Tuesday, May 31, 2016

It is helpful sometimes in studying the Bible to use a simple study approach where you try to answer six basic questions: Who? What? Why? Where? When? And How? If you used this approach while studying the 3rd chapter of Jonah you would answer the Who question with Jonah, the Ninevites, and God. The What question would be answered with, Jonah given a second chance, Nineveh responded positively to their final chance, and God graciously gave the Ninevites a new day of blessing because of their positive, humble repentance. In answer to the Why question it could be noted that God’s compassion for the Ninevites initiated a turnaround of phenomenal proportions. Nineveh is the place that answers the Where question. No one really knows When this all took place, but obviously it was during the lifetime of the prophet Jonah. The How question would have a similar answer as the Why question, possibly giving some amplification. For example, though God’s compassion initiated the action which took place, His compassion was not experienced until the Ninevites repented in humility before Him. And that didn’t take place until Jonah finally got to the place where he was willing to obey God’s call and proclaim God’s word to the Ninevites. You can see that just answering these questions gives you a basis for humbly understanding why it is important to obey God in every detail of your life even when what God asks doesn’t make sense to you.