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October 1929
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At the expiration of the three days the fish ‘“vomited, out Jonah upon the dry land." 2. Nineveh’s Repentance. 3 :l-9. a. Jonah’s Preaching. Vs. 1-4. Having had the experience narrated above, Jonah was willing to obey. The Lord chastises every son whom He re ceives. With most people chastisement is necessary. When the Lord told him the second time to preach to Nineveh he was ready to go. The burden of his preaching was: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be over thrown.” This declaration, of, course, had the proviso that this calamity would over take the city unless the people repented. The warning was an invitation to them to repent. b. Nineveh’s Response. Vs. 5-9. There was something about the preach ing of the prophet that impressed the peo ple greatly. It is quite possible that the report of his disobedience and experience in being swallowed by the fish, had pre ceded him. Without doubt his message was “in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance” (1 Thess. 1 :5) ; therefore it carried conviction to the hearts of the Ninevites. The king, upon hearing of the preaching, humbled him self by descending from his throne, lay ing aside his robes, and covering himself with sackcloth and ashes. Furthermore he made a proclamation that all work should cease and that the city should humble itself before God, imploring di vine mercy. 3. Nineveh Spared. 3 :10. God, seeing their repentance as mani fested by their humiliation and imploring divine mercy, spared the city at that time. It was, however, according to the records of the monuments and clay tab lets, destroyed about 608 B.C. IH. Jonah Taught the Lesson of Higher Patriotism. Ch. 4. 1. Jonah’s Disappointment. Vs. 1-5. It is human nature to desire to see things result as one anticipates. This idea was so very strong in Jonah’s mind that when God spared the city he forgot the horror of the destruction of life and property and the future condition of the lost. Thus he began to explain why he fled at first; namely, he knew that God, being merciful, would change from the evil if the people repented. Since God had spared Nineveh Jonah pleaded for God to take his life. It is unfortunate for one to lose sight of others and become self-centered and interested only in the fulfillment of his own plans and purposes. 2. The Lesson from the Gourd Vine. Vs. 6-9. Jonah went out on the east side of the city and sat down to bewail his disap pointment. God prepared a gourd vine to grow up over night to protect him from the sultry sun. With this he was de lighted. Next God prepared a worm which killed the vine. Following this calamity God sent a special sultry east wind which, with the burning rays of the sun, made him most uncomfortable. Jonah was indeed angry about his con dition. All of these occurrences were but an object lesson to impress upon Jonah the seriousness of the situation and to
FRED S. SHEPARD ’S BLACKBOARD OUTL INE L o v e o f ountry OYAL I OURTESY OVING HARITABLENESS Honour to whom honour is due.— •Rom. 13:7 had only a tribal conception of God, i.e., that Jehovah was simply the God of the Hebrews and of the land of Palestine and that by leaving the country he would get away from the presence of God. This interpretation is not a necessary one. God’s visible presence was in the temple at Jerusalem, and in Judea there was every evidence on all sides that the people of the country were the worshipers of the true God. Hence when he left Judea he was leaving the country where God’s presence was and the society in which God was revered and worshiped. Jonah realized that Jehovah who had spoken to him was the God of all the earth, and he did not think of getting away from His presence but was simply leaving the country because he disliked the mission to which God had called him. The gifts and callings of God are not repented of. When the ship was out at sea a great and mighty tempest arose which was about to wreck the ship. The sailors, being heathen and superstitious, or possibly recognizing that the storm was an unusual occurrence, considered that it was the result of the displeasure of the God of the deep. Hence they called upon every man to call upon his God if per chance the shipwreck might be averted. Jonah was found in the lower parts of the ship fast asleep. He was aroused by the shipmaster and told to call upon his God lest all should perish. Lots were cast to ascertain who was the guilty person on account of whom the storm had arisen. The lot fell upon Jonah. Then Jonah told his entire story and instructed them to cast him overboard, which thing they did. 3. Jonah’s Miraculous Escape from Death. V. 17. God prepared “a great fish” to swallow Jonah, in the belly of which he was three days and three nights. Rationalists and infidels have scorned this “fish story,” declaring that it is un reasonable. Numbers of times large fishes of the sea have been found whose mouths were sufficiently large to swallow a man. Apart from this fact let it be known that the God who is able to create the heavens and the earth and all that in them is, is also able and sufficiently wise to pre pare “a great fish" to swallow Jonah. The Lord Jesus Christ approved of the book of Jonah and stamped it with the mark of historicity by using the expe rience of the prophet as a type of His burial and resurrection (Matt. 12:39, 40). II. The Obedience of the Prophet. Chs. 2 and 3. 1. Jonah’s Repentance. Ch. 2. People, in disasters, usually learn their utter helplessness and great dependence upon God. Thus did Jonah. The fish swam to the depths of the sea, and Jonah with a cry of true repentance cried unto God for mercy and deliverance (Ch. 2).
1. Jonah’s Repentance. Ch. 2. 2. Nineveh’s Repentance. 3 :l-9. a. Jonah’s Preaching. Vs. 1-4. b. Nineveh’s Response. Vs. 5-9. 3. Nineveh Spared. 3 :10. III. Jonah Taught the Lesson of Higher Patriotism. Ch. 4. 1. Jonah’s Disappointment. Vs. 1-5. 2. The Lesson from the Gourd Vine. Vs. 6-9. 3. True Patriotism and World Out look. Vs. 10-11. Introduction: Historical Setting. 'T 'H E prophet Jonah lived at Gath- hepher, which was in Galilee, near Nazareth. The time of his ministry fell within the reign of the powerful king venture and heroism. There is nothing more thrilling than narrations of the heroic sacrifices of godly men and women who have forsaken relatives and friends and gone to a foreign country to preach the Gospel. Thus the missionary activities and labors of some great missionary will form a very interesting approach to the lesson. David Livingstone is a fine ex ample. . For adults who are acquainted with the great apostasy in which the church is involved, a discussion of the arguments in favor of the historicity of the Book and of the plausibleness of the miracles related therein, will form a most stimulating topic of approach to this in vestigation of the lesson. The first presumption concerning any document that has been accepted through the centuries, is that it is true and relates historical facts unless there is absolute and positive proof which impeaches its testimony. This statement is one of the postulates that is accepted by well-in formed legalists. A careful study of the book of Jonah makes the impression up on the mind and heart that it relates in a straightforward manner an actual histor ical occurrence. There is nothing im probable asserted. Therefore it is to be accepted at its face value as a document narrating an actual historical fact. I. The Disobedience of the Prophet. Ch. 1. God is the God of all families of the earth even though He did choose Abra ham and his descendants to be the chan nel through which He would eventually bring blessing to the entire world. L God’s Command. Vs. 1, 2. God spoke to the prophet and told him to arise and go to Nineveh and cry against it because of its great wickedness. The instructions were clear, specific, and unmistakable. 2. Jonah’s Flight. Vs. 3-16. Instead of obeying as did Moses and a great list of faithful men of God, Jonah, in wilful disobedience to God, went to Joppa, paid his fare to Tarshish, and went on board a ship sailing for that country. The statement is made that in doing so he was fleeing “from the presence of Je hovah." Some have argued that Jonah Jeroboam II, who reigned, according to Ussher, from 832 to 791 B. C. Beginning the Les son. Children l i k e to hear stories of ad
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