The Discipleship Of Jonah

Please follow your heart and enjoy the Lord as you consider these meditations.

Pastor Tom

Obedience - The Discipleship Of Jonah

I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’ ”

And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah 2:9-10 NIV

Having been “vomited onto dry land” with renewed commitment less inclined to consider the circumstances 

Jonah was ready to obey.

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:

“Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

Jonah 3:1-2 NIV

Jonah gets this word and sets off to “proclaim to it the message I give you.”

This is an important thing to note, the message will be given to the messenger, obedience includes what to say.

Generally the message is given at the time it is needed.

When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities,

do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,

for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.

Luke 12:11-12 NIV

Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.

Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.

Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming,

“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

The Ninevites believed God.

A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

Jonah 3:3-5 NIV

“The Ninevites believed God.”

Notice God’s message spoken obediently results in belief in God.

Jonah’s obedience brought great results for the people of Nineveh, delivering them from destruction and toward God.

How was Jonah affected by success? 

Was obedience what the Lord desired for Jonah?

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways,

he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah 3:10 NIV

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.

Jonah 4:1 NIV

What is Jonah"s attitude ?