Jonah: The Preaching Prophet

Jonah 3

Just as God used Jonah to proclaim His Word to the people of Nineveh, God uses us to proclaim His Gospel to the lost.

God uses imperfect people… just like Jonah. (1-2)

God calls us to obedience… just like Jonah. (3-4)

God allows us to experience dramatic repentance… just like Jonah. (5-9)

God wants to use you… just like Jonah. (10)

1. Read verses 1-2. What happened in these verses? What do think is the significance of the similarities and differences between verse 3:2 and 1:2? What was the mission given to Jonah by God? What do we learn about the type of people God uses to accomplish His work? How is this an encouragement to you?

2. Read verses 3-4. How did Jonah respond to God’s instructions? Compare Jonah’s response here to verse 1:3. Why do you think Jonah highlights the size of Nineveh considering that Assyria is the arch-enemy of Israel at the time? What was the message Jonah proclaimed? Should we proclaim a similar message to non-Christians? Why or why not?

3. Read verses 5-9. How did the people of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s message? How did the king personally respond? What did the king tell the people to do in his proclamation? If you were Jonah, do you think you would have been surprised by their response? Considering the identity and character of the violent, cruel and murderous Assyrians, should we be surprised by their response? What hope does this give you for people you know who don’t know Christ? How does the Assyrian response encourage you about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others?

4. Read verse 10. How did God respond to the Assyrian repentance? What does this teach us about God?

So what. What have you learned about God’s heart in these verses? How is our role in sharing about Christ with non-believers both similar and different from Jonah’s assignment? What is one thing you are taking away from this study that challenges ore encourages you?