The Hard-to-swallow Truth about Obedience (Jonah 2)

Jonah and the whale.
There is probably no story in all the Bible that is more ridiculed than this one. Much like talking about Eve eating an "apple" (which the Bible never says), we talk about Jonah and the whale. The biblical term is "great fish," and we simply assume that was a whale. A better translation for that term would be "sea-monster." It may have been a whale, it may not have been.
Frankly, it doesn't matter whether there is a fish in existence large enough to hold a man for three days. We only need to know there was one.
Fact is, Jesus Himself validated the story of Jonah and the fish as historical fact. Jesus said,"For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Son of Man, will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights" (Matthew 12:40). Not only did Jesus validate the story, but He used it as a picture of His own death and resurrection.
But here is the real story of Jonah. It's the story of a man who was given a job to do and he ran from it. It's also a story about second chances, even when we have failed God.
Do you need a second chance? Do you know someone else who does? Then check out my message "The Hard to Swallow Truth About Obedience." - Greg Laurie

[@charlesgloria6745]

Thank you brother. He is a God of many chances. He has truly been mercy ful to me.. Wonderful message.

[@angelmd43]

When He set out on His way, a man came running and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good, except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother. Mark 10:17-19

[@thebiblepotionjoicyjohnson]

Blessed.

[@billiepreston5470]

You could be talking about my life. Only my mother left my dad with 6 children. I have found pay check stubs where he worked 101 hours a week. We were home alone all the time.

[@yan24to]

Amen

[@deondascoggins1987]

Where can I find the opening clip of Jonah? Wow!!

[@sonnymustarseed7034]

In Jonah 2:6, olam is commonly (mis)translated "forever" and the Greek of olam is aion is commonly printed in English as forever/eternal. It obviously means an indefinite period of time (an age or eon -3 days or thousands of years or more) unless attached to God Himself.

[@asaphtovar4834]

June 2022 👍🙌

[@greglaurie]

The Hard-to-swallow Truth about Obedience

[@Dewanaluengas123]

Awesome

[@teencookies1]

I absolutely love this!!! T

[@RhenDaleLopez]

2020 still here

[@yan24to]

Amen 2022 April.

[@jailahbryel305]

Jesus is coming soon, get saved, repent, and follow God’s will!

[@peteryeng]

Do you really need to knock tofu?

[@janicesimon5740]

This is the truth concerning Jonah. The Prophet Amos was a contemporary of Jonah, the Book of Amos details the coming Assyrian captivity of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The Assyrians where known for their cruel torture of people as detailed in the account of Ashurnasirpal 2 (The king of Jonah's time at the height of the Assyrian empire), he ordered people to be flayed alive along with many other horrific methods they developed to inflict pain and exert fear and dominance. Jonah was unmarried and had no family of his own but he had grand parents nieces nephews cousins and the thought of his people the Northern Kingdom being taken captive by such ruthless people was unconscionable (think of Sadam Unday and Qusay) he thought of his family suffering. Knowing that Israel would surely go into captivity because God fulfills His Word, Jonah ran... Fast forward to Jesus telling the Pharisees and Jewish people the only sign they would receive is the sign of Jonah Matt 12, Luke 11. The sign of Jonah is resurrection from being dead. Jonah ch 1 is a summery Jonah 2 is the detailed account and it's in Hebrew Poetry which makes no sense to the American lineup of thought. Jonah was in the ship the storm was raging Jonah told the men to throw him overboard, Jonah now in in the sea Jonah's 1st prayer is ch2 vs 3 God -not man has thrown him into the sea, the water is engulfing him. vs 4 Jonah looks to the Temple in Jerusalem knowing he is in the will of God and he will see it again (Just like Jesus looking to His Father) Vs 5 Jonah is sinking he can no longer tread water, the sea weed is wrapping around his head (Psalm 69) vs 6 Then he sees his body at the bottom of the sea, the bars of the earth is a Hebrewism meaning death, Jonah now is in the Abrahams bosom side of Sheol, (enter the view of Luke 16 the Rich man and Lazarus) Jonah saw hell Jonah was sent to preach repentance to the Ninevites, in Sheol he saw where these people would end up with all their children in vs 6b -9 Jonah's 2nd prayer that God would bring him back to finish his commission (Jonah is in Sheol ) There is no mention of how long Jonah was in Sheol. God commanded a fish to pick up the lifeless body off the bottom of the sea. Jonah's 3rd prayer is vs 1 from the belly of the fish citing that when Jonah was in Sheol God heard him and delivered him to finish his commission. Jonah's commission; To tell the Ninevites to repent for in 40 days Ninevah would be overturned... Why would the entire population of Ninevah from the king down to the least of them repent?? just upon the word of a Jew. The phrase "Overturned" would have taken all their attention back to the event of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) The event of destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah changed the entire landscape of southern Israel, Lot chose the southern part because it was more lush than the North...The entire Middle East would have shuttered at Gods power not to mention the wiping out of Egypts army at the Red Sea crossing. God "Overturned" that region and it wouldn't help to run (Lots wife) They realized they were in trouble. Jonah knew that at some point because the Ninevites repented that there would come a day when Israel would be taken captive and the thought of the torture weighed heavily on him, Everyone at that time loathed the Ninevites because just as Nimrod (their GGG Grand Father loved to kill people so to the Assyrians) they made torture and killing a sport. The book of Jonah is not closed by Jonah but by a question by God. 100 years after Jonah the Northern Kingdom was taken captive. The myth of the "10 lost Tribes" in 612 Babylon conquered Assyria reuniting the 10 Tribes of Israel back with the 2 Tribes of Judah. God taught the Jews- Not to bow down to idols and not to separate having infighting. A take away from all this Jonah made in Gods image disobeyed God, the Fish proved obedient... Who among us has obeyed God perfectly.. Whomever has can cast the first stone at Jonah.. we all go astray. Thank you Jesus for saving us. Jesus told the Jewish Nation the only sign they would receive is the sign of Jonah. Like 11, Matt 27:53-54, Acts 1, Rev 11