Jonah and the Whale

Jonah 1-3:3a

The Lord spoke his word to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up, go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it. I see the evil things they do.”

But Jonah got up to run away from the Lord. He went to the city of Joppa. There he found a ship that was going to the city of Tarshish. Jonah paid for the trip and went aboard. He wanted to go to Tarshish to run away from the Lord.
But the Lord sent a great wind on the sea. This wind made the sea very rough. So the ship was in dan-ger of breaking apart. The sailors were afraid. But Jonah had gone down into the ship to lie down. He fell fast asleep. The captain of the ship came and said, “Why are you sleeping? Get up! Pray to your god! Maybe your god will pay attention to us. Maybe he will save us!”
Then the men said to each other, “Let‟s throw lots to see who caused these troubles to happen to us.” So the men threw lots. The lot showed that the trouble had happened because of Jonah. Then Jonah said to the men, “I am a Hebrew. I fear the Lord, the God of heaven. He is the God who made the sea and land.”
The wind and the waves were becoming stronger. The men said to Jonah, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down?”
Jonah said, “Pick me up, and throw me into the sea. Then it will calm down. I know it is my fault that this great storm has come on you.”
“So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don‟t let us die because of taking this man‟s life. Please don‟t think we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Lord, you have caused all this to happen. You wanted it this way.” Then the men picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea. So the sea became calm. Then they began to fear the Lord very much. They offered a sacrifice to the Lord. They also made promises to him.
And the Lord caused a very big fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.
While Jonah was in the stomach of the fish, he prayed to the Lord his God. Jonah said, “I was in dan-ger. So I called to the Lord, and he answered me. I was about to die. So I cried to you, and you heard my voice. You threw me into the sea. I went down, down into the deep sea. The water was all around me. Your powerful waves flowed over me. I said, „I was driven out of your presence. But I hope to see your Holy Temple again.‟ The waters of the sea closed over me. I was about to die. The deep sea was all around me. Seaweed wrapped around my head. I went down to where the mountains of the sea start to rise. I thought I was locked in this prison forever. But you saved me from death, Lord my God.
“When my life had almost gone, I remembered the Lord. Lord I prayed to you. And you heard my prayers in your Holy Temple. People who worship useless idols give up their loyalty to you. I will give praise and thank you while I give sacrifices to you. I will make promises to you. And I will do what I promise. Salvation comes from the Lord!”
Then the Lord spoke to the fish. And the fish spit Jonah out of its stomach onto the dry land.
Then the Lord spoke his word to Jonah again. The Lord said, “Get up. Go to the great city of Nineveh. Preach against it what I tell you. “
So Jonah obeyed the Lord. He got up and went to Nineveh.

Discussion Questions

• Where did God tell Jonah to go? Nineveh 
• Did Jonah obey? No, he tried to run away from God 
• How did the sailors get the storm to stop? They threw Jonah into the water 
• What swallowed Jonah? A very big fish 
• How did Jonah get out? He prayed to God 
• Did Jonah finally obey? Yes, he went to Nineveh

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Jonah and the reminder that we should obey your commands. Help us to be thankful for all the great things you have done for us.   Amen.

Bible Verse for October

“God is with you wherever you go.”     Joshua 1:9

Activity

Taste the Difference

Materials: 1/4 cup salt in a bowl 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl Orange, peeled and sectioned One square unsweetened baking chocolate, unwrapped One plain milk chocolate candy bar, unwrapped Paper towels

Guide Your Child to:

1. Look at the bowls of salt and sugar and guess which is which without tasting them.
2. Dip an orange slice in one bowl of his choice. Taste it and tell whether it was salt or sugar.
3. Look at the two pieces of chocolate and tell which one looks like it will taste best.
4. Break a small piece off of the one that looked the best. Try it to see how it tastes. Now try the other one to see how it tastes.

Talk About:

1. Was it easy or hard to tell the difference in the salt and sugar, or the sweet and the bitter chocolate by just looking? Did you make the right choice and get the taste you wanted?
2. Sometimes it‟s hard to choose what‟s right. What choice did Jonah make at the beginning of the story? Did he make the right choice or the wrong choice? What happened?
3. How about at the end of the story? Did he make the right choice or the wrong choice?
4. What choice would you make?