II Kings 13, Jonah
From Jonah's Journal
To protect my own life, I have kept somewhat silent about the sins of these kings.
One day, as I went about my work, I heard a message from the Lord. He said, "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."
Now the city of Nineveh is not only great, but they have a mighty army. The people of Israel and Judah have not wanted anything to do with them. We have actually feared the day they will try to conquer us. I don't like them and can't see why God would want to help them.
Nineveh is to the east. I packed a few things and hurried to the Great Sea. By going west, I hoped to get out of this task God had given me. I chose to go to Tarshish and hide. To get there I needed passage on a ship. I kept walking west to the city of Joppa where I found the shipyard. At the ticked office I asked when the next ship would sail for Tarshish.
"There is one leaving shortly." The man said.
"Good." I paid him the money for a ticket, grab my belongings and boarded the boat. The captain and crew greeted me. I went straight to my cabin below deck, lit the lantern, and locked the door. The room was small and smelled, but I didn't care. Anything seemed better than going to Nineveh.
The bed had a thin mat and felt like a board. I laid down and closed my eyes, hoping to pass the time, but couldn't sleep. Soon the ship rocked back and forth. Finally we'd set sail.
The rocking movement increased. It seemed a storm must be pushing the boat around. I laid down on my bed again, this time I fell asleep. A sweet, deep sleep where no one would bother me.
Suddenly, the door to my cabin banged open. I opened my eyes in time to see the captain rushing toward me. His face was red with anger and his clothes soaking wet.
"How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god!" He grabbed me and forced me to stand. "Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."
He brought me on deck with the others. The wind and rain nearly threw me over the edge. The crew ran about the deck tossing things over the side and securing the ropes.
Huge waves splashed over the sides onto the deck, soaking my clothes.
I knew right away what caused the storm.
Jonah will tell what happens next time.
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1. Who is the new king of Isreal? Is he a good king?
2. What job did Jonah have?
3. What did God ask Jonah to do?
4. Why didn't Jonah want to do the job?
5. Why did Jonah want to go to Tarshis?
6. What did he need in Joppa?
7. What happened to the ship?
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