The book of Jonah is about an angry man and his God, a merciless man and his merciful God. But even to say it that way is backward. The correct arrangement of Jonah’s theme is that it’s a story of our merciful God and his merciless man.
God teaches Jonah, the merciless man, two lessons that he badly needs to learn. The first lesson is one of obedience. God had called Jonah to be a prophet: a person charged to run God’s errands and deliver God’s messages. The story begins with Jonah refusing to obey. In the first two chapters God uses a great fish to teach him the lesson of obedience. But then there’s a second lesson. Jonah is a hard man, stonehearted and merciless—and he has to learn the lesson of exchanging his anger for compassion. In the last two chapters we watch God teach him using this time not a great fish but a little worm.
This is a story for all of us. God doesn’t always pick the nice men and the nice women. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It is God’s way to choose and to use flawed human material. God picks sinners; God saves sinners; God calls, equips, and uses sinners—and Jonah was one such sinner.
Group Discussion. When and how has your own anger gotten you in trouble?
Personal Reflection. What evidence have you seen of God’s mercy? Bring to mind a situation where God granted you far more than you expected or deserved.
Someone has pointed out that though Jonah was a reluctant and angry prophet, it appears he was the most successful of all the biblical prophets. Of course, his success was not the result of his own actions but of God’s. Read Jonah 1; 2:1, 10; 3; 4:1-2, 5-11.
1. What actions reveal Jonah’s character?
2. What do you see of yourself in Jonah?
3. What examples do you see of the grace of God in Jonah’s story?
4. Study Jonah’s two descriptions of God in 1:9 and 4:2. In what ways did Jonah act on these stated beliefs?
5. In what ways did his actions fail to live up to his beliefs?
6. Reread each of these descriptions of God with your own current circumstances in mind. What actions can you take that would live out these beliefs?
7. How was the fish helpful to Jonah?
8. When has a break in your routine given you valuable insights from God?
9. Jonah’s last recorded statement expressed extreme anger and even suicidal thoughts. What are some possible responses Jonah might have made to the Lord’s question (Jonah 4:10-11)?
10. In spite of Jonah’s anger and other flaws, what good did God accomplish through him?
11. Jonah needed to learn two lessons: obedience and compassion. What measures did God use to teach those lessons?
12. How might you put one of Jonah’s lessons to work in your own setting?
13. How does Jonah’s story offer you hope in your present situation?
Spend a few moments in silence, reflecting on the life of Jonah. Ask God to ... 
