Lesson 153

Jonah

Prepare to Learn

Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Remember that the Spirit can better teach you when you are focused and willing to learn. Show your desire to be taught by the Spirit by actively participating in this lesson.

Begin your study with prayer.

How might you respond if someone hurt you so deeply that you wondered if you could ever heal?

Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk of the Seventy talked about a tragedy that caused him deep hurt and anger. What allowed him to overcome these feelings? You can read the text for this video here: “Even as Christ Forgives You, So Also Do Ye,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 15–16.

The Book of Jonah

Can you think of someone who you find difficult to love or who you struggle to forgive?

As you study the book of Jonah, look for principles that can help you choose to love and forgive others.

A Call to Preach

Jonah lived around 788 BC, about 70 years before the Assyrians took the Northern Kingdom of Israel captive. He was from a town called Gath-hepher (see Jonah 1:1; 2 Kings 14:25), which was near Nazareth. The Lord called Jonah to go to Nineveh, a large Assyrian city. The Assyrians were enemies of the Israelites. They worshipped false gods, and they tortured and cruelly murdered the people they conquered. The Israelites hated and feared them.

If you were Jonah, what thoughts or feelings might you have had about a call to preach to the people of Nineveh?

Read Jonah 1:3, looking for what Jonah did in response to his call from the Lord.

A Terrible Storm

We read in Jonah 1:4–9 that while Jonah was on the ship to Tarshish, “the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea,” causing a terrible storm that threatened to destroy the ship (verse 4). The men on the ship were afraid that they would die in the storm. They believed that Jonah was responsible, and they asked him what he had done to cause the storm.

Read Jonah 1:10–12, looking for how Jonah accepted responsibility for their predicament and what he told the men on the ship to do.

A Lesson

According to Jonah 1:13–16, the men reluctantly threw Jonah overboard, and the storm ended.

What lesson can we learn from this account about the consequences of trying to avoid the responsibilities the Lord has given us?

Our Responsibilities

One lesson we can learn from Jonah 1:1–16 is that the Lord will hold us accountable for the responsibilities He gives us, even if we try to avoid them.

Read the following statement by President John Taylor (1808–87), looking for what he taught in relation to this principle.

“If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor [2001], 164).

What responsibilities have you received from the Lord? When have you or someone you know been blessed through faithfully fulfilling a responsibility given by the Lord?

Jonah’s Prayer

We read in Jonah 1:17 that “the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.” Jonah 2 contains the prayer Jonah offered while he was in the fish’s belly.

Read Jonah 2:1–9, looking for phrases in Jonah’s prayer that show he was repentant.

What words or phrases show that Jonah was repentant?

The Lord’s Mercy

Read Jonah 2:10, looking for what the Lord did after Jonah expressed his willingness to repent.

How did the Lord show mercy to Jonah?

What principle can we learn from Jonah 2 about God’s mercy?

Second Chances

From Jonah 2 you may have identified a principle similar to the following: If we cry unto the Lord and repent when we have sinned, we can receive His mercy.

Read the following statement by President James E. Faust (1920–2007) of the First Presidency, looking for a sign of a truly repentant person:

“Many of us backslide, many stumble, and I believe firmly in the gospel of the second chance. But the gospel of the second chance means that having once been found weak, … thereafter we become steadfast … ‘and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord’ [3 Nephi 6:14]” (James E. Faust, “Stand Up and Be Counted,” Ensign, Feb. 1982, 71).

1. Answer the following questions:

• How will you show the Lord your desire to repent?

• What commitments to obey the Lord have you made and will you make?

Another Call to Preach

As recorded in Jonah 3:1–2, “the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time” (verse 1), and the Lord again called him to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh.

Read Jonah 3:3–5, 9–10, looking for what happened when Jonah received a second chance from the Lord to preach to the people of Nineveh.

Jonah’s Response

The Joseph Smith Translation of Jonah 3:9–10 clarifies that the people of Nineveh declared, “we will repent, and turn unto God” (Joseph Smith Translation, Jonah 3:9 [in Jonah 3:9, footnote a]) and that “God turned away the evil that he had said he would bring upon them” (Joseph Smith Translation, Jonah 3:10 [in Jonah 3:10, footnote c]).

Instead of rejoicing in the people’s repentance, Jonah was angry (see Jonah 4:1). After seeing for years the cruelty of the people of Nineveh and their extreme wickedness, he expected the Lord to punish the people of Nineveh for their unrighteousness.

Read Jonah 4:2, looking for what Jonah knew about the Lord that explained why the people of Nineveh were not punished. Consider marking the phrases that describe the Lord’s qualities.

A Booth and a Gourd

Although Jonah was blessed by the Lord’s mercy and kindness when he was given a second chance, Jonah resented these qualities when the Lord spared the people of Nineveh.

Read Jonah 4:4–11, looking for what the Lord taught Jonah about love and forgiveness. The word booth in verse 5 refers to a shelter, and the word gourd mentioned in verses 6–7, 9 refers to a large plant that could provide shade.

Quiz 1

1. According to verse 5, Jonah made himself a booth outside of the city so that he could

   1. take a nap in the shade.

   2. apologize to the people passing by.

   3. see what would happen to the city.

2. According to verse 6, how did Jonah feel about the gourd?

   1. He was even angrier because its shadow kept him from warming up in the sun.

   2. He was happy because of the shade it provided.

   3. He was worried because the gourd blocked his view of the city.

3. According to verse 7, the gourd withered and died because of

   1. the sun.

   2. a worm.

   3. a storm.

4. According to verse 9, after the gourd withered, Jonah was

   1. angry.

   2. scared.

   3. sad.

5. According to verses 10–11, the Lord used the gourd to teach Jonah about

   1. the value of hard work.

   2. building a booth.

   3. His love for the people of Nineveh.

Love and Forgiveness

A lesson we can learn from Jonah 4:4–11 is that to become like the Lord, we must learn to love and forgive others as He does.

Read the following statement by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency:

“When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following:

“Stop it!

“It’s that simple. We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children. …

“Because we all depend on the mercy of God, how can we deny to others any measure of the grace we so desperately desire for ourselves? …

“The pure love of Christ can remove the scales of resentment and wrath from our eyes, allowing us to see others the way our Heavenly Father sees us: as flawed and imperfect mortals who have potential and worth far beyond our capacity to imagine. Because God loves us so much, we too must love and forgive each other” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Merciful Obtain Mercy,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 75–76).

It is important to understand that although the Lord requires all to forgive, He does not require anyone to stay in an abusive situation.

2. Answer the following questions:

• Why do you think that learning to love and forgive others will help us become more like the Lord Jesus Christ?

• When have you tried to love and forgive as the Lord does? How were you blessed for doing so?

Your Plan

Take a moment to think about the lessons you learned from your study of Jonah 1–4. Are there responsibilities you are ready to accept? Do you recognize your need for the Lord’s mercy? Who needs your love and forgiveness?

Make a plan to act on what you learned and felt today.

Answer Key

Quiz 1: (1) c; (2) b; (3) b; (4) a; (5) c