Author: Steve Hixon
Table of Contents
PDF version
(117K)
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Study Guide: Jonah
Author: Steve Hixon Table of Contents |
PDF version (117K) |
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| Studies in the Book of Jonah |
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1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.4 I said, `I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.'5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. |
Was the fish a blessing or a curse?
Eugene Peterson writes:
“So Jonah prayed. That Jonah prayed is not remarkable; we commonly pray when we are in desperate circumstances. But there is something very remarkable about the way Jonah prayed. He prayed a “set” prayer. Jonah’s prayer is not spontaneously original self-expression. It is totally derivative. Jonah had been to school to learn to pray, and he prayed as he had been taught. His school was the Psalms.”
Based on Peterson's observation, see if you can match up the following references to various Psalms with the verse of Jonah’s prayer in chapter two:
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“The Lord doesn’t take us into deep water to drown us, but to develop us.”
Irv Hedstrom | |||||
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LIFE RESPONSE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME?
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Jonah 1:17 says: “Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” Jesus refers to this event in Matthew 12:38-41. What point does Jesus make? (Ask yourself: Who is he talking to? What question is He answering? What is the “sign of Jonah”?)
Paraphrase: In your own words, try to condense the main points of Jonah’s prayer into one sentence:
What event or period in your own life comes the closest to Jonah’s experience and feelings?
From the beginning of the book until the end of chapter two, trace Jonah’s spiritual journey. What are the high points, low points, and lessons he has learned:
Trace everything that God has done so far in the book. What does this tell you about Him and His character?