Jonah on the Beach at Nineveh, by Daniel A. Lewis

November 21–27

Jonah; Micah

“He Delighteth in Mercy”

Lasting conversion requires more than an inspiring Sunday School lesson every other week. Encourage class members to seek personal spiritual experiences throughout their lives.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Consider writing phrases like the following on the board: A truth I was reminded of, Something new I learned, and Something I would like to study further. Give class members time to review what they studied in Jonah and Micah that relates to one of the phrases on the board.

Teach the Doctrine

Jonah 1–4; Micah 7:18–19

The Lord is merciful to all who turn to Him.

Reminding your class of the Lord’s mercy can help them feel His love for them and inspire them to repent. You could invite the class to read Micah 7:18–19 and list on the board some events from Jonah 1–4 that show the Lord delights in mercy. What other experiences of God’s mercy can we share—from the scriptures or our own lives?

Experiencing the Lord’s mercy can inspire us to be more merciful. Here is one idea that could help your class members learn about mercy from the book of Jonah. You could write a question like this on the board: What can God’s mercy, as demonstrated in Jonah 1–4, teach me about being more merciful? Each class member could choose a chapter to review and look for answers to the question. Give class members time to reflect on opportunities they have to replace judgmental attitudes with merciful ones toward themselves or others.

We can share the gospel with God’s children.

Jonah 1; 3–4

All of God’s children need to hear the gospel.

• One way to draw lessons from Jonah’s story is to compare it with accounts of missionaries in the Book of Mormon. Consider creating two columns on the board with the headings Jonah and Alma and the Sons of Mosiah. Invite the class to contrast Jonah’s attitude about teaching the people of Nineveh (see Jonah 1; 3–4) with the attitude of the sons of Mosiah about teaching the Lamanites (see Mosiah 28:1–5; Alma 17:23–25). What do we learn from this exercise about sharing the gospel with all of God’s children?

• Like Jonah, many of us may feel hesitant to invite others to turn to the Lord. What are some possible reasons Jonah fled from his calling to warn the people of Nineveh? Why might we sometimes hesitate to share the gospel? Class members could share ways the Lord has helped them overcome their hesitation. The counsel by President Henry B. Eyring in “Additional Resources” might help class members identify principles that can empower our efforts to share the gospel.

Micah 6:6–8

“What doth the Lord require of thee?”

• Micah 6:6–7 mentions several elements of ancient Jewish rituals. But some things are more important to God than outward rites. Invite class members to find those important things in verse 8. Perhaps class members could identify key phrases in this verse and discuss what each phrase means. They could then pick their favorite phrases, find related scriptures in the Guide to the Scriptures or a related hymn in the hymnbook, and share what they learn. Why are these principles important to the Lord?

Additional Resources

Love, example, and testimony.

After discussing Jonah’s warning to the people of Nineveh, President Henry B. Eyring shared an experience in which his mother gave him a warning:

“I can still remember my mother speaking softly to me one Saturday afternoon when, as a little boy, I asked her for permission to do something I thought was perfectly reasonable and which she knew was dangerous. I still am amazed at the power she was granted, I believe from the Lord, to turn me around with so few words. As I remember them, they were: ‘Oh, I suppose you could do that. But the choice is yours.’ The only warning was in the emphasis she put on the words could and choice. Yet that was enough for me.

“Her power to warn with so few words sprang from three things I knew about her. First, I knew she loved me. Second, I knew she had already done what she wanted me to do and been blessed by it. And third, she had conveyed to me her sure testimony that the choice I had to make was so important that the Lord would tell me what to do if I asked Him. Love, example, and testimony: those were keys that day” (“A Voice of Warning,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 32).

Improving Our Teaching

Prepare yourself. Powerful gospel teaching begins with preparing ourselves. Before you prepare your lesson, focus on filling your heart with the Holy Ghost through meaningful study and prayer. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 12.)