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Jonah learns about God's forgiveness

Jonah and the people of Nineveh.
Story also available on our translated website: Spanish
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Jonah was God’s spokesman to the people living in the northern Kingdom of Israel. God then asked Jonah to go to the enemy nation of Assyria. God wanted Jonah to warn the Assyrians that unless they turned from their wicked ways He was going to destroy their capitol city – Nineveh. <br/>But Jonah did not want to go and warn the people of Nineveh. He wanted God to destroy them. – Slide 1
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So he headed down to the coast and paid to go on a long sea journey in the opposite direction from Nineveh. – Slide 2
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But God sent a violent storm to teach His disobedient messenger a lesson. <br/>All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. They threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. <br/>Jonah went below deck and fell into a deep sleep. – Slide 3
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The sailors woke Jonah up and cast lots to find out who was responsible for this calamity. Jonah’s name was drawn. <br/>Jonah explained, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. I am running away from my God’ <br/>‘How can we stop the storm?’ the terrified sailors asked. <br/>‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea,’ Jonah replied, ‘and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.’ – Slide 4
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The sailors did their best to row back to land but the storm got worse. They prayed to the Lord, ‘Please don't let us drown for taking this man's life. Don't hold us guilty for killing an innocent man. All of this happened because you wanted it to.’ <br/>Then they threw Jonah overboard, and the sea calmed down. – Slide 5
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The Lord sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. <br/>While in the fish, Jonah prayed and God came to his rescue. – Slide 6
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The Lord commanded the fish to vomit up Jonah on the shore. And it did. Once again the Lord told Jonah to go to that great city of Nineveh and tell them to repent or face God’s judgement. This time, Jonah obeyed and went to Nineveh. – Slide 7
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The city was so big that it took three days just to walk through it. Jonah warned the people, ‘Forty days from now, Nineveh will be destroyed!’ – Slide 8
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The people of Nineveh believed God's message and set a time when they would go without eating to show their sorrow. Then everyone in the city, no matter who they were, dressed in sackcloth. The Assyrian king ordered, ‘You must pray to the Lord God with all your heart and stop being sinful and cruel. Maybe God will change his mind and have mercy on us, so we won't be destroyed.’ – Slide 9
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When God saw that the people of Nineveh had stopped doing evil things, He had pity and did not destroy them as He had planned. <br/>Now that made Jonah really upset and angry. ‘That’s why I didn’t want to come to Nineveh. You are a kind and merciful God, and you are very patient. You always show love, and you don't like to punish anyone. Now let me die! I'd be better off dead.’ – Slide 10
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Jonah then left through the east gate of the city and made a shelter to protect himself from the sun. He sat under the shelter, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh. – Slide 11
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The Lord made a vine grow up to shade Jonah's head and protect him from the sun. Jonah was very happy to have the vine but early the next morning the Lord sent a worm to chew on the vine, and the vine dried up. – Slide 12
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During the day the Lord sent a scorching wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah's head, making him feel faint. Jonah was angry about the vine, and he shouted, ‘I wish I were dead!’ <br/>God replied, ‘You are concerned about a vine that you did not plant or take care of, a vine that grew up in one night and died the next. In the city of Nineveh there are more than 120,000 people who cannot tell right from wrong, and many cattle are also there. Don't you think I should be concerned about that big city?’ – Slide 13
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