Studying the Book of Jonah: part 2

In part 1 of this study, we left off at verse 3 having learned why Jonah disliked, maybe hated would be a better word, the Ninevites badly enough to willingly disobey God.

In today's entry, we're going to look closely at verses 4, 5 and 6 of chapter 1 ...

Jonah is now in the boat and thinks he's successfully running away from God and what He wants him to do ...

Verse 4: But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

The Lord responded to Jonah’s disobedience in a BIG way!  All the forces of nature are under the command of God and once the ship was out over waters, God hurled a great wind upon the sea!  The conditions were so bad that the ship was in danger of breaking up and coming apart, it was being threatened with complete destruction.

Evidently it was not the time of year when such storms were expected, else the ship wouldn’t have been bound for Tarshish at all, this is yet another showing of God’s great governing of the world.

 

Verse 5:  Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god.  And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them.  But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.

The sailors were seized with fear, prayed to their gods and made every effort to lighten the load of the ship.  They were literally fighting for their lives, and they knew it!

While the sailors were doing all they could to save their lives and the ship, Jonah was fast asleep on a lower deck.  Could Jonah have been so mentally and physically exhausted from running from God that he was able to sleep through this horrendous storm?

 

Verse 6:  So, the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper?  Arise, call out to your god!  Perhaps your god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

The men noticed that conditions were not getting better and that their gods were not answering them or giving them any help.  The captain came to Jonah and realizing that he was asleep gave him a stern reprimand.  He wanted Jonah to call out to his God, but Jonah was running from his God, he didn’t want to do that!

Jonah’s disobedience was not only affecting him, but it also put everyone else on the ship in jeopardy too!

We'll stop there for this entry.  I hope you're taking the time to think about and absorb the lessons that are applicable in our lives from this study.  I'd love for you to share what you're gleaning from each day's entry.

patsy @ From This Heart Of Mine

(c) 2022 by Patsy Norwood.  All Rights Reserved.

Studying the Book of Jonah: part 1

I've just completed an in-depth verse by verse study of the book of Jonah with this Facebook ladies Bible study group.

I've taken all my notes, done further research and written my own verse-by-verse study.  I'd like to share it here over the next several days with the hope that you learn as much from it as I did ...

I make notes in my Bible a lot and as you can see the book of Jonah doesn't have any which tells me that I've never done an in-depth study of the book, until now!

Do you notice the key on the loop of my Bible cover?  I intentionally put that key there as a reminder that studying God's Word is 'key' in my relationship with Him.  I never want to forget that and so this little reminder helps keep the importance of Bible study ever before me.

Today, I'm going to share my notes on verses 1 - 3 of chapter 1 and give a little background information.  Knowing the background helps to understand the book much better!

(pictured:  markings I made in my Bible on verses 1 - 3 along with some basic background info.)

I hope you enjoy what I've written and that it helps you understand the book of Jonah better.    It is my earnest desire to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.  I've tried to do that in the following, may you be blessed by what you read.

Jonah, chapter 1

Verse 1:  Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amitta, saying,

God had a message specifically for Jonah.  Jonah, being a prophet of God (II Kings 14:25), was no stranger to God and it was not the first time he had heard from Him.  But this time, it was different!  This time Jonah’s heart was not agreeable to what God wanted him to do.

This verse mentions something of Jonah’s lineage so let’s take a brief look at that before moving on to the next verse.  Jonah was the son of Amittai of the tribe of Zebulun.  Zebulun was the sixth and last son of Jacob and Leah.  The twelve sons of Jacob became the twelve tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Zebulun was one of them.

 

Verse 2: “Arise, go to Nineveh that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

God’s message for Jonah was a call to action!  Nineveh, a great city in Assyria, full of wickedness and evil, needed a faithful messenger from God to preach to them the truth of God’s Word, and God hand-picked Jonah for the job!

God knows all about everything, including the wickedness of people and it seems in this situation that God has had enough of Nineveh’s wickedness.

God knew how hard this job was going to be, but he also knew that Jonah could do it.  However, first He had to get Jonah’s attention!

 

Verse 3:  But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.  He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So, he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord.

Silly Jonah, he thought he could get away from almighty God, how foolish, but in his strong desire not to do what God wanted him to do, he gave it a hardy try.

Joppa was about the only seaport that Israel had at the time, so Jonah made the journey from his hometown of Gath Hepher in Zebulun to Joppa some 60 or so miles away with the sole purpose of finding a ship going as far away from where God wanted him to go as he could get.

Nineveh was about 550 miles northeast of Joppa and Tarshish, a port city in Spain, was about 2500 miles west.  To get to Tarshish, Jonah would have to get on a ship and travel many miles over water.  So, that’s what he did, he paid the fare and got on the ship!  Jonah was determined to do what he wanted to do instead of what God wanted him to do … and he thought he was getting away with it!

Why didn’t Jonah want to go to Nineveh?  Why did he deliberately choose to disobey God, being a prophet of God, he should have known better?  What was behind his adamant refusal to do what God wanted him to do?   In short, Jonah hated the Ninevites and Assyrians with every fiber of his being.  The Bible gives several references to the Assyrians invading Israel more than once (I Chronicles 5:26; II Kings 17:5-6 and II Chronicles 32:22). Jonah wanted nothing to do with them nor did he want the God of Israel to extend His great grace and mercy towards them either.  No way was Jonah going to have any part in helping the Ninevites in any way!

patsy @ From This Heart Of Mine

(c) 2022 by Patsy Norwood.  All Rights Reserved.

Encouragement and Sweet Potato Pie!

I never knew how much I liked sweet potato pie until we moved to the area where we live now, and an older woman of the church invited us to her home where she served one as part of the meal.

I don't recall having sweet potatoes much growing up and when we did, well, I don’t remember them being something I looked forward to having.

So, when this dear woman served us a piece of her sweet potato pie, I was going to be a good guest and eat it.  I still remember that first bite, it felt like it absolutely melted in my mouth and the flavor and taste just exploded all over my tastebuds.  This woman was a good cook and I know that the rest of the meal was quite good as well (she also cooked the best fried chicken I ever put in my mouth), but that sweet potato pie stands out in my mind.  Yes, it was that good to me!

I shared with her how much I enjoyed the meal and especially the sweet potato pie.  You guessed it, occasionally, she would call and say something like, ‘I just took two sweet potato pies out of the oven, and one of them is yours, come and get it at your convenience.’   I or my husband always did!  

Her and her husband had to move from our area due to health issues several months ago but every time it gets sweet potato harvesting time, I think of all those delicious pies she made and shared with me and I smile.

This dear woman and I became good friends, and she encouraged me in so many ways, her sweet potato pies being just one!

Today, I made a sweet potato pie and I thought of Mrs. D and the wonderful mentor she was to me.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.  I Thessalonians 5:11

Now, who do I know that needs encouraging today and maybe a piece of sweet potato pie?

May God be glorified in all that we do!

patsy @ From This Heart Of Mine

(c) 2022 by Patsy Norwood.  All Rights Reserved.