For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.
Hebrew words: Yonah (Jonah) – may mean “dove." 28x in the Bible.
Further study:
- Passages referred to in this podcast
- 2 Kings 14:25
- Jonah 1-4
- Jeremiah 18:1-10
- Luke 9:52-55
- Exodus 34:6
- Romans 12:21, 2 Corinthians 10:4, 1 Peter 2:21
- Even more:
- Did God resurrect Jonah? Click here.
- Listen to an entire seminar on Prejudice and Separation, including the Atlanta story. Order here.
- Of special interest to those in the Restoration Movement, watch the 3-lesson DVD series Friend or Foe.
- Check out Joel 2:14. The King of Nineveh (3:9) seems to have a better handle on theology than the prophet Jonah!
Some things we learn about God:
- The people of God tend to be insular, whereas God is expansive. They tend to be exclusive, while the Lord surprises us by being so inclusive. This was a scandal for the religious establishment in Jesus’ time, and it is no different today. This is another way of saying that God is love.
- God is not partial. With him there is no prejudice or favoritism. But we don’t always get it! So…
- God will sometimes go to extremes to get our attention
For kids:
- Check out this link (for younger kids).
- For older children, read sections of the story (esp. ch. 1:1-17, 3:1-5, and 4:1-11) pausing to ask the following questions:
- Why do you think Jonah ran away?
- Did God's command to him change between chapter 1 and chapter 3? What does this tell us about the word of God?
- Does the prophet seem happy when the Ninevites repent?
- How angry is Jonah about these outsiders being spared? (Several times he shows that he prefers death to God saving the Assyrians!)
- How should we view those outside the church?
Key verses:
- Jonah 1:3 – Jonah evades his orders to preach to the Gentiles.
- Jonah 1:12 – He would rather die than take the message to the Assyrians.
- Jonah 2:8 – Jonah (hypocritically) looks down his nose at the pagans. He is happy to receive God’s grace, but is unwilling for God to extend his grace to others.
- Jonah 4:1 – Jonah is very upset that God has forgiven the Ninevites. He would rather die (4:3, 4:8, 4:9)!
- Jonah 4:11 – But God cares about all people, even the Gentiles.