Jonah is unique among the minor prophets in that the entire book is an account of a resistant prophet sent to the capital city of the Assyrian kingdom, Nineveh, to proclaim God’s judgment. When the Ninevites respond with repentance and God gives them a second chance, the distance between Jonah’s heart and God’s heart is revealed in a way that implicates all of us.
Jonah 1-4, with focus on 2:1-9 & 4:2, 10-11
Sermon OutlinE
“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” (Jonah 2:2)
Introducing Jonah
God’s Mercy and Running Away (Jonah 1)
God’s Mercy and Rescue (Jonah 2)
God’s Mercy and Repentance (Jonah 3)
God’s Mercy and Rebuke (Jonah 4)
God’s Word for Us from Jonah
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- As we continue our series “God in the Ruins: The Message of the Minor Prophets,” this week we turn to perhaps the most well-known of the minor prophets, the book of Jonah. Before you begin this study, take some time to be still and pray, asking God to speak to you through His word.
- Background: Jonah is unique among the minor prophets because it tells a story about the life of Jonah instead of collecting messages from the prophet. Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 as a prophet in the northern kingdom during the reign of Jeroboam II (786-746 BC). Because the story is told so dramatically in the book of Jonah, there is some debate about its genre. However, the message of the book is clear: God’s mercy is greater than we understand.
- Read Jonah 1:1-16. What do you discover about God’s calling upon Jonah and Jonah’s response to that calling? Why do you think Jonah did this?
- One of the ironies of this chapter is that while Jonah resists God, the sailors turn to their gods and eventually Jonah’s God. What do you notice about their dealings with the divine in 1:5-6; 1:9-10; and 1:14-16?
- Have you ever encountered non-Christians who seem more reverent than Christians? What did it make you think about?
- Read Jonah 1:17-2:10. This psalm celebrates God’s deliverance for Jonah. The words in this psalm are echoed in other psalms in Scripture (Psalm 18:6; 88:6; 42:7; 31:22; 69:1-2; 77:11-12; 3:8). How did God rescue or deliver Jonah?
- Read Jonah 3:1-10. How does Jonah respond to God’s renewed calling for him? What is Jonah’s message and how do the Ninevites respond to Jonah’s message? How does God respond to the Ninevites?
- Now read Jonah 4:1-11. What is striking about Jonah’s response to the Ninevites’ repentance (4:1-4)? According to 4:2, what has motivated Jonah since the beginning of the book?
- How does God both provide for and challenge Jonah in 4:5-9? What is God’s bottom-line response to Jonah in 4:10-11?
- Have you ever experienced God challenging your understanding of Him or others? How? What happened?
- What is one thing God is speaking to you through this study of the prophet Jonah? If you are on your own, write that down. If you are in a small group, discuss your answers with one another. Close in prayer. Choose one person in your life with whom you will share something you have learned about God this week.