Hebrews on Wednesdays. And then once we go back to the small groups, he'll continue the Sunday morning class. And the small groups are very good for getting to know each other. So that's gonna resume afterwards. Okay, the Bible is the word of God and all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness. or right living. Let us pray. Lord God, maker of heaven and earth and maker of all things that are seen and unseen, to you belongs all praise, glory, and honor. Help us now to look into your wonderful book and to understand it. We ask this through your son's name, Jesus Christ, for besides you there is no other God. Amen. Okay, Jonah. Look at this. It says in Job 5, 6, That means that it's natural. But this forth to spring out, it doesn't come out of the dirt. Troubles, our troubles. And then the Hebrew, the way it's written, then he repeats it. Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground. It's the same thing. But yet man is born unto trouble. I mean, that word born and forth, I mean, it springs forth. And I believe that most of the troubles we have, we bring upon ourselves because of pride, greed, stubbornness. I mean, there is natural trouble that comes to us. I mean, there is. But upon that, we add our own. Look at this, but psalm says 50 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shall glorify me. So he tells us that trouble is natural but yet when you have trouble God says don't forget me here I am call upon me and that's what we're going to be looking at. Now jonah means peace or Dove. More correctly. And we're going to be looking at Jonah's prayer to his God. That's what we're going to be looking at in this study. Chapter 2 of Jonah. And so, we left off here last time when the man threw Jonah overboard. I can just hear the horn of the Navy, man overboard, man overboard, and the helicopter taking off. Not this time. He's out there on his own. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. This is interesting. This is how we left off prepared to weigh out. God knows exactly what it takes to bring us to an end. Because look at this, that word, swallow up, that means to be at an end. I mean, some of us can be pretty stubborn, and it'll take years to get over one thing, you know? I mean, how long are you going to wait out? And the Lord says, He's got ways to bring it completely to an end really quick. And so, this is exactly what's happening here. For though I preach the gospel, now this is Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 9, 16. For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me. Yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. Now that's what Jonah was told to do, go preach at Nineveh. What did he do? Uh-uh, I ain't doing that. So, Paul says, He's constrained. It's put upon him, it's like a force. He needed to preach the gospel because, folks, we know so much, and we're going to heaven. You know, we are going to heaven. I don't have to worry about anything. No matter what happens to the rest of my life, I'm going to heaven. At the end of the day, I'm gone and you can put it on my tombstone. He went to heaven because I'm gone. Nothing can stop that. But what about the people around me? Well, that's their business. I don't care. No, that's not a good attitude. God says, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The reason you have this information is because you're supposed to give it out. And Paul says, I am constrained. It's a necessity laid upon me, and woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. And look what he says here. The following verse. For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, a dispensation is committed unto me. Those words of the gospel, that's italicized. I mean it's fine, it's in there, it should be in there, but it's italicized to let you know that it's not in the Hebrew. But it's what that means. Of the gospel. A dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. A stewardship. A responsibility. And that's, now you can see why Jonah is in trouble. Now you know why he's going to be swallowed up. Now you know the rest of the story. Second Kings, look at this. Second Kings 7-9, the city of Samaria is under siege. That means the enemy has enclosed this city and they're starving to death. And outside the city walls are four lepers. And they said, you know, we're going to die out here. They won't let us in the city. And if we stay out here, we're going to die. So let's go over to the enemy camp, the Syrians that were camping for the siege around the city. Let's go over to the Syrians. And if they kill us, well, we die. But if not, maybe they'll offer up some food. And so they went over there. And look what it says. Then they said one to one, because when they got there, They found the Syrians had left suddenly. God had put it in them to hear the enemy coming. So they had left suddenly and they left food, silver, horses, mules, gold. They left everything. And these four lepers, they went there and they found, I mean they went from tent to tent and they found food and silver and gold. And they were having a great time. Look at all this stuff. And then they said this. Then they said one to another, we do not well. This day is a day of good tidings. If we hold our peace, if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us. Yeah? A big fish, likely. So they went to the city and said, hey guys, no need to be starving. There's food out there. But see, these stories are in the Bible to show us that God has given us responsibilities. And Jonah is fleeing from that. Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. And that's interesting, I thought. Because normally by the fourth day, the body starts to decompose. It takes about that long for the body to start to decompose. So God will take you to the very end of this thing. He says, we're going to bring you to an end here. And it says this in Psalm 1610, This is prophetic, speaking of Jesus. But this can apply also for Jonah, because, I mean, on the fourth day, he would have decomposed inside that fish. But instead, the Lord doesn't allow it to go that far. He knows, the Lord says He knows just how much how much to weigh out, because some of us are more stubborn than others. I remember my mom, all she had to do was look at me, give me the eye, and I was done. But I had a sister that, she just lowered her brow down. She just, oh yeah? I said, oh sis, you got it coming, I can tell you that. But that's what happens. Some of us are more stubborn than others. But one of the things I want to show you here, the reason I show this Psalm 1610 is because this thing, His God. Remember when we left off last lesson, everybody prayed to their God? Well, now it's Jonah's turn to pray to his God. Wow, now it gets good. Now it's good. Thou broughtest us into the net. Thou laidest affliction upon our loins. This is what Psalm 66 says, 66 and 11 says. It is God that does this. If you belong to him and you're running away from him, he's going to send the dogs after you. He brought us, Thou brought us, look what it says, affliction upon our loins. He knows just how much of the heat to bring up on us. And you know, like I said, most of us, besides the natural problems, we have things that brought upon ourselves because of our own doing. I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offense and seek my face. God says, how long until you seek me? Because that's what he wants. He wants us to come to him. So he says, I'm going to wait till they acknowledge their offense and then seek my face. Come, this is still in Hosea 6-1, come and let us return unto the Lord, for He has torn, He will heal us, He has smitten, and He will bind up. He will bind us up. He knows how far to take you to come to an end, and then He'll fix it. But most of us, like, He has to take us through this trouble. So here, finally we start Jonah 2. Then Jonah prayed. Now that he's inside the fish, okay, now, okay, maybe it's now time to pray. Then, because he hadn't been ready to pray, remember, all those guys on the boat, they were praying to their gods, but Jonah, he was sound asleep. And now, okay, let's get some of that medicine that the other guys were getting. Unto the Lord his God, they had prayed to their gods and now he's going to pray to his god and folks my god he's the one that made the sea and the dry land that's what he told them remember he says well who where you come from who are you he says well my god he made the sea and the dry land he is god this is this is their god is god of vanity this their god is vanity it's nothing And many people throughout the world, I was just talking to a person that says, well, they all have holy books. I says, yeah, a lot of religions have holy books. I says, but I wouldn't read any of them. They're a waste of time. And I named a few. I says, I've tried them. I says, I get nothing out of it. I says, you know, it's just a waste of time. The Bible, now that's the book of my God. That's the book. Look what it says here. Fear ye not, neither be afraid. Have not I told thee from that time and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God. No, not any. That's what God says. There is no other God. If you're going to another god, you're in trouble, buddy, because there is no other god. You can make a god. You can make him out of gold and worship him, but you're not going to get the desired need. Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard and lived? This is to the Jews. He's talking to them in Deuteronomy. He says, There is no other God. You guys, you people are special. And the Jews are special for that reason. Because of all the peoples on the earth, they are the only ones that have seen this kind of thing. When they were beside the Mount Sinai, and the fire descended upon Mount Sinai, there were lightning and thunderings and a loud horn, a trumpet blowing. The people were at the bottom scared to death. They were trembling. Oh, it must have been scary. And Moses says, he just wants you to respect him, you know, have respect towards him. Because they were fearful. And look what it says here in Deuteronomy 4, 34. And by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes, See, he claims to be their God. He says, I took you and I am your God and you can call upon me. Folks, that's to the Jew, but that applies to us. This is our God. We can go to our God. We can go to him when you have trouble. That's what it's saying. So that I come again, now this is Jacob. Jacob made a deal with God when he was running away from, well, he didn't want to get killed by his brother, Esau. So his mom told him, go stay with my brother, or his uncle. So that night, Brother Beth just preached about this a couple of Sundays ago, when he came to a place and Jacob put a stone there to sleep for the night. And then while he was asleep, he had this dream about a vision about the ladder that went all the way to heaven, angels ascending and descending. And in the morning, he says, this is a dreadful place. This is scary. What was that? This must be a place of God here. That's called Bethel, which is house of God. But what he did, before there was a city there, he put a stone, I mean the stone he used for a pillow, and he poured oil on it. That's an expensive commodity. I mean, oil, we still pay dearly for oil. So it's always been, he sacrificed it unto God, he says. And he said this, if you protect me while I'm out there, if you protect me, then you can be my God. Jacob said that to God. Can you imagine that? So that I come back again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God. Wow, that's... Jacob is... That guy, me and Nick were talking the other day about who would I hang with. I says, well, I probably wouldn't hang around with Peter. And Elijah, I probably wouldn't hang around with Elijah either. Now, Elisha is different. I would hang around with Elisha, I would hang around with Andrew, Philip, you know? I would hang around with those guys. I says, Nick, you probably, you do well with Peter, you know? But this is another guy. I don't think I hang around with this guy either. Jacob, he would sell you a used radio for your car that wouldn't work. I mean, this is the kind of guy that would do that. You don't hang around with those people. Now this, when you see that God, it says, okay, you're on. So God takes care of him, you know. This is, then shall the Lord be my God. He's talking to Yahweh, the self-existing eternal God. This is capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. Every time you see that word in the Bible, that's who is, that's who's talking. He says, then you should be my God, the sovereign one, the eternal one. And so Jacob becomes Israel. Remember, he changed his name to Israel, and that's the land of Israel. They're still out there, but they're not this thing. A great majority of them are atheists. You go to Israel, and that's the thing that'll surprise you. Huh? When I got there at 4 o'clock in the morning in 98, I thought, I'm an Estro. I mean, it was my blood, I think, was bubbling. I'm an Estro. And I hadn't slept, but I was so excited. And yet I look at people and they're like, they don't care. I'm thinking, these people, I expect that I guess everybody would be singing hallelujahs and amens and, you know, everywhere, you know, just throwing petals of flowers and whatever, smelling, you know, chocolate cookies, you know, everywhere. No! Everybody was, you know, four o'clock in the morning, nobody cares, I thought. And it says, a big old poster, a big old banner right there. It says, welcome to Israel. I says, I can't believe this. I'm in Israel. But I found out a few days later that these people are nuts. They're crazy. They're atheists. And God, look at this, so Jacob, and God said, moreover unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Look what it says here. Has sent me unto you, this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. The God of Israel, folks, is the true God. The God of Israel is Jehovah. He is God. Although they're not acting like it, but, and that's why we study this book. Because this is a Jewish book. They wrote it, God gave it to them, and it's been translated into English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, whatever. But that, and that's why we study that book. We study this book to know the God of Jacob. Because I was just talking to a person yesterday, and they were telling me all these good things they need to do. I says, well, that's kind of good, but really the Bible is really for one basic purpose. The Bible is there to get to know God. You want to know how He is. Does he like sauce on his tacos? You need to know specifics. You need to know how he is, because that's what you want. Because when you get to know God, you find out he's a good person. The Bible says he is long-suffering, patient, kind. He is gracious, full of mercy. Long-suffering, over and over. That's how you find out who he is. And the only way you're going to do it is by reading the book. And such as do wickedly, I love this verse, look at this. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries, but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits. We're supposed to know him, get to know him. Because the more you know him, out of the fish's belly. Jonah knows that God. That's his God. But he was stubborn. And look what happens. In the belly. That means that's the end, folks. When he got swallowed up, that word swallowed up, there's no way out. You know? Except the other end, and it wasn't going to be pretty. So here, you know what? Now he's made ready. He is ready now. He's ready to pray. and said, I cry by reason of mine affliction. Uh-huh. Well, you brought it upon your own, buddy. He's explaining why. And unto the Lord, and I put there his God. He's afflicted. He's greatly afflicted. And I was just thinking about that. I was talking with Miss Jordan yesterday, and I was thinking, can you imagine being down there? How It is awful. And to be inside a fish, dark, and you know you're going to die. You're still alive. Why am I not dead? You're going to die. You know? And so it must have been. And smell, hot, and oh. Look at this, this is an amazing verse found in Isaiah. If the Lord should ever say this to us, why shouldn't you be stricken anymore? Why should I spank you anymore? Why should I correct her? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint. He says, you won't be corrected. Can you imagine that? When you're incorrigible, when the Lord says, you know, and there's people that's happened to, the Lord says, You know, you might as well come home. You're not going to get any better. Wow, I don't want ever the Lord to say that to me. I want Him to say, we're going to go to the woodshed and you're going to be better for this. I mean, I'd rather have that. And look what it says here. They reel to and fro and they stagger like a drunk man and are at their wits' end. When they're at their wits' end, Then they cry unto the Lord and their trouble and he bringeth, I love that, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. When you're ready to pray to God and if you're serious, he tells you out, he'll take you out. But if you're serious, And when he was in affliction, now look at this, this is amazing. 2 Chronicles 33, 2L. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God. and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him, and he was entreated of him and heard his supplication." And he was entreated of him and heard his supplication. That is God. That's God's part. You do your praying, and God says, well, let me listen to that. Well, I think you're serious, aren't you? You gotta be serious with God. He says, is it hot enough down there? Okay, let's well, I think you've learned a lesson, you know But because Manasseh Manasseh is one of the most wicked kings of Judah folks David ruled 40 years Saul 40 years Solomon 40 years Josiah 52 years there were kings, but this guy Manasseh 55 years That that speaks of God God you are so good I mean, this guy was wicked. And yet, when he humbled himself, and he humbled himself greatly, God says, okay, that'll work. And we're going to talk to, you know, that's one of the guys I want to talk to in heaven. Manasseh. What a dummy, you know? He says, yeah, I know. I had to put on, I mean, I was stubborn. He's probably going to say that because, wow, that just, it's God, our God. He's like that. And he hurt me out of the belly of hell, cried I. Look at this, out of the belly. Now he's a picture of Jesus, but Jesus did it differently, okay? Out of Hades, out of the world of the dead, he cried. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. That's the Lord. When we cry unto him, that's as he listens to us. He understands. Because he was down here. He says, he was here. He put up with troubles. Can you imagine when they picked him up at the garden and beat him up by 6 o'clock in the morning, he was already all beat up. And they had already decided to kill him. Neither has he hid his face from him, but when he cried onto him, he heard. He heard. And thou heardest my voice. This is Jonah. Jonah says, I cried out, I held, and thou heard my voice. This is a past history. He's telling us what happened. For thou hast cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas, and the floods come past me about. Look at this. He says, Thou did it, Lord. You did it. And he says, Yeah, it was my fault. You did it. You did this to me. You brought me into the deep. And look at this. All thy billows and thy waves passed over me. And I can see that if you walk out to a beach and you want to walk up against the waves, You can't. I mean, especially the good, strong waves, they'll push you back. You know? If you want to go surfing, like off of San Diego, those waves can come in at you and they'll push you back. And I think it was the Lord trying to make him go in a different direction. His billows and his waves passed over him. Then I said, look at this. It is so dark. He said this, dark, hot. He was in affliction. He says, I'm done. Then I said, I am cast out. God's given up on me. I'm done. You know, isn't that an awful thing to think when you're that low? When the bottom has fallen out, there's no way out, you're done. You really messed up this time. And there's no way God will ever take you back. You're done. And you're going to die. But folks, it's amazing that these stories are in the Bible to show us that no, no, no. Don't ever do that. Don't give up. Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. God put a temple in Jerusalem. He says It's not there now, but if it was there it's there for that reason to look towards it because that's where God is He wants us to seek him out look for him Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple and he says this That's his public place. That's where he wants us when you're down that low. But if from thence, look what it says in Deuteronomy 4.29. Isn't that good? If you're in trouble, if you're really in trouble and you seek the Lord with all your heart, you're being true, God says you'll find Him. You'll find him. That is so good. For the Lord thy God is a merciful God. Isn't that good? He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers, which he swears unto them. He's a God of promise. He says, I'm a merciful and I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee and their generations for an everlasting covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee this is the the promises that God made to Israel this is why it's good to study the Bible because you see that he keeps his promises if he keeps his promises to them that's how he is he's likely to keep his promises to us because look what it says in Hebrews this is a verse you should have in your back pocket Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have, for He has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. All you gotta do is take that to God. Lord, you said in your book you would never leave me. And I'm trusting in that. The Lord will say, yeah, that's good, because He will. Then the waters come past me about, even to the soul, The depth closed me round about, the weeds wrapped around my head. Look at this. Even to the soul, that's how deep this has gotten into him. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth with her bars were about me forever. This is, you gotta see where he was at now. He says, Lord, I was down at the end. Yet has thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. And again he's stressing, my God, you are my God. Not like the gods of the other guys. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came unto thee, into thine holy temple. Because he sought the Lord. I remembered the Lord and we're being told don't forget the Lord when time overcomes you. I mean when trouble overcomes you remember. And a lot of people leave that as the last resort. They that absorb lying vanities, deceptive emptiness. That's what the other guys had. They had their gods, and nothing was being done. But when he came to, they forsake their own mercy. Can you imagine that? If you don't remember God, you're forsaking your own mercy. You're refusing mercy. It's like the cop stops you, and he says, You know, I clocked you doing 85. And instead of saying, yes, sir, you're right. I deserve a ticket. You say, I don't think so. I'll take you to court. Well, guess what, buddy? Here you go. Sign it and be there. We got cameras. Oh, good night. You refused your own mercy. You refused it. And this is what the Lord is saying here. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving." Offer with a loud voice. Why is this, folks? Look at this. Offer with a loud voice praise unto the Lord. Because whose fault was that? It was Jonah's fault. And God, when troubles come my way, I need to praise the Lord and say, folks, don't blame God. Don't blame God. God is good. He's good all the time. What's happening to me is my fault. Because look what it says here. This is David. Against thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified. when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." David says, Lord, you were always right in doing whatever. Some people might say, why did God take the baby? David wouldn't say that. God was right. What I did was wrong. I did it before his eyes, and I was wrong, and God was right. And that's why he wants a lot to praise him. Even in our trouble, that's a sacrifice. And Jonah says, I'm going to do that, Lord. I will pay that I have vowed. And we have done that. Whenever we believe John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, that's our part, whosoever believeth should not perish. You know, God says, you believe that part? That's your part. My part is give you everlasting life. Salvation is of the Lord. That's when you come to that point, When you just are ready to offer praise to God and say, it's all from you, Lord. Salvation is from you. At that point, and the Lord spake to the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Wasn't that good? Oh, man. This is fantastic. Let's pray. Lord God, thank you for your kindness and goodness towards us. Thank you for these stories that are in the Bible, Lord, for our own benefit, Lord, that we would take encouragement, Lord, when troubles come naturally into our lives, not to forget to call upon you with all our heart. We give you the praise, the glory, and the honor, and we love you, Lord. In your name, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Good, good.