Kid’s Jonah Video Herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv0vtctdx_8

Jonah’s Background• Jonah – “Dove” (silly & senseless c.f. Hosea 7:11)• Son of Amittai – “son of my faithfulness”• Contemporary Prophets:– Hosea: Rebuking Israel for harlotry through idolatry– Amos: Rebuking Israel for apostasy & social injustice

“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before Me.”Jonah 1:2

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He…found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. Jonah 1:3

Why Did Jonah Run?• Fear of Failure– Preaching to Israel’s enemies about potential doom

could get him killed– Personal idol of ministry success

• Fear of Success– Cultural Idol: Nineveh could repent & God relent • 2 Kings 14:25 preached for Israel’s expansion • Called ~755 BC; Assyria conquers Israel 722 BC

– Religious Idol: Feels superior to Ninevites and doesn’t want to see them saved

Running Into a Storm

But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea (v 4)

Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them (v 10)

“Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you” (v 12)

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (v 17)

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish…“Those who pay regard to empty idols forsake their own convenantal love…Salvation belongs to the Lord!” And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.(Jonah 2:1; 8-10)

So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord…and he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God.

[The king of Nineveh proclaimed] “Let everyone turn from his evil way…Who knows? God may turn and relent …so that we may not perish.”

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.(Jonah 3:3-4; 9-10)

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed… “O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”(Jonah 4:1-3)

“That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in disaster.”(Jonah 4:2)

Penn Jillette Video Herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdvES4_MJ5Y&feature=player_embedded

God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?”

And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”(Jonah 4:9)

The Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.

And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:10-11)

“And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:11)

Jesus: The Greater Jonah (Matthew 12:39-41)

• Jonah was afraid people might harm him; Jesus came to people He knew Jesus came to people He knew would would kill Himkill Him

• Jonah was thrown into a storm of water; Jesus was entered the storm of God’s wrathJesus was entered the storm of God’s wrath

• Jonah was spewed from the belly of a whale; Jesus walked out of the belly of deathJesus walked out of the belly of death

• Jonah was supposed to love God’s enemies; Jesus actually loved God’s enemiesJesus actually loved God’s enemies