Jonah and the Whale

     In the book of Jonah we read a story about a man named Jonah who was supposed to go to Nineveh in order to warn them of God's wrath and to urge them to change their ways.  Jonah, however, decides that the people of Nineveh did not deserve God's grace and ought to be damned as a result of their disobedience.  Thinking theses things, Jonah ran from God and took a ship in the opposite direction.  A storm ends up raging over the ship that he was on and the crew starts asking why they are in this storm.  Jonah then admits that he has disobeyed God and he is thrown overboard.  When Jonah is thrown overboard, a whale catches him in its mouth, carries him to Nineveh, and spits him on the shore.  While Jonah was in the whale, he recognizes God's sovereignty and realizes that God showed him grace even when he refused to show the people of Nineveh the same grace.  Jonah, then goes to Nineveh and warns them of God's wrath and they change their ways.


     Somethings that are important to realize about this story are that:

     Jonah disobeyed God and was just as much in danger as the people of Nineveh were.

     Jonah put others in danger due to his disobedience.

     Jonah would have died if God didn't send the whale to save him from the raging sea.

     The whale was God's saving grace for Jonah.

     Jonah realized this while in the whale and began to thank God for His grace.

     Jonah resolved to go to Nineveh and obey God.

     Jonah showed the people of Nineveh their error and they changed their ways.

     God showed them grace and spared them.

     Jonah became angry that God spared them even though it was the same grace that spared him.

     Jonah waited for God to destroy Nineveh, but God didn't and sheltered Jonah with a plant.

     The plant died and Jonah became angry.

     God asked why Jonah was angry because one plant died, but expected thousands of people to die.

     The moral of this story is that God has grace for us no matter what we do and sometimes what seems like a punishment is the grace.  Another moral is that God gives us grace even when we don't realize that we need it.  God also provides grace to those who refuse to give grace to others.