Lesson 2 (Confession, Man Overboard, and the Great Fish)

Lesson 2

Confession, Man Overboard, and the Great Fish

Jonah 1:9-17

9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Questions for ages 2-4 years

1. Who did Jonah say that he was afraid of?
2. What did Jonah say that God had made?
3. What did the mariners have to do to Jonah in order for them to be safe from the storm?
4. Who wanted Jonah thrown into the sea?
5. What did the mariners do after they were told to throw Jonah in the sea? Did it work?
6. What did the mariners think was going to happen that scared them?
7. What happened when the mariners threw Jonah into the sea?
8. What did the mariners do when they saw the storm stop after Jonah was thrown into the sea?
9. What had God planned for Jonah because of his disobedience?
10. How long was Jonah in the belly of the great fish?

Questions for ages 5+ years

1. What does the Bible say was the reason that Jonah disobeyed God?
2. What did Jonah say about God that made the mariners even more scared about their situation?
3. What did the mariners think would save them?
4. What did Jonah say would make God happy and the sea calm?
5. Why did the mariners not do what Jonah said?
6. Why could they not row the ship to shore?
7. The mariners had prayed to their gods without success but now they prayed to God, the creator of sea and earth. What did they want from God?
8. After the sea ceased from raging, the mariners were now face to face with the true God and creator of heaven and earth. What did they do?
9. Had God planned to kill Jonah for his disobedience?
10. Was Jonah's disobedience and boarding of a ship going the wrong way a surprise to God? How do we know?

Additional True or False Questions

1. Jonah separated God from the idols the mariners worshipped by declaring that his God was the creator of the sea and the dry land.
2. The mariners decided to try and help Jonah run away from God.
3. Jonah explained to the mariners that the storm was a coincidence and the only thing they needed to do in order to survive the storm was to trust in their own abilities.
4. The mariners were happy to throw Jonah overboard in order to save themselves.
5. The mariners successfully saved their ship by working together.
6. The mariners chastised God and told him it was wrong for God to put them in danger because of another man's sin.
7. The storm started when God wanted it to, went where he wanted it to, and stopped when he wanted it to.
8. The great fish was sent to kill any mariners that tried to leave the ship.