Jonah and the Great Fish

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Jonah and the Great Fish Story

The Story of Jonah in the Bible Explained

If you are ready to begin today's Bible character study ... This is our SON-derful Jonah and the Great Fish journey discussing the story of Jonah in the Bible. The message within the Jonah story summary will truly enhance your BE-YOU-tiful Christian walk.

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The Book of Jonah

Chapter 1

Jonah and the Great Fish Summary

The Story of Jonah in the Bible Warning

You may think of the story of Jonah as a children's story, but this little tale has some important lessons for folks of all ages. It's very easy to picture this story in your mind's eye, so dust off your imagination and let's go fishing for the story of Jonah.

The year was about 775 B.C. and in a city called Nineveh, located in Assyria, they were practicing evil that the Lord didn't like. The Lord would always warn the people before by way of His prophets before He would ever do anything like destroy a city, as it is written. So, the Lord spoke to Jonah saying, Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and warn them because their wickedness has come to my attention.

Now Jonah was from Gath-hepher and Nineveh was about 500 miles or so, east from there. Well, Jonah didn't wanna go to Nineveh because, he knew that God was known for extending mercy and that was a long way to travel and frightening to him.

Jonah decided to run away from God, so he went down to Joppa, about 25 miles away and found a ship heading west for Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into the ship thinking he was escaping the presence of the Lord.

However, the Lord hurled a strong wind on the sea and created a huge storm, so strong that the ship was in danger of being destroyed. The sailors were afraid and they all cried to their gods and threw all the cargo of the ship into the sea to lighten it. Meanwhile, Jonah was down in the side of the ship, fast asleep.

The shipmaster went down to Jonah and said to him, What do you think you're doing, sleepyhead? Get up and call on your God and ask Him to consider us, so we don't die. The people on the ship decided to cast lots to find out whose fault all this trouble was. When they cast their lots, the lot fell upon Jonah. They asked him, What's the reason for all this evil and where do you come from? What's your country and who are your people?

Jonah said, I'm an Hebrew and I fear the Lord God of Heaven, that made the sea and the dry land. Jonah told them that he was hiding from the Lord and this scared the people. They asked Jonah, Why did you do this? The storm was growing more and more furious and the people said What should we do to you so the sea will calm down for us?

Jonah said, Throw me overboard into the sea and it will be calm afterward because I know it's my fault that this tempest is upon you. They were afraid to throw Jonah in the water, because they didn't wanna make God more angry than He already was. They rowed hard trying to bring the ship to land, but they couldn't. The sea was stirred up and violently against them.

They cried to God and said, We beg you, O Lord, we beg you, don't let us die for this man's life and don't blame us for innocent blood because you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you. So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped her raging. Then the men respected the Lord greatly. They offered a sacrifice and made vows.

Jonah and the Great Fish Meal

The Story of Jonah in the Bible Shadows

Now, the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. Let's have a little tidbit of truth at this point, shall we? We were taught as children when we heard the Story of Jonah in the Bible that is was a whale that Jonah was swallowed by. However, many point out that it does not actually say that it was a whale in the book of Jonah, it just says great fish. But, be at peace knowing that Jesus clarifies that it was indeed a whale when He said:

The whale swallowed Jonah and he was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. This event was a Shadow of Things to Come. It is much like our own shadow which is not actually our us but a reflection of our coming presence. In like manner, a shadow of things to come is a prophetic event that represents a coming event in the future.

Jesus explained this shadow in Matthew 12:39-41 and Luke 11:29-30 when the Pharisees tempted Jesus, asking Him for a sign from heaven. Jesus told them that an evil generation looks for a sign, an no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.

Just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, the Son of man (Jesus) would be a sign to this generation. Just as Jonah was in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights, the Son of man (Jesus) would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth and then He was resurrected.

What happens in the belly of a fish for an uncooperative prophet of God? Lets find out ...

The Book of Jonah

Chapter 2

Who was Jonah and the Great Fish

The Story of Jonah in the Bible Unfolds

Let's recap ... As you remember, we have a man overboard in our story, but usually that means that someone accidentally fell in the water. This wasn't the case in this instance. That man overboard was the prophet Jonah himself and he was purposely thrown into the water.

He was hiding from the Lord so he wouldn't have to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there as God commanded him, who were overcome with evil. Jonah didn't wanna go to Nineveh because he figured that in the end, God would just forgive the people anyway, so why go through all the trouble. His presence on the ship brought about a terrible tempest that was about to destroy the ship and all that were on it, so with prayers of mercy, the people on the ship, tossed Jonah into the sea.

Well, Jonah was swallowed up by a whale, and at first you may think this is a terrible thing, but let's go back and digest this part of Chapter 1 verse 17 a little bit. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. What does it mean, He prepared the fish? God actually provided protection for Jonah inside the whale, He wasn't making bait out of Jonah.

Jonah has a little change of spirit during his stay within the Lord's special accommodations for him and he realizes the seriousness of God's command. He knew that the alternative was drowning in the sea and he praised the Lord from out of the whale's belly: "I cried to the Lord because of my distress and He heard me, out of the belly of the grave I cried, and you heard my voice.

You had thrown me into the deep, in the middle of the seas and floods surrounded me. All your winds and waves passed over me. Then I realized, I am cast out of your sight, but I will still seek you. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul, the depth closed around me, the seaweeds were wrapped around my head.

I went down to the floor of the ocean, the earth imprisoned me for ever, still, you brought up my life from death, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted inside me I remembered the Lord and my prayer came in to you, in your holy temple. Those who are foolish give up their own mercy. But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving, I'll pay what I've promised. Salvation is from the Lord."

Haven't we all, as Christian found ourselves in the spiritual darkness and felt out of the presence of the Lord? At times like these we can take a valuable lesson from what Jonah did and pray. The Lord loves humility in a person and Jonah's prayer demonstrated his repentance, so the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out onto dry land.He was given another opportunity to perform the task he had been called to do.

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The Book of Jonah

Chapter 3

Jonah and the Great Fish Tale

The Story of Jonah in the Bible Fear

Returning to our Big Fish tale of Jonah ... When the Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, God said get up and go to Nineveh, that great city and preach to them the words that I will tell you.

Jonah didn't "flounder" around this time he went to Nineveh and obeyed the Lord. Nineveh was such a BIG city that it took three days to travel from one side of the city to the other. Jonah went one day's journey into the city and cried out the Lord's message. "In 40 days, Nineveh will be overthrown" ...

The people of Nineveh believed the message from God and they announced a fast. Everyone put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. Even the king of Nineveh did so.

He made a proclamation throughout Nineveh that no man, beast, herd or flock was to eat or rink anything and be covered with sackcloth and cry out mightily to God. He demanded every soul turn from their evil way and perhaps God's anger would be calmed and they would not be destroyed.

Here is a little Daily Bread crumb for ya ... "Sackcloth" was a custom of mourning in the Middle East region. They would wear a very coarse cloth or goat or camel hair. I bet it was uncomfortable and a constant reminder of what you had done wrong while wearing it.

"Fasting" is where they would not eat or drink for a said period of time. This would deprive the flesh of nourishment which would bring one closer to their spiritual side making their senses keener. As far as the "ashes" ...

They would cover themselves with dirty sooty ash as to show they were dirty with sin. They didn't throw a quick apology up to God and carry on as usual, No way ... They repented.

Well, the people of Nineveh must have been sincere in their repenting for their sins because it worked and God forgave them and decided not to destroy the city. It was their earnest, heartfelt plea for forgiveness that brought forth the forgiveness. Kinda makes you want to be a little more sincere the next time you need forgiveness from our Father does it not?

The Book of Jonah

Chapter 4

Jonah and the Great Fish Story

The Story of Jonah in the Bible and Grace

Nineveh had repented and had been forgiven by God. All should be well, huh? Well, believe it or not, this annoyed ole Jonah. He even got a little sassy with God. Jonah said, "God, didn't I tell you this would happen before I came here and I ran off to Tarshish because I knew you would be merciful and forgive the people of Nineveh. So take my life from me because it's better to die than to live.

Pretty shocking huh? After all he had been through and remember the touching prayer he gave God from the belly of a great fish. Then he found it within himself to be upset with God because God chose to forgive the people. I mean Jonah was just granted the same compassion a few days earlier from the belly of the great fish and now would rather die than live because God granted the same for others.

God answered Jonah ... Is it right for you to be angry? So Jonah went eastward outside of the city and set himself up a little booth and he sat right on down, waiting to see what would happen to the city. God saw this and created a great gourd so that it would cast a shadow and provide him shade in his grief. Jonah was glad for the shady comfort.

The next day God created a worm which destroyed the Gourd that God had made. Then the sun rose and the heat of the day rose. God created a great wind and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah so much so that he fainted and said again, it is better for me to die than live.

God asked Jonah if it was right to be angry about the gourd and Jonah said yes, I do well to be angry even unto death. The Lord said, you have pity on a gourd in which you have not labored neither made it grow which came up in a night and was gone in a night and should I not spare Nineveh which has more than 120,000 people which knew not their right hand from their left (Knew not what they were doing) ... The book suddenly ends there ... One can only imagine what took place at that point.

Jonah and the Great Fish Summary

The Story of Jonah Message

We all get this feeling inside and want to say to Jonah what's the matter fella, you spoke God's Word and the people chose to believe and were saved. What's the problem??? The problem was pride. Jonah felt that since God forgave the people that his works were in vain. He went and sat outside the city hoping it would be destroyed.

The Jonah story summary ... It is about a prophet who disobeys God, is swallowed by a fish, and then delivers a message of repentance to the city of Nineveh. The story of Jonah in the Bible reveals that we cannot go and sin, be punished by God, pray for forgiveness, be forgiven by God and then step away from that and fail to understand that Grace is for everyone. Not just ourselves.

So, the next time you come across someone running and hiding from God and their words and deeds may be deemed as sin, keep this in mind ... We too are sinners and we have to ask God for His forgiveness all the time. Judge not lest ye be judged.

Let us never become as Jonah and become blinded by pride so much that we would rather die than understand the Truth of Grace ...

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