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Daily Devotions

Jonah

Jonah 
Day 
Day 1

"The word of the LORD came to Jonah"

Text: Jonah 1:1

THE WORD OF THE LORD

It was the privilege of the servants of the Lord, the prophets to receive a word from God. The phrase “the word of the LORD came to…” was a very common one. This phrase is found in all the prophetic books. This word was explained in the book of Amos why God revealed His word to the prophets (Amos 3:7).

DIFFICULTY IN OBEDIENCE

Sometimes it was hard to receive and respond appropriately. Jonah the prophet had difficulties when he received this word from God.

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah
the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh,
that great city, and cry out against it;
for their wickedness has come up before Me.'”
Jonah 1:1-2

1. “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai”

a) Content
i) Sometimes the word of the Lord is a message that God wants His servant to preach.
ii) The word may come in the form of a vision or a dream.
b) Command
i) In this instance this word was a command from the Lord.
ii) There is no mistaking the clarity of this command given to Jonah the son of Amittai.

2. “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city”

a) Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire.
b) The Assyrian Empire existed before the Babylonians came up to destroy it.
c) One of the more famous kings of Assyria was called Sennacherib (Isaiah 37; 2 Chronicles 32).
d) The Assyrians were known for their cruelty, arrogance and violence.

3. “And cry out against it”

a) Jonah was sent to preach against the city of Nineveh.
b) He would be God’s spokesman.

4. “For their wickedness has come up before Me”

a) A similar statement was made to Abraham.
b) There was such wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah that an outcry had reached God’s ears (Genesis 18:21).
c) Jonah was sent to speak to the Ninevites concerning their sins.

This command from the Lord to Jonah was not well received at all!