The Gospel According to Jonah Bible Study Week #2

Sermon: Life Without God
Text: Jonah 2:1-10

Bible Study: The Futility of Life Without God

The prayer of the prophet Jonah praises the sovereign grace of God as the only means of salvation of Him. He realizes to depend upon anything else is idolatry, and it will get him nowhere. The knowledge of the emptiness of idols is of course not unique to Jonah. Isaiah is another prophet who God raised up to speak His Word to His people and Isaiah spent much of his time urging Israel away from idolatry.

The Book of Isaiah is one of the longest in the Bible and is almost entirely filled with God’s admonitions to His people. While some passages are a little complex at first read, others are straightforward and almost satirical in tone. Isaiah 44:6-20 is one of the plainest explanations of idolatry we will find anywhere in the Bible. Considering this passage will help you fully understand the futility of Jonah’s flight, the emptiness of idols, and his confession that salvation belongs to the Lord.

Read Isaiah 44:6-8.

1. Focus in on Isaiah 44:6-8. Summarize the message of these verses into one short thought.

2. This is perhaps the most central teaching of Scripture. Jonah’s prayer acknowledges God’s sovereignty over creation. Yet it took Jonah three days in a fish belly to get to this point. Why is such a simple teaching repeated so often so hard for us to live by?

Read Isaiah 44:9-20.

3. Now look at verses 9-20, specifically the illustrations of the carpenter and the ironsmith. In these illustrations, what do you think the characters and their crafts represent?

4. Relying on verses 17-20 to guide you, what is the simple irony God is communicating in these illustrations?

5. What danger are both Isaiah and Jonah saying comes with idol worship?

6. Ok, time to transition out of the illustrations and into real life. For most of us, we aren’t bowing down to blocks of wood. But we do sacrifice time, money and energy to the things we value. What are common idols among your circles of friends and family?

Bible study by J.D. Greear.

The Gospel According to Jonah Bible Study Week #1

Sermon Title for Sunday, Jan. 5th: I Am Jonah
Text: Jonah 1

Bible Study: Daniel 3

Chapter 3 of the Book of Daniel recounts a well-known story which provides a helpful contrast to the opening chapter of Jonah’s story. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are the main characters in this story. They were all men of Jerusalem living basically as captives of Babylon. Babylon sacked Jerusalem and so they were at this point under Babylonian rule. These three guys, along with Daniel, where chosen by the king’s men because they were on the Who’s Who of Israel’s young guys and the Hebrew Top 30 under 30 lists. They were intelligent, handsome and wise and came from well-to-do backgrounds. But they got into a couple of skirmishes with the king because they refused to compromise their worship of God for favor with the king. In chapter chapter 3, when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego where given an ultimatum to either worship King Nebauchadnezzar’s gods are be thrown into a ferry furnace.

Daniel 3:13-15:
"Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

1. While on the surface these two stories couldn’t be more different, how are the circumstances facing Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego similar to the opening scene in Jonah’s story?

2. Few in the Western world are faced with martyrdom like these guys were. Many can hide in a pseudo-Christian subculture without ever having to face consequences for following Christ. But those hiding places are dwindling. Is there anywhere in your life right now where following Christ puts you at risk? How?

Daniel 3:16-18:
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

3. What words or phrases stand out to you in the reply these three guys gave to the king in the face of death? Why?

4. There’s an old saying: “Your true colors show when your feet are put to the fire. Jonah and the three men in Daniel 3 were all men of God. They all knew the same things about God. Why then did Jonah flee whereas the others stood firm?

Daniel 3:19-30:
"Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon."

What are the similarities between the outcomes of Daniel 3 and Jonah 1?

How does this impact the way we view our love for and obedience to God?

Bible study by J.D. Greeah