Try a Little Obedience (Jonah Bible Study – Chapter 3)

Hello again!

I’m back once again this Sunday to discuss the book of Jonah with you! We are now on chapter 3! If you missed my commentary on chapter 1 and chapter 2, please be sure to check those out before you start with chapter three!

Chapter 3 of Jonah is short like chapter 2, but gets straight to the point. There isn’t as much to take from this chapter as there was in the first two chapters but it’s still highly important, nonetheless.

In this chapter, Jonah has finally gotten some act right and heads on to Nineveh to do what God had been asking him to do. Upon arrival, Jonah wastes no time and tells the citizens what God needs them to hear, which is a warning that the city was going to be destroyed in 40 days (verses 1-4). Thankfully the citizens of Nineveh took heed to Jonah’s words and decided to hold a city-wide fast – the king even ordered all the citizens to fast, not feed their animals, wear burlap, and to pray (verses 6-9). God saw this and wound up sparing the people (verse 10).

That’s pretty much the gist of chapter 2, ha. Sweet and simple.

What I find really interesting about this chapter is the fact that, once Jonah finally went on and did what God asked of him, everything went smoothly. Jonah wasn’t mocked, beaten up, assaulted, anything. He said what he had to say, the people listened, and they were spared! I’m sure some folks may have looked at him crazy, but they listened!

Here’s my point: If Jonah would have just gone ahead to Nineveh in the first place, he could have avoided all that extra trouble and still would have had time to go back to his hometown! And just think if Jonah wouldn’t have talked to the people – so many lives would have been lost. The chapter stated that the city was so big that it would have taken 2 days to see it (Jonah 3:3) – look at how many people he saved, simply by being obedient!

Again, we’ve all been there. God wanted us to do something, but no, we couldn’t do it. We get backed into a corner and we finally decide to do what He says. Once we do it, everything seems so much better and we feel better. That’s how it always goes.

I can imagine Jonah was scared to speak up but once he did, I can imagine he walked around with such a puffed up chest, knowing that he helped save a whole city of people! All it took was him getting caught in a storm, being tossed overboard, and spending 3 days in the belly of a whale to do it….

Life would be so much easier if we would listen the FIRST time and not the TENTH!

And that’s all I have to say about chapter 3! Lol! Be sure to join me again next week for the last book of Jonah!