!
9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
this is a great verse because God is one who mad the Heaven and the Earth. Last Night’s message at the church was Awesome! Pastor Bobby did Great. Even though i am coming up on my 1st year full year of being a Christian I AM 101% SOLD OUT FOR Jesus Christ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amen Lucas! thats awesome!… I am 101% for Christ Too!
thank you
1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
I really cant believe that Jonah tried to run from God and what God wanted. If God wants you to do something for Him, and you happen to run God will keep bringing the situation up and bring you there in the end.
ya, right back to where he wanted us in the beginning.
…”from the presence of the Lord”…this statement is repeated twice in vs 3 and again in verse 10
I think that statement represented Noah’s heart toward obeying God and going to Niviah, even though he feared God vs.9
I know there has been times, I like Jonah have not wanted to be in the presence of the Lord, as Jonah, and I have reaped the consequences as Jonah; hardships in my life because of my disobedience.
I can not imagine wanting to flee or not wanting to be in the presence of the Lord.
Father, I praise you and thank you for loving us, especially because we never have deserved it, and never will. Thank you for your grace, mercy, forgiveness and salvation. :)
goodmorning.
i read…
:)
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
i think this verse shows how powerful the Lord is. He’s powerful anough to have a whale swallow up Jonah. He was mad because Jonah ran away from what God wanted him to do. if God is trying to tell us something, we shouldnt run away but listen to whats He commands.
Good piont!
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
The Lord repeats several times throughout the Bible that He will NEVER give us more than we can handle, that He will carry us through our trials one day at a time; supplying us with the courage and resources to make it through. This being, Jonah had absolutely no excuse to flee. Considering all he knows of the Lord, it was rather stupid of him to believe that by “running away” he could escape the Lord.
I think that everyday people do this to. We “run away” from the Lord, but in less extreme ways. We might ignore a conviction we feel, ignore a message from our pastor, or ignore something God is putting on our hearts. We are silly to have any fear when it comes to serving the Lord. Who else can we trust; how can we doubt the promises of assurance and think that He would fail us when we are serving Him, no matter how unpleasant? Every thing He would have us do is part of His plan, despite our personal feelings. I pray that I can have the courage to follow any convictions I have, the courage to act on impulse for the Lord, and most of all the courage to serve Him in any and all situations.
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
Jonah has not necessarily been responsible so far in the story. God had asked him to do something, something important: Go to the city of Nineveh and rebuke them for their evil. Instead of doing as the Lord commanded, Jonah chose to board a boat and flee to Tarshish. He ran the other way from where God wanted him to go. Then when the Lord brought a tempest upon the seas, the men of the ship casted lots to see whom to blame. The lots fell on Jonah. The rest of the men onboard asked what they should do that would settle the seas. Finally owning up to what he had done wrong, Jonah told them to throw him into the sea and the storm would stop. While Jonah fled from doing what he had been commanded to do at first, he finally came to the point of owning up to his mistakes. He took the responsibility upon himself and was willing to be thrown overboard to save the ship, possibly not knowing if he would live.
I definitely do not want to be just like Jonah was in the beginning of the story. When God tells me to do something, I want to be eager to do what he says. I don’t want to try to flee from his presence. Instead, I want to do as he has told me to do. However, I want to be like Jonah was in this particular verse, responsible for mistakes made. I know that I will mess up plenty of times. And for all of my mistakes, there will be consequences. I don’t want to just try shirking off my responsibility for the actions I committed. When it comes to my sin, I need to own up to it and take the consequences I deserve so I can get back on track in seeking out the Lord!
Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
Many of us (including myself) have grown up in Christian schools or went to church every Sunday and have learned about the “Jonah and the Whale” story, I’m sure. But I never really stopped to think about the sailors! Pastor Bobby’s blog made me really focus on them as I read this chapter and the role they played. The sailors fear of God shows God’s omniscience, sovereignty, power, and compassion! God used Jonah’s sin and disrespect towards Him to save other people! It is amazing how our God works!!
3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah didn’t obey God right away without delay as Believers should. What stood out to me was that God used Jonah’s disobedience to teach the Fear of the Lord to a group of people who would not have had the opportunity to believe if Jonah had gone right to Ninevah:the mariners. I love how God is so compassionate that He moves the mariners from fearing evil and the consequences of Jonah’s sin to fearing God. As I read this it reminded me that God used the Jews’ disobedience and lack of belief in Jesus as the Messiah to give the Gentiles an opportunity to believe in Christ. I praise God for that because I am a Gentile and I would never have been able to be saved if God didn’t open up His kingdom to Gentiles. I love how Jonah, an Old Testament Book, foreshadows Gentile redemption and the death and resurrection of Christ (Jonah being in the belly of the big fish for three days & nights.)
My thoughts also, but you wrote it so well!
Hmm im really excited to read this book on SOTD! at first when i read this did not make any since to me at all!
i already new about the wale or the big fish about Jonah,ut thats mainly abut it…so i read Passtor Bobbys blog and it help me alot. its not all about the “the whale”or “the big fish”its about how God is sooooo power and strong he can do anything. so im really excited to read the other chapters of Jonah,n what God can do. =)
I love the book of Jonah! It is one of my favorite books because many times throughout the book, God’s power is shown. In Jonah 1, God showed that He is a great God and that He can use other people to bring Himself glory. The mariners began to fear God when they saw that He had caused the raging of the sea because Jonah was disobedient to God. We can’t just not obey what God is telling us to do and expect to get away with it. So we need to ask ourselves if we are fearing God or if we are running away from His great plans He has for us.
Great comment!
Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
I really liked Pastor Bobby’s blog about taking it from a different perspective: The sailors.
Here we have the Pagan Sailors, all worshipping their own gods, on their way to Tarshish. A man decides to come on board who claims to worship “The Lord, the God of heaven.” When a terrible tempest is cast upon their ship, the mariners cry out in fear to their gods. But God always has a plan, and is in control over everything. When they casted lots to see whose fault the storm was, God made it fall onto Jonah. The mariners ask him who he is, and Jonah says that he is a Hebrew that fears the Lord, the God of heaven. This statement by Jonah actually contradicts his actions because fear of the Lord is obedience of the Lord also. And Jonah was definitely not obeying the Lord by directly disobeying what he commanded him to do. The creator of all the universe called out to Jonah, but he was in fear of the Ninevites! The ninevites seemed like a big deal at the time, so Jonah fled. But in his fleeing, the Lord still brought others to knowing him. By verse 14, the sailors, who were formerly worshippers of other Gods, now cry out to the Lord for mercy. The sea ceased from its raging, then these men had come to fear the Lord.
It is amazing how God can take a situation of one of His own prophets disobeying him, and turn it into bringing others to him as well as teaching Jonah a lesson. How great is our God, He can use us in so many ways! The Lord always has a plan, and is a divine power that we as humans cannot imagine. He used Jonah as a tool to bring others to the Lord even though that was EXACTLY what he was fleeing from. These sailors witnessed the power of the Lord, and were forever changed. I cannot help but glorify God because of how great he is! The sailors, who are usually a forgotten side character in this book really jumped out at me after reading Pastor Bobby’s blog. To God be all the glory, for being all knowing and always having a purpose for us and out actions!
14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.”
They came to know that God was God and only God could stop this storm. How amazing is it when God plans things out in a way we never thought it to be. These men came to understand that Jonah’s God was the one who is in charge, the boss, the king, the awesome God. God puts us in many situations where we do not know the outcome and we would think that never would these people have anything to do with it. PEople watch us and they learn. The question is; What do we want people to learn from us?
I read Jonah again in Bible Lit at school and it gave me a whole different perspective on this book. I also started memorizing the prayer that Jonah says in chapter 2 a long time ago, and that got me reaaally thinking. It’s so awesome to see the sailor’s responses to the Lord almighty. Surely they have heard of the Israelites and their God! This whole event just proves to them that He is the only God that is mighty and powerful. I love how God uses this event to get His glory, just as He does with any other event in all our lives. It’s hard to recognize at first when we’re in trials, but God is getting the glory for it all. I think that when I’m in a trial of any kind, I need to remember that God is getting the glory for it all, even though it may be hard to see. Jonah will definitely give me a new perspective on how to look at a trial. Now, whenever I’m going to be in a trial, I’ll automatically think of a great fish. haha ^^ MARANATHA GOD!
What a classic picture bible story. This is what happens when you do not do what God has commanded. I think we all know that this story ends with Jonah being spit out by the fish at Nineveh. Even when you turn away from the lord, he will put you in your place. This is a great example of when Bobby said that if you know the Lord wants you to do something and you dont do it, It is a sin. Jonah sinned and now he was going to pay for it. Spending 72 hours in a fish stomach must have been horrible. It is a for sure miracle that Jonah was spit out at Nineveh. What happens next to Jonah is even cooler and I cant wait to read on!
1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
When reading this chapter it is always easy to point the finger at Jonah because it seemed like he could have saved himself a whole lot of problems if he just obeyed what God had said in the first place, but when I put myself in that same sort of position I know I would easily let fear get in the way of God’s will and go for my comfort like Pastor Bobby was talking about last night in his message. This story of Jonah is a great reminder for me!
This is a great example of how you cannot run from the Lord, just like how you cannot hide from Him. Jonah had plans of his own, but in the end, God’s plan is ultimate and WILL come through no matter how much our plans differ. The strange way the mariners come to fear God makes me think of how everything happens for a purpose, and even when I have no idea why something takes place God is forming events for His purposes.
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
While Jonah took the wrong route trying to run away from God, he realized his mistake and owned up. We might not always make the right choice in the first place, but I know I want to be like Jonah how he takes responsibility for what he has done. God used this action to instill a fear in the mariners, and in a similar way He may use our owning up to help others.
I read today and liked verses 1-3…..
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish.
Jonah deliberately disobeyed the Lord. He did not do what thew Lord demanded; therefore, Jonah payed for His consequence and spent a three night stay in the stomach of a fish. When we don’t do what the Lord demands of us, it is a sin and we will pay for the consequence also. I need to make sure that I am obeying the Lord’s word in everything I do.
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Great blog Pastor Bobby! It IS amazing how God used Jonah’s disobedience to reach a small group of sailors and teach them the fear of the Lord.
Every time I read Jonah I think about what it must have been like for Jonah…to be thrown off a ship into stormy seas, watch the ocean calm down, see a huge fish coming his way, probably try to get away from the fish, see it’s huge mouth come down over him, and to physically be squeezed down the throat of the fish into it’s stomach. If I were Jonah I would have thought that God was punishing my disobedience with death. The book of Jonah is great because it reveals the intense love of God…saving sailors, an evil city, and a disobedient prophet. Today I want to thank Him for his grace…I’m thankful that He saved ME! I deserved it no more than the people in the book of Jonah.
3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
obviously Jonah wasn’t thinking and remembering that God is omnipresent and omniscient cause he tried to run or flee from God but Got sent a storm and Jonah got eaten and then Jonah was spit out by the giant whale and went to Nineveh and saving them.
10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
It is basically impossible to flee from Gods presence. In the Psalms, the psalmist says that he can not go anywhere away from God. From the bottom of the sea to the highest of hights God will always be there! I need to remember that God is always with me and instead of trying to forget about Him and sin, I should resist temptation and come to God with my problems. He is not going anywhere, so I should never disregard Him!
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
Like Pastor Bobby said in his blog about the book of Jonah, God used Jonah to show who He was to the sailors. The Lord showed himself through Jonah. I found that to be interesting, I had not realized this before. We need to be obedient to God because we never know when he is going to use us.
I am excited to comment!
5a Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god.
This verse really stood out to me today. “Each cried out to HIS god.” They each had their own god. This made me ask myself what do I cry out to when I am scared? I am happy to say that my first instinct when I am afraid or nervous is to pray! But I know that in the past when I wasn’t a Christian with good street cred, I would’ve cried out to something else.
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
This shows extreme selflessness on Jonah’s part. I know that if this happened today and there was a group of people saying, “Okay, who here sinned?” people would probably point fingers. But when Jonah was found out to be the sinner, he owned up to it. This signifies repentance. We have to own up to the fact that we have sinned, and when we are not sure, it’s probably safe to say that we have. We need to examine ourselves often throughout each day and say okay, I really messed up here, or this day isn’t going well. Am I serving at every opportunity?
Good comment! I didn’t think about how it signifies repentance. Awesome and so true(:
This story is epic. Jonah is swallowed by a great fish. That’s God’s way of showing us that we should listen to Him and not go our own way.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows
I really liked this chapter because it showed a horrible situation in which a temperous storm has arisen and is tormenting a boat. While all of the people on this boat are probably thinking of this situation as a very BAD one, God is planning on using it for GOOD!
Like Pastor Bobby said in his blog about this book, it might have been God’s plan all along for Jonah to disobey him and run from him to Tarshish so that these sailors could experience this event which causes them to pray to God for help, learn to fear Him, and even make a sacrafice to Him! So although this situation seemed horrible, these men have now gotten the chance to ask God into their hearts and change their eternal destinations!
I can apply this to my life because I have a tendency to only see the negitive side to things when they don’t go my way. If I am expecting things to happen one way, and they go another, I am automaticly sure it couldn’t be for the better. But if God made things go that way, I’m sure he had a reason, and a reason that is better than the reason I had for wanting things to go my way! I really need to look at both sides of a situation before I make a negative judgment and see only the bad in it! Lord I pray that you will help me to have a more optimistic outlook in all situations and help me to trust in You that whatever the circumstances, You made things happen this way becaue You have a plan and You make all things work together for good!
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
Pastor Bobby made a great point about this in his blog on the book of Jonah. Normally, an incident like this one probably just seems like God is punishing Jonah, but this verse along with its context demonstrate how truly perfect God’s plan is! God planned all along for Jonah to disobey him, and as a result, all of the mariners came to fear him and follow him! Talk about using a bad situation for good and to bring glory to himself! We have an awesome God. There are times in my life where I feel like everything is going wrong, and feel like wondering if God is even still with me. However, I need to always remember that he is always with me, and always has a perfect plan for me. It won’t always seem good, and may involve suffering, but he has a reason for doing what he does. His decisions and reasons for doing them in my life are a lot better than any decisions I make. He’s the almighty, all-knowing God. I need to be always trusting that he has it under control, and remain steadfast in my faith with a clear conscience in what I do!
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
When we fear the Lord, we are less likely to do major sins, becasue we realize how much He hates them and what he can do about the fact we just committed major sins. I need to always be fearing the Lord!
Jonah is such popular bible story that almost everyone has heard at least a small part of it. And everyone whose heard it knows that God was telling Jonah to go to Nineveh and Jonah didn’t want to go because he was sacred and didn’t trust God to protect him, so he he ran the opposite way to Tarshish purposely disobeying God and got caught in a storm that God had caused and got swallowed by a whale that God sent and to swallow him. So this chapter showed me that I need to trust in God when He tells me to do something and I’m afraid to do it. I need to trust in Him that everything that happens is in His plan and is going to work out for His glory! And that if I do want to run or not do what He told me to do..its useless because (as is shown in this story VERY obviously) God is all powerful and if He wants you do to something you are going to end up doing it. We need to obey God when He wants us to do something, trust in Him that He’ll work it out for the better, and not bother running because it is obviously useless!
Maranatha!!!
This chapter of Jonah really showed how wrong it is to straight up disobey what God says. i think a lot of us would look at this story and think Jonah was so stupid for not heeding to the Lord’s orders, but in reality we do this kind of thing all of the time. We do not always listen to his commands, and sometimes we do things we know we shouldn’t, but if you don’t get caught its easy to assume you’ve gotten away with it. But the reality is, God sees everything there is nothing hidden from Him, and he punishes us for our sin, just like he punished Jonah.
3a But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord
It’s kind of silly that Jonah would do this. He thinks that he can escape the presence of the Lord, whom He worships and serves, and who he knows is all-powerful and always present.. I could go on about how this is so stupid, but I would be a hypocrite. Whenever I sin, I am basically saying that I don’t mind doing something that God hates, and that I can somehow get away with it. I pray that God will constantly remind me not only of His love and compassion that saved me from hell, but also of His power and punishment that instills fear in me.
3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
The Lord commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach a message of repentance. But Jonah decided to flee and run away from the Lord. He decided that his own agend was more important than what the Lord’s wi was. When I examine my own life, I find that sometimes I am a lot like Jonah. God commands me to witness (Matthew 28:18-20), to obey my parents, (Ephesians 6:1-2), and to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17), for example. When I don’t do these things and in a sense flee from the Lord, I am like Jonah. I need to not think myself superior to him or other people and recognize that I flee (though not literally) from the Lord. I need work on obeying the Lord and doing what He wants, and putting His will before mine!
I am down for reading this book on SOTD. I already know that I should not disobey God and runaway, but it shows ho powerful he is. He will not let is get away no matter where we go. Reading this makes us all scared of God. We deserve his wrath, but he put it all on his son. That alone is a reason to obey God. When the lot fell on Jonah he told his story an why he was there. Which got me thinking that this is a good thing. This might get the people on the boat to realize how power God really is and walk in his path that he has provided for us. It also good that Jonah own up to his mistake and took the consequences tht followed. We can all take a page out of Jonah book.
3 “…So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.”
Jonah was trying to get away from the Lord because He toid him to do something he didn’t want to do, he was afraid to go to Nineveh!
But you can’t hide from God, nor can you hide from your responsibilities, or in Jonahs case, commands from God.
I need to work on getting the job done instead of procrastinating or trying to get out of doing it or making up excuses why I shouldn’t do it.
Because stuff like that will come back and bite you, so just do it, and don’t hide from it.
So, Jonah messed up. He wants to leave the “presence of the LORD”. Well, that’s pretty hard because David proclaims in Psalm 139 that wherever he goes God is there. Trying to run from God’s presence is illogical, yet I feel that we try to do that when we sin. We are not creatures that find pleasure in sinning in public but we do it in our “secret places”. But, to God, there is no secret places. God sees and knows all things. That is how God knew where Jonah was. And knowing that Jonah acted in contrast to what God willed Jonah to do (will is used loosely here), God did what “pleased” Himself. It’s an interesting fact to think that God does things to please Himself. In fact, if I was to pick a motive that causes God to do all that He does I would say that it would be His passion in pleasing and glorifying Himself. That may be hard to swallow seeing how we are not His motive, but yet in His actions we see His love for us. If you haven’t read Pastor Bobby’s blog, do it. It explains God’s work in ALL things (yes, that includes Jonah’s sin) for good, which included the salvation of the sailors. I love to meditate on God’s truths about His sovereignty and awesomeness in salvation.
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
Jonah made a huge mistake of trying to run and hide from God (which is impossible because God is omnipresent). I can take this and learn from it. Whenever I’m called to do something, I should do it right away and cheerfully. There are someways that I can improve on listening to God’s call. But Jonah also does something else that I admire. He takes full blame of his sin and repents of it. When I sin, I can’t try to hide it, I need to confront it, confess it, repent, and take the consequences that come along with it. I need to stop hiding sin and instead confront it.
!!!MARANATHA!!!
And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Like others have pointed out so well, it’s telling that these men have a knowledge of Jonah’s God, even though they don’t seem to worship him. It’s reminiscent of how other nations had heard of Israel & her God after they had been delivered from Egypt. These nations FEARED this God because he had SHOWN his power in many ways. While they don’t fear God in a worshipping way, they now seem to FEAR him in a real, “my-life-is-now-in-danger” way. It’s amazing how God can make himself known to non-believers even through a “believer’s” sin and rebellion.
This passage also shows the Biblical truth of how one man’s sin can affect more than just him. Like Achan in the book of Joshua, & David in taking a census in 2 Samuel, Jonah’s sin jeopardized not only his own life but the lives of these “innocent bystanders.” Sin is never done in a vacuum, and while God certainly holds the rebel’s sin against him alone, the effects of sin often cause a ripple effect that reaches far beyond the immediate context. I need to take my sin this seriously, & realize that, even when I don’t THINK it affects others, it could have a dangerous fallout.
6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.”
I love the change the ship’s crew goes through between praying to their various false gods and recognizing and crying out to the one true God. One day everyone will have to make this same acknowledgement about the Lord.
I’m currently in Colorado, surrounded by huge mountains and blue sky, and in the face of all of this tremendous beauty it’s impossible to not see the hand of our great God and creator. Even still, the world offers up many alluring things that try to draw our attention–and even our worship. Though I’m saved, I want to be constantly wary of falling into idolatry and turning to worldy things for comfort or satisfaction. Like the ship’s crew discovered, no other god can calm a storm. Only the one true God saves!
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
Jonah was running from his fears and God. Instead of going to Assyria to preach to the peeople there, Jonah ran and got on the ship with. Sailors. When the storm came he knew God has caused it since Jonah was avoiding feeling uncomfortable and going to Assyria. But, in this verse he told the sailors to throw him over board to calm the seas and they did. Jonah knew running from God was wrong but he fessed up to his mistakes instead of continuing through the violent storm. This verse made me realize if we try ro run from God we can’t win. And, instead of trying to keep running from God, we too need to fess up and go back to God in our times of troubles and trust Him wwith the strength and guidance to make it through.
Praying for REVIVAL X that is only 1 week away! It it going to be the best week ever!
This totally reminded me of the Veggie Tales song…. Anyways!
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
So God showed that He wanted Jonah to go His way, but Jonah tried to get away. So God made a giant storm, and the only way to stop it was to throw him overboard. So they did. And then immediately the storm stopped! God has complete control over what goes on, and His plan will be accomplished no matter what. So instead of doing it the hard way like Jonah, i instead want to just do what He wants the first time He asks. :)
I’m sleeping with fishes here, in the belly of the whale
I’m highly nutritious here, in the belly of the whale…
VEGGIE TALES!! :D
4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.
sometimes when we do something that God does not like, he lets us know, and he let Jonah know by sending a huge storm to his ship, so we need to watch for the signs that God shows us
7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
Everything happens for a reason. God has planned how everything will happen. sometimes, bad things happen and we don’t know why. Everything God wants to happen, will happen, no matter what people do. God wanted Jonah to go to Ninevah, and by the end of the story he was in Ninevah. Maybe God wanted Jonah to not go to Ninevah at first. Maybe He needed one of the other guys on the boat with Jonah to hear about Him. Eerything is in Gods plan.
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
It definitely took Jonah quite a while before the consequences for his sin hit him. But one thing that I noticed was how quick he was to respond to it. He knew that he was in sin, but he could have covered it up by lying to the sailors, or by trying to save his own life. Instead, he confesses what he did and was prepared to face the punishment for it, no matter how severe. This is an important lesson for me as well. It is never “too late” for forgiveness. This should NOT be interpreted as a license to sin, but rather as a reminder there is no excuse to continue sinning. I will always have to pay the penalty for my sin, but that is much better than continuing to incur divine judgment!
1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
God commanded Jonah to go in to Ninevah which was a very sinful place. Jonah was afraid to go because of all the things that might have happened to Him. Jonah did not trust God during this. Today we need to not be afraid of the world like Jonah was. We need to trust God always because He is in complete control. When we faithfully listen to God like Jonah should have, God will bless us and help us through.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
this is a great example of how god uses everything for his glory. how at first jonah was running away from god but god uses that bad thing for his glory by first showing his power over everything by making a storm the pagan sailors than start making sacrifices to god. this chapter can always remind us that what ever happens is for the creator of the heavans glory. what a relief is that.
Solid post Spencer! Very encouraging!
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
This is a great book and this was always the book that stood out to me when i was little. It was interesting because he was inside a whale or sea creature. When i read it now, i see so much more in this book and realize that it is not about a sea creature, it is about God and how he works in wonderous ways. Like bobby said in his blog, this book is about fearing the Lord. It amazes me how God works to bring people closer to him and cause them for fear him and be in awe. If i was Jonah and those sailors, i would be terrified! First of all, it would be scary enough to be in a whale, but he was in there for 3 days and 3 nights! That is where trusting in the Lord comes into practice instead of relying on ourself for help. God is our main source of help and when we don’t do what he asks of us, we will be punished and have to pay the consequences. Its awesome how God works(:
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
This is a great verse. I love the book of Jonah because it shows so plainly what happens when we defy the LORD. Jonah didn’t do what GOD called him to, and so he got eaten by a fish. This may not seem that compelling, but GOD will do amazing things to bring us back to him when we defy him, and we won’t like it.
:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
The Lord called for Jonah to go to Nineveh and speak to the people there, but Jonah was afraid to do so. He instead tried to hide from the Lord and did not follow His command. God is omniscient so He knew when Jonah fled away and because God is all-powerful He created a tempestuous storm. Sometimes God calls to us as His followers in Christ to do things in His glory, although many times we try to flee from His callings. Doing this is a sin, and we should always follow God’s commands to avoid His wrath and judgment for our sins.
9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Like Summer said, it’s interesting how Jonah says he fears the Lord while he is in the middle of running away from Him. It’s one thing to say that you fear God and another to actually live it out. I pray that I would not be a hypocrite in this way and be a “Christian” that doesn’t really love God or want to do what He says. I pray that God would give me a higher view of Him, appreciating His holiness, hatred of sin, and loving mercy all at the same time, so that I would not dare sin against Him or forget Him. LORD, please help me also to make sure that I never skip one day of reading your Word so that I would know your commands for me and be inspired to obey them.
v7
God can use the smallest things to proclaim His glorious purpose and will among our lives. It’s amazing how the lots fell on Jonah, and that he was the one chosen to give his story and eventual be throw overboard. God chose for this to happen so that the sailors would see how awesome God truly is. Because the lots fell on Jonah, Jonah was able to share His faith. Because the sailors heard of the true Lord God, they too began to fear the Lord. We need to look at our lives in the same ways… even the small things can be used for God’s greater and perfect purpose and will for our lives.
Great to see your comments Ryan! Looking forward to Revival X!
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
This story is a good example of how God will always get His way in the end. Jonah wanted to do his own thing and resist God but He did everything in his power to guide Jonah to complete the task. I should make it my goal to do God’s will right away to please Him and not provoke Him to use force
I find it interesting that Jonah thinks that by fleeing he will be able to escape God’s wrath–that running away from him, somehow he can avoid him.
And I think that this is how most of the world thinks.
If only we run away from God, or don’t think about him, maybe we can avoid him.
I’ve even been caught in this situation, even as a Christian. When I am down, or facing a hard trial, my reaction would be to wallow in depravity, and not search for God. To stop seeking him.
But like here, and anywhere else, running from God does not solve the problem. We can’t outrun his wrath, and we can’t hide from him; he is everywhere, and all powerful–so running away is only going to make things worse.
This I’ve learned time and time again, and it’s always true. Salvation is found only in him; he is the only protection from himself, and so it should be him we’re running to.
Nothing else.
3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
For this, I found two things that really hit me.
First, the obvious, Jonah flees from God and his commands. This sounded familiar to me that people know a days they hear the message of Jesus or the gospel or even the commands of God, yet they flee. Like Cameron put it so well, people are putting their plans before God’s. I know I can really be like this too, especially during summer with a lot of time and not a lot to do.
Second, I know that hear it talks about Jonah fleeing from GOD and made me think how we should be fleeing too… from SIN. If you think about it, Jonah and Joseph aren’t really different. God uses both for his glory and good but they just respond differently. Joseph submits to God and (literally) flees from temptation while Jonah flees from God.
I pray that I would submit to the Lord and do as He commands me, and realizing that no matter what, God has a plan for my life and his glory.
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
3 days and 3 nights?! whoa!! Isn’t it SO cool how God works to accomplish his plans? He is SO big and I was just thinking about how all things are possible with him and even though there are times that we have no idea why He does certain things, we can trust that in the end, it’s all for his Glory. It may not be the way we want it to be, but good thing for a great God that is in complete control and loves his children, working even through our disobedience, knowing what’s best! Tonight I am focusing my eyes on God and giving him praise for his sovereignty <3
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (ESV)
Some awesome symbolism here! Although these are actual historical events, they were orchestrated by God to parallel the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Notice the two similarities:
1.) Jonah gave up his life for the sailors — Jesus gave up his life for sinners.
2.) Jonah was in the whale three days and three nights — Jesus was in the tomb three days and three nights.
Jesus is the central theme of the Bible. And even as God can make a man live in a whale for three days and three nights, so much more can he make himself become man, die, and rise again after three days. Praise the Lord!
AWESOME COMMENT, SPENCE! Rad insight as to how God uses this Scripture to direct us to Christ. LOVE IT!
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
God commanded Jonah to go to the land of Ninevah and spread the gospel their and turn the sinful souls that were there!! In fear, Jonah ran in the complete opposite direction away from Ninevah and away from what God wanted him to do. While running away God created a violent storm!! Jonah confessed to be the cause of it and said to the men through me overboard and that will calm the seas!!
Although Jonah disobeyed God, this move was a step in the right direction!! He owned up to the responsibility for suffering the consequences of his actions, and was thrown into the sea!!
Getting to the point of admitting sin is hard! It is certainly hard for me, but verses like these help me realize that when sin is confessed and opened up to family, friends, and especially God, it calms the storm!!
God please give me the continuous courage to admit when I have sinned and ask for repentance!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
You cannot mess with God.
That is what Jonah learned in this chapter. If you are going up against the will of God, you will lose every time. But if you think about the flip side of that, you cannot lose if you are running with the will of God instead of away from it.
That gives me great confidence looking towards Revival X! As I prepare for this week, I am sure that I am running towards God’s will. I can be confident that he will use this week for his glory!
We have all heard the old saying, you can run but you can’t hide…well…when it comes to us and the Lord the truth is we CAN’T run and we CAN’T hide! To think that we can run away from God’s will is a foolish thought. God will get our attention one way or another and His will will be accomplished. I am convicted to know that when I know God is telling me to do something, like evangelize, and I don’t he has the ability to MAKE me do it! God is powerful!
wow I missed June 11 by one minute :(
I enjoyed reading this chapter. Some verses stood out to me. Like verse 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
This verse shows that God has a plan and he does many things to follow through. Also this shows that we should have a strong fear of the lord, like these people did because if we fear him and his power he will bless us. God should be the number one thing we want in our life. We should have a strong fear of him, like he wants, because he is our God.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
It is amazing to see how these sailors were so fearful of the sea killing them one moment and then their fear turned in the next moment to a fear of God. God is so powerful and sovereign that we should be fearful of Him and what He can do. Pastor Mike was talking today about how God is not like us, He is so far above us and knowing that should cause us to fear and to worship Him. I want to study more about His sovereignty so that my fear of and understanding of God might grow.
Jonah 1
Jonah in his direct disobedience to God went against the orders of the Lord and decided to go it his own. Because of his rebellion against the will of God, Jonah was given over to calamity and near death. The will of the Lords will not be thwarted by mans disobedience. The Lord made an example of Jonah as to the consequences of defying God and His commands. It seems to me an extremely foolish thing to go against the living God that you prophecy about as a disciple. Christians today do the very same thing as we are warned about here in the story of Jonah. God leads us to Himself and we turn our backs upon Him and go our own way. Our arrogance leads us into relying on our own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
You can run from the Lord but if He has called you He will bring you to your knees until you are humbled in spirit as we see here with Jonah. It is useless to go against the will of God because it can only bring pain and suffering into your life. I don’t know why someone like Jonah who was a prophet of the Lord would go against His will. I do know that Jonah’s story has served as a powerful reminder to all of God’s elect as to the consequences of our disobedience to His will.
Lord I pray that I will always seek to submit in obedience to your will.
Lord I pray that students will submit to the will of God in their lives to avert God’s discipline for their disobedience.
6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
The sailors were terrified of the great storm, and they hoped that Jonah would be able to stop it..what they don’t realize is that God is the most powerful, and they need to fear Him…we all need to fear Him.
10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
This struck me deeply how accountable I am as a believer representing Jesus Christ, to walk and abide in the Holy Spirit, and to choose integrity as I go through life. People are LOOKING at me. People are sizing up my responses and temperament. People are scrutinizing my words, my actions, my choices–and they are catching glimpses of what dwells deep in my heart. May I be the brightest beacon He calls me to be, and the most effective, flavorful salt He calls me to be. May He use me to reflect and demonstrate His power to save and transform lives, HOWEVER He pleases. Whether suffering and trial, or prosperity and lush. May I always count it ALL as blessing, and may I always see that my cup truly DOES overflow.