Free group study handout
Jonah 3: Group Study Handout
How to use: read Jonah 3 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.
Overview
Yahweh commands Jonah a second time to go to Nineveh and deliver a message (vv. 1-2). Jonah obeys and travels to Nineveh, a large city that takes three days to journey across.
Key verse
“God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.”
Jonah 3:10 (WEB)
Outline
- Jonah 3:1–2 God's Command to Jonah
- Jonah 3:3–4 Jonah's Obedience and Message
- Jonah 3:5–6 Nineveh's Response to God's Message
- Jonah 3:7–9 The King's Decree for Repentance
- Jonah 3:10 God's Compassion Toward Nineveh
Discussion questions
- What time frame does Jonah give in v4 for Nineveh's impending fate?
- In v6, how does the king of Nineveh respond to the news of Jonah's message?
- The king's proclamation in vv. 7-8 raises a question: what does it show about the response of leadership during a crisis?
- In v10, what does it mean for God to 'relent' in response to the Ninevites' actions?
- When have you witnessed a community come together, as seen in Nineveh's response in v5?
Go deeper
Passages that echo Jonah 3: Joel 2, Jeremiah 18, Isaiah 55.
Before next time: read Jonah 4.