Bible Journaling: Book of Jonah

In this book, we find the story of a man called Jonah. God gave Jonah a very special assignment, but it was not something that he desired to do so Jonah tries to run away and avoid the task set before him. Have you ever needed to get new strength to do what God has set before you to do? 

For a broader view of this book of the Bible, we encourage you to watch this video: 

Bible journaling tip:

Have you ever noticed how many numbers (1...2…3…) there are on a single page in our Bibles. We have the page number, the chapter numbers, the verse numbers - and that does not include when sometimes in the story they will use numbers to describe something, like feeding 5000 or healing 10 lepers. The Bible tells us that all of Scripture is God-breathed. It also says that the Holy Spirit is Jesus alive in us, speaking to us today. When we live believing those two things are true, it leaves very little space for coincidences in our lives. For today’s exercise, we will pray and ask God what is the significance of a certain number in our Bibles. Why did he feed 5000 one time, and 2000 another? Why did he choose 12 disciples? Why did the Israelites wander the desert for 40 years? You can create a little numbers-index for your Bible where you keep record of each number with a flashcard. For example: 7 - God rested on the 7th day. What else happened in the whole story of the Bible that has to do with that number?  

LOOK UP (information): encounter God through the Scripture 

Author:

Even though the author of this book does not identify themselves, we know that Jonah was a real prophet in the Old Testament period. We can also read about Jonah in 2 Kings 14:25, where he is described as a prophet. Make a list of everything we know about Jonah.

Audience:

Jonah’s calling was to go to the city of Nineveh - a place that was filled with very evil people, the Assyrians, who waged many wars and who have been enemies of the Israelites for many years. Have you ever heard the word Gentiles? That is a term that was used to explain people groups outside the people of God, the Israelites. In the Old Testament, we can find the story of God and His people, and it can make us wonder - but what about the rest of the peoples on the earth? Did God not love them? The book of Jonah shows us that God loves the Gentile peoples too, and that He pursues them. Can you remember any other places in the Old Testament where you have heard about God loving all people? (key words: all nations, all peoples, every tribe and tongue) Can you name some other characters from the Old Testament that were main characters, but not part of the Israelite tribes

History:

The books in the Bible are sometimes viewed as just stories that are supposed to be examples that will teach us morals or values. This is true of some ancient texts, especially in other religions. But we must be careful to confuse the Bible to be that. According to what the Bible says, it is not that kind of literature - it is a true story about a person called Jonah who really walked the earth. Now, some might say ‘But, staying alive inside a big fish!? Surely it’s not true!’ - yet we have no trouble believing miracles in the New Testament. 

There is a divide in our minds where we struggle to trust miracles before Jesus, but God says clearly that He is the same God. There are countless miracles throughout the Old Testament: healings, multiplications of food, an axe floating on water, the Red Sea being split open. We need to be careful to become highly critical of everything about God and the Bible - often, the more that people question everything, the less their faith becomes. 

God welcomes our questions when we come to him humbly and with a teachable student’s mind. He gives us the Spirit of wisdom and understanding that can break open the text for us, and it will come alive for us today.

Genre:

The book of Jonah is artfully written with beautiful and powerful messages and metaphors woven throughout - this has led some to say that this is not a true historical book but rather a parable or story to teach a lesson. Both can be true, if we understand who God is in this book.

LOOK IN (revelation): contemplate / reflect on our own lives

Key verse:

Jonah 4:2 NIV

He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

Inspiration:

The character of God is on display in these verses and throughout the whole Bible. When it says that God is gracious, what does that say about you? You are the recipient of that grace. When it says that God is compassionate, what does that say about you? And when He is slow to anger, abounding in love? …

LOOK OUT(transformation): respond with creative worship action  

Drawing prompt:

Draw or paint an outline of a big fish or whale. For the body of the fish, write in words from the book of Jonah. You can retell the story in your own words, or you can use loose key words, like Jonah, Nineveh, and so on. After a while of writing words within the outline, your big fish or whale will become apparent. You can add this page to your Bible or put it up somewhere to remember this book.

Bible Journey with HolyJot:

Here are some questions / prompts provided by the HolyJot community. 

• What did God command Jonah to do in verses one and two of this book? (Jonah 3:1-2)
• How did the people respond to Jonah’s message in verse five? (Jonah 3:5)
• What did the king do in verse six of this book? (Jonah 3:6)

Follow this link to dive into this book with an online Bible Study group.

Writing prompt:

Our God is so kind. Not only does He give us food to eat, but He also gives us the appetite to want to eat that food. In the book of Jonah, God put something new in front of Jonah and so he was a little hesitant to try it at first. Think about a child trying an olive or caper for the first time. The beautiful thing is that God is not the kind of parent who will force-feed us - we never see that in the whole story of the Bible. Instead, the Bible clearly tells us that it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. 

For today’s challenge, we will write a prayer where we ask God to give us the appetite for what He has put in front of us to do or who He called us to be. The things on your plate include: the city that you live in, your neighborhood, your workplace, your relationships or marriage, your friendships, your online presence, and yes, even your family of origin. Pause and think what each of these categories look like in your life - Do you have clarity about your role for God’s kingdom in each of these areas? Do you feel excited about all of them? Write down a prayer asking God to increase your hunger to see Him glorified in every area of your life.

Prayer:

God, I want to thank you for the book of Jonah. Help me to do what you ask me to do, even when it is difficult and I have no vision for it… yet. Let my response to this text be worship unto you!