May 25, 2026 - Jonah 1-2

Week 22

• Jonah 1-2

• Jonah 3-4

• Hosea 1-3

• Amos 1:1, 9

• Joel 1-3

This week’s readings shift to the Minor Prophets, a section of the Old Testament that includes short books by God’s prophets who had very specific prophecies for God’s people. Jonah was one of these prophets, albeit reluctantly. God called Jonah to proclaim His message of judgment on Nineveh, a city in the Assyrian Empire. However, Jonah disobeyed God’s call, choosing instead to board a ship going in the opposite direction from Nineveh. Because he fled from God, the Lord sent a violent storm that brought Jonah face-to-face with his sin and a large fish. From inside the fish, Jonah turned to God. As part of his prayer, he agreed to be God’s prophet. One of the running themes throughout the Book of Jonah is God’s salvation. In chapter 1, the sailors were physically saved when God stopped the storm after Jonah’s confession, and in chapter 2, Jonah also was physically saved by God. These physical salvations set the stage for the spiritual salvation through repentance that was at the heart of Jonah’s message to the Ninevites. God offers all people today spiritual salvation through the sacrificial work of Jesus who died on the cross to save us from our sins. Then, once we accept God’s offer of salvation, we become His messengers like Jonah was, tasked with sharing that same good news of the gospel with others.

Jonah’s story shows us that God commands obedience, but He pursues us even when we’re disobedient. Have you run from anything God has asked you to do lately? What have you might missed out on in doing so? What step do you need to take toward obedience instead?