Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1922-03-02
IMPROVED UNIFORM In NILsu,Ai.unnL
Sl111ldoySchool q
' Lesson
(By REV. r b. FITZW ATER, D. D.,
Teacher of English Bible in the Moody
Bible Institute of ChicagoD
Copyright, 1922, Western Newspaper Union.
LESSON FOR MARCH 5
JEHoVAH's MERCY TO A HEATH.
EN- CITY

EN- CITY
LESSON TEXT-Jonah 3:1-4:11
UOLDEN TEXT-Let the wicked Tor !
sake his way, and the unrighteous man |
MS thoughts: and let him return unto the |
Lord, and he will have mercy upon him;
ana to our God, for he will abundanty
pardon.-Isa. 55:7.
REFERENCE MATERIAL-Isa. As 20
20 1851; Jonah 1:1-2:1O; Nal 1:1O, Ii;
John 3:16
PRIMARY TOPIC-God Sends Jonah on
an Errand
JUNIOR TOPIC-How God Spared
Wicked City.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC
-Jonah's Missionary Adventure.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
The Missionary Teaching OF the Book
of Jonah.
That the book of Jonah is histori.
cal we believe for the following rea.
sons: First, its record and use in
the Scriptures. That the writer's OF
the Bible intended the impression OF
its historicity is without the shadow
of doubt. The suggestion that it is
a parable is absolutely gratuitous
Second, the unbroken testimony of
tradition among the Jews is that it is
historic. Third, the testimony of Jesus
Christ Matt. II :39-4D. The words OF
Jesus Christ are final.
1. Jonah's Second Commission
wv. 1, y.
When called the first time to go to
Nineveh, he found the task too great
for him. The man called to do foreign
mission work was fleeing in the op.
posite direction. The real reason he
did not desire to go was that he was
afraid that they would repent, and he
knew if they did, Gods mercy would
be extended to them (ch. 4:2). Fol
his unfaithfulnesS, he was chastised
He repented and God restored his
commission. The Lord said to him.
preach the preaching that l bid thee"
". y. God knows how he wants His
work done, therefore He gave just
the message which He desired to have
proclaimed to the lost world. Happy is
the missionary, minister, Sunday-schoOl
teacher, who breaches Gods Word just
as He gave it.
II. Jonah's Preaching (vv. 3, ~.
1. His field ". -. "Nineveh was an
exceeding great CITY," Not only was
the city large, but its inhabitants were
noted for their cruelty.
2. His message ". ~. "Yet forty
days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." /"
This means that forty days were given
by God for repentance ere the judg-
ment would fall. God is long-suffer
ing, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should repent Oh Pet. 3:9).
Though He is merciful, yet there is
limitation to it. He says, yet forty
days."
III. The Repentance of N:neveh wv.
5-1O).
l. They believed God ". 81. They
believed that God was speaking to
them through the prophet about their
sins and impending judgment.
2. They proclaimed a fast wv. 5-8).
The king and people Joined sincerely
in this movement. The call was for
them to turn away from their sins.
Their penitence was genuine, for they
not merely put on sackcloth, the Wis
ible sign of mourning, but they cried
to God ". 81.
3. They reasoned that God would
repent ". 81. Though they had no
assurance that God would have mercy,
yet they reasoned that the sending of
prophet and the giving of a time
before the fall of doom implied that
God would be merciful if they repent
ed. They were wise in so doing. We
today know that God will have mercy
if we repent (Acts 3:19). What ut.
ter folly to go on in sin in the face
of the assurance that God will judge
5. Gods mercy shown ". 1O)
"GOd saw their works that they turned
from their evil way" Gods eye is
omniscient. Wherever there is a soul
who is turning from sin in penitence
He sees. No one has ever wept over
sin unuoticed by God. God rejoices
when a sinner repents duke 15 10y
In the Book of Jonah we have por
trayed the typical history of Israel:
al. Jonah was called to a world
mission, and so was Israel. (2) Jonah
| AT HTSI reIuSeu COHplldnco WlIn the
divine purpose and plan, and so die
Israel. (3) Jonah was punished by
being cast into the sea, and so was
Israel by being dispersed among the
nations. (4) Jonah was not lost, but
rather especially preserved during this
part of his experience and Israel is
not being assimilated by the nations
but being kept for God. (5) Jonah
repentant and cast out by the fish, is
restored TO life and action again, anC
Israel, repentant and cast out by the
nations, shall be restored to her former
national position. (6) Jonah, obedient
goes upon his mission to Nineveh, anC
Israel obedient, shall ultimately en-
gage in her original mission to the
world. 90 Jonah is successful in tha
his message is acted upon to the
salvation of Nineveh, so Israel shal
be blessed in that she shall be useC
to the conversion of the whole world.
DIR. Gray's Commentary.