Jonah 2

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Jonah's Prayer from the Stomach of the Great Fish

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. God uses discipline to turn the believer away from disobedience.

  2. God uses discipline to turn the believer back to Scripture.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Would you be able to quote Scripture from inside a fish?

QUESTIONS

  1. Explain the “three days and three nights” phrase.

  2. How did Jonah get out of the big fish?

  3. Jonah was a disobedient prophet with a bad attitude. How was he turned around?

  4. Was Jonah aware of the fact that God was disciplining him?

  5. Did Joseph’s brother’s know that God was disciplining him?

  6. Paraphrase “out of the belly of Sheol” Jonah 2:2.

  7. What is meant by repentance?

ANSWERS

  1. This is a Hebrew expression or idiom. The phrase “day and night” can refer to any part of the day or night. It is the same expression the Lord used of His time in the grave between death and resurrection. See Matthew 12:40 and Luke 24:46.

  2. The Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

  3. God used discipline to turn Jonah away from disobedience.

  4. Yes. See Jonah 2:3.

  5. Yes. See Genesis 42:21.

  6. “Out of the depths” or “from death’s door”

  7. Repentance is more than just being sorry for your sins: it is a change in direction, away from disobedience and back to the Lord.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. God uses discipline to turn the believer away from disobedience. God used discipline to turn Jonah away from disobedience and back to Himself. Have you sensed the Lord using discipline in your life to bring you back to Himself?

  2. God uses discipline to turn the believer back to Scripture. Most of Jonah’s prayer is a series of Scripture quotations. His prayer is not a plea for deliverance, but rather a psalm of praise and thanksgiving. God’s discipline does not result in bitterness, but in the fruit of righteousness. Have you had the experience of turning toward Scripture under God’s hand of discipline?

CHALLENGE

  1. It is obvious that Jonah knew a lot of Scripture by heart. The Holy Spirit brought Scripture to Jonah’s mind to use as a means of restoration. Could the Lord bring Scripture to your mind to restore you? Be sure that you have His word hidden in your heart.

KEY VERSES

  • “Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.” Jonah 2:1

  • “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord.” Jonah 2:7

  • “Salvation is of the Lord.” Jonah 2:9



Jonah, Old Testament, TalksDeb HarmsJonah 2