Jonah: Confronted by Grace - Mercy!

Thanks again for joining us online. This week we’ll continue online in our study of Jonah. This section is one of the most famous stories in the Scripture as Jonah is cast overboard and swallowed by a great fish. In our passage, Jonah recounts the prayer he made to God, recognizing his own sin and appealing to him for mercy. 
 
Several aspects of this prayer stand out. First, Jonah recognizes that God was responsible for the storm and now his suffering. He refers to the storm as “your” waves and “your” billows. Second, he understands a relational distance exists between God and him, which Jonah created by going after other gods. He says, “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.”(v8). Like the prodigal son, Jonah comes to his senses and longs to experience the grace of God.
 

Faced with his guilt, he hopes once again in God’s mercy knowing that “salvation belongs to the LORD.”(v9) His cry of mercy stands out in the book because it’s what angers him about God. While he wants mercy for himself, he offers none to those in Nineveh. He exposes his continuing struggle with grace.
 
Join us online Sunday as we consider God’s message to Israel through Jonah.