Life Applications and Lessons from Jonah Chapter One
We probably all grew up learning the Old Testament story of Jonah being swallowed by a huge fish. It was a great childhood story, but who would have guessed that there were so many life applications and lessons in Jonah?
There are so many good spiritual nuggets in Jonah’s story that I am going to break it down by chapter. Let’s take a look at Jonah chapter one now to see what the Lord has for us.
Join Us
Summary of Jonah Chapter One
Chapter one of the book of Jonah begins with the Lord calling Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh to preach to them. The people of Nineveh were very evil at that time, and Jonah didn’t want to obey God’s command to go. Instead, he did the exact opposite and fled from the Presence of the Lord, got on a ship, and headed to Tarshish.
The Lord sent a great wind their way, and a great storm came upon them. At this time Jonah was in a deep sleep in the inner part of the ship, while the sailors were fighting the big storm.
They woke him up, and after a series of questions and casting lots, it was clear that the violent storm was Jonah’s fault. He told them he was fleeing from God’s Presence.
The men hated to do it, but they threw Jonah overboard, and the great storm stopped.
Meanwhile, the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah. He ended up in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:3
“Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence.”
Jonah 1:3
- Obviously, Jonah was trying to run from the Lord.
- When you try to run from the Lord, it usually means that:
- You want to do something you know He does not approve of
- or you you don’t want to do something He is calling you to do.
- You cannot go anywhere the Lord cannot go!
Jonah 1:14-16
“So they called out to the Lord, ‘Please, O Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, O Lord, have done just as you pleased.’ Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. The men were seized by great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.”
Jonah 1:14-16
- Jonah’s disobedience affected many other people. The men on the ship were directly affected, but think about the people of Nineveh who were not hearing God’s Word for them.
- Our actions affect others – positively and negatively.
- The men moved from praying to gods to praying to the One and only true God. They even made sacrifices to Him as well as vows.
- Although the Lord didn’t cause Jonah to run from Him in rebellion, He still used the situation to move these men closer to Him.
- Good news – The Lord will use our mistakes and rebellion to bring about His plan and purposes.
- Even though the Lord brings about His purposes, it is always best to follow God’s commands.
Jonah 1:17
“The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Jonah 1:17
- My first thought is – I wonder if Jonah thought that being in the belly of the fish was better than being in the Lord’s Presence!
- Little did Jonah know that the Lord was still with him.
- When we run from the Lord, we may go down a path filled with consequences, but He never leaves us. What a picture of God’s grace!
- We tend to see being in the belly of the fish as a pretty bad thing – I definitely would not want to try it. However, the Lord also used that huge fish as a means of protection. If Jonah had just been thrown into the middle of the sea, he would have drowned. The fish (as nasty as it must have been in there) saved his life.
- Think about three days and three nights in any bad situation. That would have given Jonah a lot of time to think and get his attitude straight.
Please join me as we read more of God’s Word each week. Please share your insights on these scriptures as well. There is so much to learn from Jonah’s story!
Join me next week as we take a look as Jonah’s story continues with chapter two. Sign up below to receive them directly to your email address.
Life Applications and Lessons Resources
If you are trying to get started with a daily Bible plan, see Simple Bible Study Ideas for Spiritual Growth. I hope these tips will help you like they have helped me.
These are a few of my favorite Bible study resources:
- She Reads Truth Bible
- Composition Notebook
- Black Pens – These are fine point and work well in Bibles.
Fun Gift Idea of Biblical Life Lessons
If you have joined me recently, these daily life applications from the Bible are examples of some of the comments I am writing in the Bibles I am giving to my grandchildren when they graduate from high school.
Click here to see the post where I explain this eternal gift idea. I want to give them all the resources I can to use in today’s world!
Related Posts
1 – Life Applications and Lessons from Ruth Chapter 1
2 – Life Applications and Lessons from Ruth Chapter 2
3 – Life Applications and Lessons from Ruth Chapter 3
4 – Life Applications and Lessons from Ruth Chapter 4
As we read His Word each day, I pray that we will see how It applies to us. Let’s seek His instruction and put it into action.
Please share any encouragement and lessons you learned this week as you read the Word of God. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time…
disclosure: Amazon affiliate links and others are used on this page. Thank you for supporting Home with Grace and Joy. When you purchase an item, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure and privacy policy on the website.
“From one Man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.” Acts 17:26
(New Testaments verse)
Our pastor’s message tomorrow is on Jonah. I have printed off your notes to share with my husband who leads our SS Class discussion on the messages our pastor shares the week prior. He will enjoy adding them to the SS lesson discussion. Thank you.
I love how the Lord puts things together. I am curious about your pastor’s message.
My husband preached on Jonah not too long ago also. I need to go back and compare my notes with his.:)
One thing I noticed today while reading your post: it cost Jonah money to get on that ship and flee from the presence of the Lord! What does it cost us to run from God in our lives? It might be monetary … it might be more. It’s best to immediaely obey!
I have never thought about that. That is really powerful!
No matter how many times we hear or read on Jonah, there is always something which stands out. The men on the ship felt sorry having to throw Jonah overboard, yet Jonah did not feel badly for putting them in that position due to his actions. Disobedience will diminish our ability to have compassion on others. I am looking forward to the next chapter 🙂