JONAH LESSON 2

     We saw in the last lesson, that Jonah had been called to go to
Nineveh and warn them of their sin. He was a Hebrew, and thought
himself better than the Gentiles. He did not want to go, because he
felt they were not good enough to be saved.

     We will resume the lesson now in Jonah 2:1 "Then Jonah prayed
unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,"

     It is such a shame that we, like Jonah, wait until we are in dire
circumstances, before we cry out to God. I am sure this is the most
urgent prayer that Jonah has ever prayed. Notice, God is still Jonah's
God, even while he is in this peril.

     Jonah 2:2 "And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto
the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, [and]
thou heardest my voice."

     I am sure that being in this fish's belly seemed like hell to
Jonah.  Jesus preached while He was in hell during the three days. I
doubt seriously that Jonah felt so confident that he would return to
the earth. God had to do this to get Jonah in a position to obey His
request. Notice, the word "cried". This means that the prayer was like
a pleading with God to forgive him, and remove him from this fish. The
best statement in the verse above is "and He heard me". We are never
so far down that God will not hear our earnest prayer. "Hell" is the
word "sheol", which means hades, or the world of the dead. Jonah
thought himself to be as good as dead.

     Jonah 2:3 "For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of
the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy
waves passed over me."

     Jonah describes what happened to him in the sea. In the natural,
there would have been no way to be saved from the angry sea. Jonah
does recognize, that even the waves belong to God.

     Jonah 2:4 "Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will
look again toward thy holy temple."

     Jonah was very much like many of us. He had looked away from the
temple, until he got into a problem that he could not fix. Then, he
cries to God for His help. He was desperate at this point. When he
first was cast into the sea, he thought God had killed him for his
disobedience. Hope sprang up in Jonah, when he looked again to God.

     Jonah 2:5 "The waters compassed me about, [even] to the soul: the
depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head."

     This reminds me of an old song that says, "I was sinking deep in
sin, far from the peaceful shore". Jonah, too, was sinking in the sin
of his own making. He was "tangled in weeds", which symbolize the
cares of this world. He was a victim of his own making. There is no
way to come out of this, or life's other entanglements, without God.
He is the only hope.

     Jonah 2:6 "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth
with her bars [was] about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my
life from corruption, O LORD my God."

     This was no small body of water. It appeared to Jonah, that he
was locked in this watery grave with no way he could return to life,
or to the earth. He was helpless and alone in the bottom of the sea.
He felt that the fish that swallowed him would be his grave forever.
He was in the stomach of this fish. This would be corruption to the
utmost.  Perhaps, he is speaking of the corruption of his own life.
Only God can reach down and bring any of us up from this type of
corruption. He suddenly realizes the omnipotence of the LORD his God.

     Jonah 2:7 "When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD:
and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple."

     At the time this was written, the presence of God dwelled in the
temple in Jerusalem over the mercy seat. When Jonah looked to the
temple, he was looking to God. There was no hope in the natural for
Jonah. He fainted from fear of death in the fish. God brought him
hope. His remembering of the LORD, caused God to hear his prayer.

     Jonah 2:8 "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own
mercy."

     This is no time for pride. He would humble himself before God at
this point. To observe other gods or idols, will get you no help at
all. Psalms 146:5 "Happy [is he] that [hath] the God of Jacob for his
help, whose hope [is] in the LORD his God:" Psalms 33:18 "Behold, the
eye of the LORD [is] upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in
his mercy;"

     Jonah 2:9 "But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of
thanksgiving; I will pay [that] that I have vowed. Salvation [is] of
the LORD."

     We see in this a repentent heart. Jonah has nothing to sacrifice
but his praise. Hebrews 13:15 "By him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our]
lips giving thanks to his name." Salvation is of the LORD. Acts 4:12
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Ephesians 2:8
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
[it is] the gift of God:"  Jonah knows that his only hope is in God.

     Jonah 2:10  "And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out
Jonah upon the dry [land]."

     This is undoubtedly the most humbling experience you could have.
God has saved his life, and in the process taught him obedience. He is
saved, because the fish obeyed God and spit him up.
                          Jonah 2 Questions


1.  Where was Jonah called to go?
2.  Why did Jonah not want to go there?
3.  Jonah prayed unto the LORD out of the ________ of the fish.
4.  What is a shame about our prayer life?
5.  The author believes this to be the most _________ prayer he had
    ever prayed.
6.  Where did Jonah say he was in verse 2?
7.  Why had God allowed this to happen to Jonah?
8.  How do we know Jonah was pleading in his prayer?
9.  What is the best statement in verse 2?
10. What does "hell", or "sheol", in this verse, mean?
11. What is Jonah saying in verse 3?
12. What was meant by Jonah looking to the temple?
13. Jonah was sinking in the sin of his own ________.
14. What did the "tangled weeds" symbolize?
15. What determination did Jonah make, when he was in the depth of the
    sea?
16. What did he believe would be his grave forever?
17. When did he remember the LORD?
18. Quote Psalms chapter 146 verse 5.
19. Quote Psalms chapter 33 verse 18.
20. What sacrifice did he make to God?
21. Quote Hebrews chapter 13 verse 15.
22. Salvation is of the _________.
23. Quote Acts chapter 4 verse 12.
24. Quote Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8.
25. When the LORD spoke to the fish, what did it do?
26. God has saved his life, and in the process taught him ___________.