Jonah 1:4-9

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Jonah is Responsible for the Great Storm at Sea

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. God is sovereign over all nature.

  2. God is sovereign over circumstances.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. You cannot escape from God.

QUESTIONS

  1. Does God love only the Jewish people? Find the answer in the book of Jonah.

  2. What is the theme of the book of Jonah?

  3. How is the account of Jonah a rebuke to the nation of Israel?

  4. God designed a great wind, a mighty tempest on the sea. Why did God design this storm?

  5. Trace Jonah’s downward path of disobedience.

  6. Jonah was fast asleep. What is the spiritual picture here?

  7. Who were the unbelievers who rebuked Jonah?

ANSWERS

  1. God loves all people, both Jews and Gentiles. Jonah was commissioned by God to go and preach to Nineveh, a Gentile nation.

  2. “God’s Mercy to All Mankind”

  3. The pagan Assyrians repented when Jonah preached.

  4. To turn Jonah around.

  5. He went down to Joppa (1:3); down into the ship (1:3); down into the lowest part of the ship (1:5); and he laid down (1:5). The path of disobedience away from fellowship with the Lord is always down.

  6. It is a picture of a disobedient, runaway Christian. When Christians disobey and turn away from the Lord, they become indifferent, unconcerned and hard-hearted to the perishing world around them.

  7. The captain (1:6) and the sailors (1:8).

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. God’s sovereignty over nature was shown in the storm. The storm was designed and controlled by God to turn Jonah around. All the while, Jonah had the answer. We, too, know the One who allows storms and can bring peace in the midst of troubled waters. Jonah was rebuked by an unbeliever for not sharing his God. Have you ever been rebuked by an unbeliever for not sharing the gospel?

  2. God is in complete control over every circumstance. Nothing happens just by chance. God works all things after the counsel of His will. See Ephesians 1:11 and Romans 8:28. In Jonah’s case, he finally gave his testimony to the sovereign God. His problem was not of unbelief, but of attitude. God had to change Jonah’s attitude concerning grace toward sinners. Is your attitude in line with God’s grace toward all mankind?

CHALLENGE

  1. Jonah tried to run away from God, but he never made it. You may try to run away and hide from God, but He will turn you around. Be ready for the turn-around.

KEY VERSES

  • “The Lord sent out a great wind and a mighty tempest.” Jonah 1:4

  • “Jonah was fast asleep.” Jonah 1:5

  • “I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Jonah 1:9

Jonah, Old Testament, TalksDeb HarmsJonah 1:4-9