Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Slow: Jonah, Part 2


Continuing in Jonah chapter 1 -

1:9-10 -
Look at this barrage of questions - they want to know all about Jonah. List any detail you see that Jonah shared with these men as the boat is being tossed by the furious storm:
- Hebrew
- worship God
- running away from God

1:11-12 -
Jonah's life is a completely chaotic scene right now, but he has not been willing to surrender to God's will yet. The sailors ask him what to do? This could be a major turning point for Jonah - but he is still stubbornly hanging on to not going to Nineveh. Think of a scenario he could've suggested which would show a slow heart.

1:13-14 -
*  This group of sailors has gained a healthy fear of God but it isn't really from anything Jonah has said or done - rather because they know He is causing the storm. Jonah has now missed two opportunities to share God - first by disobeying and not going to Nineveh and second as he did not share with the sailors.

* This time though - the sailors call out to a different God! Look at the difference between vs. 5-6 and vs. 14.
- vs. 5, "each cried out to his own _________."
- vs. 6, "pray to your ___________."
- vs. 14, "Then they cried to the __________________________."

* They tried to get Jonah back to land but could not because of the storm. Describe some of the storm possibly going on inside of Jonah.


1:14-15 -
This is the first real prayer of the whole event it seems - the sailors acknowledge God's control and pleaded for His mercy in tossing Jonah over. What happened as soon as they threw Jonah overboard?

"The raging sea grew calm."

Use this as a picture for your own life - when you toss sin overboard, how does that calm the raging storm inside?

1:16 -
This verse brings beauty as we see the sailors and their response to God. We learn 3 things they did:

{greatly}   {feared} the Lord
{offered}  {sacrifice} to the Lord
{made}  {vows} to Him

I think these sailors chose slow!!!!

1:17 -
Meanwhile, Jonah was in the sea. I wonder things, like: was he afraid? did he try to swim/struggle? how long before the fish came?

There are a number of mind-boggling things about this scenario:
- he did not drown
- the fish swallowed him whole
- creation obeys God
- even though Jonah's heart was hard right now, God still cared for him
- was he bewildered inside that whale?!
- darkness - just imagine the darkness
- plus he had time to think - was he afraid? getting out of a storm is one thing but did he even imagine a way out of that fish? Did he consider trying to escape? Did he fear digestion?

Do you notice anything significant about his timing inside the whale? :)

"And Jonah was inside the fish _________ ___________ and __________ _________."