32 - Jonah

TLDR: Jonah runs from God's call to Nineveh; a fish swallows him. He preaches, Nineveh repents, and Jonah is angry that God is merciful. "Salvation comes from the LORD."

Overarching Storyline

Jonah flees; storm; thrown into sea; fish (ch. 1–2). Jonah preaches in Nineveh; they repent (ch. 3). Jonah's anger; God's lesson: "Should I not have concern for the great city?" (ch. 4).

Bible Project: Jonah overview.

Pegs for Memorizing This Book

• Person: Jonah, the LORD, the fish.
• Image: Ship, fish, plant, worm, Nineveh.
• Number: 3 (days in fish; Jesus compares himself, Matt 12:40), 4 (chapters).
• Phrase: "Salvation comes from the LORD" (2:9); "Forty days" (3:4).

Highlights

• Jonah 2 — Prayer from the fish.
• Jonah 3:10 — God saw what they did; he did not destroy them.
• Jonah 4:2 — I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God.
• Jonah 4:11 — Should I not have concern for the great city?

(Link to verse entries and meditations as added.)

Before and After

• Before: Obadiah; Jonah is narrative and focuses on Gentile repentance.
• After: Micah; Jonah shows God's heart for the nations.

Place in the Overarching Biblical Story

Mercy for the nations. God's concern extends beyond Israel. Jesus cites Jonah's three days (Matt 12:40) as a sign of his death and resurrection.

Interesting Facts

• Nineveh — Assyrian capital; enemy of Israel; God offers them repentance.
• Jesus and Jonah — "As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matt 12:40).