JEWELS FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL: Using Multiple Scripture Passages To Understand a Biblical Doctrine

JEWELS FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL

Using Multiple Scripture Passages

To Understand a Biblical Doctrine

Explore the Bible Fall 2017

Session 13 – p. 125

God Disciplines His Children

Psalm 94:12-13 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

Psalm 94:12-13 (AMPC) Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, That You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.

Susan: God instructs us from His manual for life, His word.

Susie: God disciplines us when we stray from His commandments in order to keep us going in the right direction.

Susan: He disciplines us because of His love for us in order to give us an unshakeable peace in the days of adversity.

Susie: One way we know our parents love us, especially looking back, is recognizing the times they kept us from doing stupid things by telling us “no.” God, our Father, reins us in to keep us from engaging in wrongdoing and suffering its inevitable consequences.

Proverbs 3:12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Susie: As Susan said before, God corrects us because He loves us, not because He is angry with us. A loving father realizes that true love means teaching a child obedience. Obedience is a protection. I remember one of my grandchildren at about 18 months old headed down my driveway toward the street. Her mother loudly but calmly said, “Freeze!” The baby stopped in her tracks and turned around just as a car whizzed by. Her obedience protected her. God knows Satan is whizzing by every few minutes hoping to knock us off course. Therefore, the Lord corrects us to prevent us from heading into the danger zone.

Judges 2:1-3 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?  Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the Lord.

Susie: When God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, he commanded them not to make alliances with the people of Canaan and in many instances told them specifically to annihilate entire cities. However, Israel did not follow His instructions. Although God would never forsake them or go back on His covenant with Abraham, He did punish them by not taking care of those hostile nations for them but instead telling the Israelite they would suffer the consequences of having to fight them over and over again and the temptations to follow after idols.

Susan: The Israelites chose to be in this situation by not obeying the Lord’s command or remembering their choices had consequences.

Susie: All the people wept upon hearing God’s plan of discipline. They could have wept in true sorrow for their sin and sacrificed in acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty.

Susan: Or they may have wept in frustration at the prospect of not being able to drive out the Canaanites and tried to appease God with a sacrifice. Or they may have been mad at themselves for disappointing the Lord.

Susie: As with our earthly parents, there are consequences when we choose not to obey God the Father.

Hebrews 12:5-7 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Susan: When God disciplines you, it is a sign that you are in a Father/Child relationship with Him. Discipline shows that you have incredible value. If He did not discipline you, it would say He did not care, that He was not invested in you.

Susie: We must go forward to verse 11 to see the entire point of this passage:

Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Susie: Physical discipline (exercise, healthy eating, etc.) results in strength and good health. Godly discipline results in righteousness and perfect peace.

1 Peter 1:15-16 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Susan: God’s discipline leads us to maturity. Entrusting Him with our words, thoughts, deeds, and our entire being ensures that discipline will have its perfect result of maturity for those who are in Christ.

Susie: Leading a life “set apart” for God’s service involves self-discipline and the proper response of submission to God’s authority when He disciplines us as His children.

JEWELS FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL - USING SCRIPTURE TO UNDERSTAND SCRIPTURE

JEWELS FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL

USING SCRIPTURE

TO UNDERSTAND SCRIPTURE

Explore the Bible – Session 12

Bible Skill on p. 114

Leviticus 16:3-6 3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

Susie: On the Day of Atonement, Aaron had to follow specific procedures prescribed by God. He had to bathe, put on special clothing, and prepare everything in order. Once all was in place, his first task was to offer a sacrifice for his own sins and those of his own household. He could not officiate sacrifices for others until he was cleansed from his own sin.

Hebrews 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

Susan: Again in Hebrews, we are told the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies only once a year and only after offering a blood sacrifice for his own sins and those of his household. After he offered a sacrifice for himself, he was covered. Only then was he acceptable to offer a sacrifice on behalf of the people.

Hebrews 9:11-12 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Susie: Jesus as our High Priest, had no need to offer bulls or goats as a sacrifice for His own sins because He was the perfect, sinless Lamb. He had the right to enter the heavenly holy of holies because of His own blood.

Susan: Because Jesus was, from eternity, the perfect Son of God, he had no need to offer a sacrifice for Himself. He had the authority to enter the Holy of Holies in Heaven after offering Himself as a sacrifice for sinful men.

Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Susan: Jesus’s sacrifice did not cleanse us externally alone, but internally to the heart and soul, the very core of our being.

Leviticus 16: 29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

Leviticus 16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Susan: In Hebrew, this day is known as Yom Kippur and is still celebrated yearly with reverent fasting among the Jews.

Susie: The sacrifice of animals demanded by God was only a foreshadowing of the sacrifice made of the final, perfect Lamb of God. The Day of Atonement served as a temporary cleansing and had to be repeated every year.

Hebrews 9: 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Susan: The Tabernacle and the Temple were pictures of the permanent Temple in Heaven. 

Susie: The priest had to enter each year on the Day of Atonement to purge Israel, to cleanse its people from their sin.

Susan: Jesus, acting as our High Priest, only had to offer Himself once to cleanse away our sin. Jesus’s blood was the soap of His love to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 10:3-4 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Susie: The blood of the Jewish sacrifices could not permanently remove sin. Thus, the sacrifices had to be made over and over again.

Hebrews 10: 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Susan: The sacrificial system under the Law of Moses was replaced by the sacrifice of God Himself wrapped in the human form of His Son, Jesus. The Old Covenant of the Law was replaced by the New Covenant of His blood shed for the remission of sins.

Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Susie: The blood of Jesus shed on the cross was the final sacrifice and the only means of reconciliation, atonement, for our sins.

Hebrews 10: 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Susan: Because of Jesus’s acceptable sacrifice of Himself, those who have trusted Him and received this precious gift of God can enter into the presence of the Lord with boldness and confidence. Rather than being separated from God by the chasm of our sin, we now enjoy “familyship”—our relationship is that of child to Father—because of the blood of Jesus.

Susie: Believers are no longer covered with the guilt and shame of sin. We are made pure in God’s eyes because of Jesus’s death on our behalf. This is what is meant by being “covered by the blood.”

In summary, Aaron and his descendants had to offer sacrifices for themselves before others and had to sacrifice year after year to atone for the sins of Israel.

Jesus was Himself the perfect sacrifice given one time only to satisfy God’s judgement and make atonement for those who would receive Him. He had no need to sacrifice on His own behalf because He lived a perfect, sinless life as the God-man.

JEWELS FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL - GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE

JEWELS FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL

SESSION 11

BIBLE SKILL ON P.105

GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE

Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 9:3 Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee.

Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Leviticus 9:24 And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

Numbers 11:1 And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

Numbers 16:35 And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

Judges 6:21 Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

1 Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

2 Kings 1:10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

2 Kings 1:12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

2 Chronicles 7:1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

Job 1:16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Ezekiel 22:31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.

SUSIE: The consuming fire seems to represent the omnipotence of God—the fact that He is all-powerful. It can represent His jealousy for his people, His acceptance of an offering, or His wrath against those who turn from Him.

SUSAN: I concur. When we come to God and submit ourselves to Him, like a wildfire He consumes all of the real estate of our lives. Every person or event that comes into our lives, whether seemingly negative or positive, is ultimately for our good and God’s glory. Everything that happens to us is according to His divine design for His ultimate purposes for which we were created.

SUSIE: I think you are saying that the Lord envelopes and consumes everything in our lives. When things seem out of control, like a forest fire, God is truly causing a “controlled burn” to get rid of the chaff (the worthless things) in order to allow room for the best things to grow.

SUSAN: The literal pruning of my legs seemed to be a fiery trial in my life, but my Heavenly Father wanted to cut off that which endangered my life and prevented me from fulfilling His purposes through my earth-suit.

SUSIE: God as a consuming fire can be devouring the enemies of His people or demonstrating acceptance of sacrifices from His children. Either way, He is demonstrating His power.

Leviticus 10:1-3 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

SUSAN: The consequence to disobedience can be as severe as death.

SUSIE: The consuming fire of God’s jealousy cannot tolerate disobedience, and those who do not follow His commands may find themselves consumed (literally or figuratively). Since God is the all-powerful Creator, it is His right to do with us as He wills.

SUSAN: Aaron, as a father, was probably numb. But Aaron, as a priest, accepted God’s judgment against his sons. Aaron could not defend their flagrant disobedience and flippant behavior in the presence of a holy God.

SUSIE: In the 21^st century church, we are sometimes in danger of forgetting that the same God who fills us with His Holy Spirit as an all-consuming fire fueling our service to Him is also the God who can send fiery judgment on those who reject His offer of salvation.

SUSAN: As Christians we are sometimes guilty of filling our bodies (His temple) with good things in place of God Himself. Being filled with God Himself can be expressed in as many different ways as there are people. The filling with God’s Holy Spirit brings some to quiet reflection and others to joyous expression.   We are each uniquely fit for God’s service, a divinely designed presentation.

SUSIE: We are unique individuals, but God within us reaches out to His other exceptional children and unites us to spread His all-consuming love like a wildfire in our communities.  May we, the church, submit ourselves to be consumed by God’s Spirit for the benefit of His kingdom.

JEWELS FROM SESSION 10 IN EXPLORE THE BIBLE CURRICULUM

JEWELS FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL

Session 10

LEVITICUS 1:3-9, 2:1-3, 3:1-5

This week’s lesson in the Explore the Bible curriculum for Fall 2017, suggested an exercise in using a Bible dictionary on page 94. Many of you may not have taken the time to do it, so we will share our work with you. We looked up the word “atonement” in Easton’s Bible Dictionary found at www.biblegateway.com and have shared a couple of sentences from the definition below. We also looked up many of the references listed there and have copied them in the King James Version for you.  After those references, you can read how each of us defined “atonement” in our own words.

Excerpts from the definition of “atonement” in Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Atonement means at-one-ment

The means by which it is covered is vicarious satisfaction, and the result of its being covered is atonement or reconciliation.

It must also be constantly kept in mind that the atonement is not the cause but the consequence of God's love to guilty men.

SATISFACTION FOR OFFENCES

·      Exodus 32:30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.

·      Leviticus 4:26 And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

·      Leviticus 5:16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

VICARIOUS SATISFACTION

·      John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

·      Romans 3:24-25 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

·      Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

·      1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

·      1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

GOD’S HOLY NATURE DEMANDS SATISFACTION, PAYMENT FOR SIN

·      Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

·      Joshua 24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

·      Psalm 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

·      Psalm 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

·      Nahum 1:2 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

·      Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

Susie: Atonement, being made acceptable for a relationship with God, is the result of Jesus’s dying on the cross in my place. Atonement is purchased by the shed blood of Jesus once for all, replacing the need for shedding the blood of animals over and over again.

John 17:20-21 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Susan: Atonement is the manifested work of Jesus on the cross that enables me to come into the familyship of God, to be one with Him as the Holy Spirit abides with me forever.

Susie: Wow! This does give me a greater appreciation for all Jesus did on my behalf when He sacrificed Himself in my place. It makes me more aware of the utter sinfulness of all people, including me!

Susan: All the pain that Jesus endured on the cross and emotionally in the garden beforehand reminds me that even my earth-suit is a piece of cake. Sometimes it is hard to remember in the moment, but when frustrations come in life, it would behoove us to remember His sacrifice. Then whatever we are going through, whatever we are facing is all small stuff. All things are possible because Christ died to give me relationship with God, and He strengthens me each day. 

WHAT NOW?

You may be asking, "What are they going to do with this blog now that the study of Jonah is finished?" We will use it again, the next time our ladies' group at church does a Bible study. However, in the meantime, we will post once a week on Satudays our favorite gems  harvested from that our study of  that week's Sunday school lesson. For the next four weeks, we will be in Leviticus. Starting in December, we will be studying excerpts from the second half of the book of Acts. Please join us as we prepare each week for Bible study time. Even if you are not using the Explore the Bible literature from Lifeway, you may enjoy learning along with us. We hope you will!

SUMMARY: JEWELS FROM JONAH

SUMMARY:

JEWELS FROM JONAH

CHAPTER ONE

Jonah 1:1-3        When Jonah Ran

• ·   Jonah was a prophet basking in the fame of predicting expansion of Israel’s territory
• ·        God broke Jonah’s routine by sending him on a mission to Nineveh
• ·        Jonah ran the opposite direction because Nineveh was the enemy’s capital

Jonah 1:4-6        Jonah Slumbers While the Sea Swirls

• ·        God sent a tempest that threatened to sink the ship carrying Jonah
• ·        The sailors all cried out to their gods
• ·        Meanwhile Jonah slept below decks

Jonah 1:7-9        Jonah's the Culprit

• ·        The crewmen cast lots to see who brought this storm on them
• ·        When Jonah was indicated, they began throwing out questions

Jonah 1:10-13   Interrogation of Jonah

• ·        The men demanded to know why Jonah was fleeing God
• ·        Then they asked what they should do to him to appease his God
• ·        Jonah told them to throw him overboard
• ·        The men were reluctant to cause Jonah’s death and rowed harder

Jonah 1:14-17   Jonah Becomes Fish Food

• ·        The men asked God’s forgiveness and threw Jonah into the sea
• ·        The sailors made sacrifices to the one true God and made vows
• ·        God sent a monstrous fish to swallow Jonah whole

ASK YOURSELF: AM I RUNNING FROM GOD’S CALL ON MY LIFE?

CHAPTER TWO

Jonah 2:1-3        Jonah Prays from the Belly of Hell

• ·        Jonah called out in his distress
• ·        Jonah acknowledged that God heard him even inside the fish

Jonah 2:4-6        Eyes Covered with Seaweed, Jonah Sees Hope

• ·        By faith, Jonah declared to God he will see His temple again
• ·        Jonah gave a graphic description of sinking into the deep

Jonah 2:7-10     Jonah is Grateful but Fishy Feels Sicky

• ·        Jonah gave thanks to God and promised to fulfill his vows
• ·        God caused the fish to spit Jonah back onto dry land

PONDER: ARE YOU SINKING INTO THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE? LIKE JONAH, REPENTANCE AND TRUST IN GOD IS THE ONLY WAY OUT.

CHAPTER THREE

         

Jonah 3:1-3        Jonah's Second Chance

• ·        God commanded Jonah a second time to take His message to Nineveh
• ·        This time Jonah obeyed immediately
• ·        Nineveh was described as a great city of three day’s journey

Jonah 3:4-6        Jonah Prophesies Nineveh's Demise

• ·        Jonah prophesied Nineveh’s destruction in forty days
• ·        One day into his preaching, the people began a fast

Jonah 3:7-10     The Ninevites Repented and God Relented

• ·        From the King of Nineveh down to even the animals, the Ninevites fasted and donned sackcloth in repentance
• ·        The king thought that maybe God would change His mind
• ·      God saw the genuine repentance of the Ninevites and did not destroy them

OBSERVATION: GOD GAVE JONAH AND THE NINEVITES SECOND CHANCES. DO YOU NEED A SECOND CHANCE TO OBEY GOD?

CHAPTER FOUR

         

Jonah 4:1-3        Jonah Despaired Because Nineveh was Spared

• ·        Jonah obeyed God but did not like the outcome
• ·        Jonah did not want Nineveh to be spared
• ·        Jonah was angry and wanted to die

Jonah 4:4-6        Jonah Desired Destruction but Needed the Lord's Instruction

• ·        God asked if Jonah did well to be angry
• ·        Jonah went away sulking and sat to see if God would destroy the city after all
• ·        God provided a plant to shelter Jonah but with a lesson in mind

Jonah 4:7-8        Shade Plant Died: Jonah Cried

• ·        God sent a worm to kill the plant
• ·        Jonah was angry again because the plant died
• ·        God asked again if Jonah had a right to be angry
• ·        Jonah said he was angry enough to die

Jonah 4:9-11     God Spared the City for Which Jonah Had No Pity

• ·        God pointed out that Jonah had more pity for the plant than the Ninevites, their children, and their animals
• ·        God asked the rhetorical question, “Why should I not spare Nineveh…”

SEARCH YOUR HEART: DO YOU OBEY, BUT ONLY RELUCTANTLY? DO YOU HARBOR RESENTMENT WHEN GOD DOESN’T WORK ACCORDING TO YOUR PLANS? ARE YOU TOO SELF-CENTERED TO SHOW COMPASSION TO THE PEOPLE TO WHOM GOD WOULD HAVE YOU GO?