Read Jonah 2:1–10
Scripture Summary (read or paraphrase to your group):
In Jonah 2, we find the prophet in the belly of a great fish–where he spent three days and three nights. Often, we read Jonah's story and consider the fish to be an instrument of judgment. We think, "If Jonah had not disobeyed, then he would not have wound up in such a bad position." However, had God not provided the fish, Jonah would certainly have died (v. 5). Just before drowning, Jonah cried out to God in repentance (v. 7). In verse 7, Jonah "remembered" the Lord. This term is used frequently throughout Scripture. To remember does not simply mean to call to mind something that was forgotten. It is a call to action. A call to remember is a call to act on that which is remembered (see also 1 Cor. 7:23-32 for the role of remembering in the Lord's Supper). Jonah remembered what the Lord was like and acted on that knowledge by crying out to Him!
Even while Jonah was in the belly of a great fish, god heard and responded to his prayer. No one's rebellion places them beyond God's redemptive reach. In response, god provided the fish to rescue Jonah from the consequences of disobedience. The fish is a surprising instrument of salvation! Jonah realizes this and prays the prayer contained in this chapter. Its theme is captured in the last phrase (v. 9): "Salvation belongs to the Lord!" In Matthew 12:40-41, Jesus associates his death, burial, and resurrection with Jonah's time spent in the belly of a great fish. People, like the Pharisees, viewed the cross as an instrument of divine judgment. Anyone who died on a cross was considered cursed by God. However, God sent Jesus to die on the cross in order to save people from their rebellion. As God brought Jonah's life from the pit (v. 6), God would vindicate His Son, securing salvation for all who believe. He would raise Jesus from the grave after three days in the tomb. The message of the Gospel shows the world that "Salvation belongs to the Lord!"
Group Discussion Questions:
Jonah avoided talking to God because he was running from God. What kinds of things keep you from praying?
By the time Jonah prayed, he had been in the middle of a storm, tossed into the sea, swallowed by a large fish, and in the belly of it for 3 days and nights. How can you relate to this? What do you need to surrender in order for you to seek God first and at all times?
What happens when God wants a person to do something, but the person doesn't want God to do it?
(Jonah shows us that God has a way of bringing us to the place where we want what He wants.)
In chapter 1, the sailors literally cast Jonah overboard into the sea. But who does Jonah say cast him into the deep in Jonah 2:3? Why is that a crucial so crucial for Jonah, and to your life?
(Jonah sees that he has never been out of God's hands, though he tried to run from Him.)
What does it mean to remember the Lord?
(To act on that which is remembered.)
Why is it important to act on that which is remembered rather than to just think about it?
In what ways is the Gospel a surprising instrument of salvation?
(We've done so much wrong, yet God's salvation is free to us, but paid through His own son, Jesus.)
Why didn't God give up on Jonah? Why hasn't He given up on you?
(Because He had a plan for Jonah, and has one for you! He cares about the message and the messenger.)
How does knowing that no one is beyond God's redemptive reach shape your confidence in approaching and executing the Great Commission?
When Jonah decided to turn to God (repent), he prayed (2:1–9). As you look to God right now, what is your prayer?
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