Jonah 01
v 1. Jonah’s name means dove. He lived at Gath-Hepher north of Nazareth in Galilee and prophesied to Jeroboam The Second that he would enlarge his borders, 2 Ki. 14:25. He was contemporary with Hosea and Amos. Jews may not have had respect for him going to Gentiles, and misstated, Jn. 7:52 that no prophet came out of Galilee. Some call him the first foreign missionary, but Elisha was much earlier, 2 Ki. 8:7.
v 2.,3. God commanded him to preach at Ninevah, but rather than preach to those Gentiles, he ran from God and tried to flee to Tarshish. Notice His downward spiritual plunge: Down to Joppa; down into the ship; deep down inside the ship, v 5; down into the sea, v 15; down into the fish, 2:17; down to the bottoms of the mountains, 2:6.
v 4-6. God sent a wind and storm so bad that they threw out the cargo and called on their many gods for help. In contrast, insensitive to trouble, Jonah fell asleep. They woke him to call on his God, desperate for any help they could get.
v 7-9. The sailors cast lots, assuming one of them had displeased their god, and when it fell to Jonah, they wanted to know all about him. He answered freely that he was 1, a Hebrew; 2, God is the Lord; 3, He is the God of Heaven; 4, He is the creator.
10,11. They thought it incredible that he would disobey his God and cause this, but wanted to know what they could do to him because the storm was getting worse.
v 12. He was penitent for their sake and told them to throw him overboard. He might have asked to be returned toward Ninevah, but he’d still rather die than go there.
v 13-16. They rowed hard for land, but finally, begging God’s mercy for killing a man, threw Jonah overboard. Immediately the sea was calm. That was proof that God controlled the seas, so they feared God, sacrificed and made vows to Him.
17. God had a great fish specially prepared to swallow Jonah, and keep him in a way that he would not suffocate for a period of, not 72 hours, but for part of three days.
(Some believe he died and God brought him back to life.)
In Science And The Scripture by Harry Reimmer, he tells of a man who was in a shark three days. The shark was killed, and he was rescued and revived. He had no hair and his skin was a purplish color. This could have been Jonah’s appearance when he preached in Ninevah.
Jonah 02
1-3. Apparently Jonah was alive and praying in this fish. He was confident God heard his prayer, and it was really God who cast him into God’s created billows.
v 4. Jonah is repentant and looks to the Jerusalem temple or the heavenly.
v 5-7. As Jonah slipped to what he thought was a watery grave, before he passed out he prayed to God in His heavenly temple.
v 8,9. It had been very evident that all the idols the sailors called out to were of no value, and he praises God from the fish belly, also vowing to obey the Lord.
v 10. God spoke to the fish to deposit Jonah on dry land, but his faith was tested for more than a day before he was safe ashore. Ignore zealous teachers who claim Jonah entered Ninevah with seaweed still wrapped about him. At 15-20 miles a day, it could have taken a month to walk 550 miles to Ninevah. So far we have seen seven miracles: 1, God caused the storm; 2, He caused the lot to fall on Jonah; 3, God calmed the sea when Jonah was thrown overboard; 4, He prepared the fish to swallow Jonah; 5, He had the fish transport him safely; 6, He had the fish throw Jonah up on dry land; 7, God changed Jonah’s disobedient heart to one of thanksgiving.
Jonah 03
v 1,2 There is no indication that Jonah went to Jerusalem first. He was not like the Israelites who tried a second time to enter the promised land without God,s command, Jonah waited on God. God renewed the command to go to Ninevah to preach His word, but didn’t mention wickedness. He emphasized Ninevah was a great city. It had inner and outer walls, and the inner one was 50 feet wide, 100 feet high and 8 miles in circumference. It enclosed some fields and the small towns of Rehoboth, Ir, Calah and Rezin.
v 3,4. Jonah obeyed, taking 3 days to make a preaching circuit around the city and it’s suburbs. The city would be destroyed in 40 days if the people did not repent.
v 5. The entire population believed God would do what He said and repented in fasting and wearing course cloth, but many may not have believed for soul salvation.
v 6. When word reached the king, he repented in the same way the people did.
v 7-9. The king proclaimed a fast, possibly the one in v 5, and even the animals were draped in sackcloth and denied food and water. He had the hope that God would relent and they would not perish. (This cruel nation would destroy Israel in 37 years.)
v 10. This was the greatest revival ever recorded. God did honor their request, and though they soon became wicked, destruction was delayed for 150 years.
Jonah 04
v 1. Jonah knew from Amos and Hosea that the cruel Assyrians were going to conquer Israel and was willing to preach a message of judgment, but he had no compassion for them to repent. He became very angry at God for not destroying them.
v 2. He angrily rebuked God, saying that was why he didn’t want to go there in the first place and started for Tarshish, knowing God was merciful and might repent of evil to them. .
v 3. Jonah had prayed to live, now he prays to die rather than see them repent. A soul winner must always be angry at sin, but never at the sinner.
v 4,5. God gently asked Jonah if his anger was justified, but he was so angry he left the city without answering and made a shelter beyond the east side and sat down to see what would happen. He still hoped God would destroy the city.
v 6. In compassion for His overwrought prophet, God performed another miracle, and overnight a vine (called a gourd here, perhaps a type of sunflower) sprang up and covered the shelter, making comfortable shade. Jonah was real happy about that.
v 7. In addition to the prepared fish and prepared gourd, now God prepared a worm to damage the plant and the vine quickly withered from the sun.
v 8. The following day God prepared an extremely hot east wind so that Jonah’s shelter was of little help and he was about to faint from heat prostration. Ninevah had repented, the nice vine had died, and now he just wished he could die.
v 9. God gently asks Jonah if he is justified in being angry for the vine, and he snapped back selfishly that he did well to be angry even unto death.
v 10,11. God reasoned with Jonah that a vine that came with no effort of his and was gone in a day had very little value, but this city of 120,000 little children, maybe 600,000 total, was of great value. The book ends with a question, but we assume the point was well taken and that Jonah saw the error of his ways before writing this book. Jonah’s attitude was characteristic of all Israel who were to be God’s missionaries. Do we place a higher value on the lost souls of the world than our own fleshly lusts?
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In the early 90's I started studing the bible by taking colleger courses, because I believe the Lord wanted me to become a pastor in a Nazarne Church. My goal has changed with all my studies. I have read and compared numerous translations and commentaries in my many years of studying the bible. Some of these authorities disagree with each other. I come across information on studies and classes that I have taken 15 to 20 years before and I have no documentation of where it came from. Plus I have given away or returned many books for college classes that I have taken. So if I have failed to give someone the credit that is due them I ask for their forgiveness. The following is a list of translations and commentaries that I still have and use.
ANSWERS to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions by Pat RobertsonOUR ETERNAL HOME by Richard W. Dehaan,
PROPHECY STUDY BIBLE by Tim Lahaye
READER'S DIGEST JESUS AND HIS TIMES by the Readers Digest Association Inc,
REFLECTING GOD STUDY BIBLE By Zondervan Corporation;
SAINT JOSEPH EDITION OF THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE by Catholic Book Publishing Co.
SEVEN KEYS TO FAMILY POWER by Billy Joe Daugherty,
SIX HOURS ONE FRIDAY by Max Lacado,
THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE by the Zondervan Corporation;
THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD by Jocyce Meyer,
THE BIBLE PROMISE BOOK by Babbour Publishing Inc,
THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER by Charles Mortimer Guilbert
THE BOOK OF HOPE by Tyndale House Publishiers, Inc,
THE BORN AGAIN CATHOLIC by Albert H. Boudreau,
THE CASE FOR CHRIST by Lee Strobel,
THE CATHOLIC ANSWER BOOK by Peter MJ Stravinsiasi
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BIBLE KNOWLEDGE by Mark D. Taylor;
THE DAY CHRIST DIED by Jim Bishop,
THE GREAT BIBLE QUESTION AND ANWERS BOOK by Playmore Inc
THE HOME BIBLE STUDY COURSE by Dr. Harold L. Wilmington;
THE KING JAMES BIBLE ARCHAIE WORDS DEFIND by David W. Daniel
THE KING JAMES BIBLE COMPANION by David W. Daniels;
THE KING JAMES STUDY BIBLE by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
THE LAYMAN’S BIBLE DICTIONARY by George W. Knight and Rayburn W. Ray;
THE LAYMAN’S PARALLEL NEW TESTAMENT by Zondervan Bible Publisher
THE LAYMAN'S LIST by Calance Stucup
THE MESSAGE BIBLE by Eugone H. Peterson,
THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE by World Catholic Press;
THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE Saint Joseph Edition;
THE NEW STRONG’S EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE by James Strong LL. D S.T.D.;
THE RISKS AND REWARDS OF INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE by Cardinal Francis Arinze
THE TRINITY by Rose Publish
THE VERY FIRST ESTER by Paul L. Maier,
THE WAY CATHOLIC LIVING BIBLE by Tyndale House Publishers;
UNCHRISTIAN by David Kennan and Gabe Lyon
UNDERSTANDING GOD’S LOVE by Ronald Greib
VINE’S EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT WORDS By W. E. Vine;
WHAT’S SO SECRET ABOUT THE RAPTURRE? By Christian Record Services, INC
WHEN GOD WINKS AT YOU by Tomas Nelson
WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE by Dr. H.L. Willmington,
WOMAN OF FAITH STUDY BIBLE by Zschech/Heillsong
YESTERDAY TODAY AND FOREVER by New Leaf Press
YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS by Anthony Wilhen
08/19/2011