1990
Jonah and the Big Fish
October 1990

“Jonah and the Big Fish,” Friend, Oct. 1990, 30–31

Jonah and the Big Fish

By Beverly Webecke Ahlstrom

  1. The Lord told Jonah to go the city of Nineveh and tell the people to repent. Jonah did not want to go, so he ran away. He went to Joppa and got on a ship to Tarshish. (See Jonah 1:1–3.)

  2. The Lord caused a terrible storm. Thinking that the ship would sink, the sailors prayed and threw things overboard. Jonah was asleep. The shipmaster woke him and told him to pray. (See Jonah 1:4–6.)

  3. Jonah said that the Lord was mad at him and so had caused the terrible storm. He told the sailors to throw him overboard; then the sea would be calm. (See Jonah 1:7–12.)

  4. The sailors first tried to row ashore but couldn’t. So they prayed, then cast Jonah into the sea. The storm stopped, and a huge fish (whale) swallowed Jonah. (See Jonah 1:13–17; Matt. 12:40.)

  5. For three days and three nights Jonah lived in the belly of the fish. He prayed and repented. Then, at the Lord’s direction, the fish “vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” (See Jonah 1:17; Jonah 2.)

  6. Again Jonah was told by the Lord to go to Nineveh and preach. This time he obeyed. After the people of Nineveh heard him preach, they repented of their sins and were not destroyed. (See Jonah 3.)

Illustrated by Robyn S. Officer