Cruising with Jonah: Bible Study Commentary

By Clarence Talley

Cruising with Jonah is about a forgiving God who is concerned about a wayward nation. To address His concern, God selected Jonah and sent him forth. However, Jonah decided to take a cruise. Not to be out done, God commanded a great fish, from the deep, to serve as an incubator while the prophet reflected on his helpless condition.

Cruising with Jonah highlights a prophet who not only abandons his responsibilities by running from his divine commission, but also harbors resentment when the Lord acts graciously toward those who repented and found their way back to Him.

What made Jonah, a man of God, run from God? What makes anyone run from God? An even better inquiry would be this: Can anyone truly run away from the very presence of a God who is omnipresentwho is everywhere at the same time? Like all who try, Jonah had his reasons reasons we will examine as we cruise with him and the Lord on a voyage of hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490862774

Clarence Talley

DR. CLARENCE TALLEY, SR. is Pastor of the historic Mount Corinth Missionary Baptist Church in Hevenly Hempstead, Texas. He is also Professor and Director of Art at Prairie View A & M University. Dr. Talley has four earned degrees in Art and in Theology. He is a visual artist, a Fulbright-Hayes Scholar, and author of several books and monographs.   Dr. Talley and his wife, Carolyn Ann, reside in Prairie View, Texas. They are the proud parents of Clarence Jr. and Crystal Ann.

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Copyright © 2014 Dr. Clarence Talley, Sr.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-6276-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6277-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014921845

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/15/2014

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Jonah the Book

1 Jonah: A Man on the Run

2 Jonah Decides to Take a Cruise

3 From the Belly of the Great Fish

4 Turning to God in Prayer

5 Running in the Right Direction

6 Jonah’s Warning to Nineveh

7 God Was Not Surprised

8 All Bent Out of Shape

9 Angry for What? Pity People, Not Things

10 But Nineveh

11 God Is Concerned

Afterword

Jonah, Jonah, Jonah

To the Mount Corinth Missionary Baptist Church Family of Heavenly Hempstead, Texas

Preface

I rrespective of what the Lord called Jonah to do, he chose to ignore the directive and go in the opposite direction. God said, Arise and go. Jonah arose and fled. He cruised away from God.

The actions of Jonah are not new. Adam and Eve were commanded to not eat of the tree in the midst of the Garden, yet they did. Lot’s wife was told not to look back, but she did. Moses was commanded to speak to the rock, yet he struck it. Too often, God’s plan and man’s plan conflict. God commissions one direction, and we chose another. The Great Commission is an individual commission that is to be fulfilled as we are directed by the Holy Spirit. Being sent to the world to declare the great truths of God is our Jonah experience. Shall we run? Shall we hide? Or shall we be faithful?

As we look into Jonah’s story, hopefully it will make us more sensitive to a lost world that is in need of salvation and further encourage us to be faithful to the task God has set before us.

Cruising with Jonah will take us into the rough waters of disobedience, into the depths of surrender, and finally into the path of compliance and smooth sailing.

Enjoy the ride.

Introduction

J onah in the whale is a memorable Bible story that tends to fascinate both children and adults. It appeals to the kid in all of us. It is a story of a mighty God, a commissioned prophet, a great fish, and a wayward nation. It is a story of salvation.

Whenever the name of Jonah is mentioned, my mind soars to the high seas. But of course the little book that bears the prophet’s name is about more than drama on the high sea starring a prophet and a fish capable of gulping down that prophet.

The book of Jonah is about a forgiving God who is concerned about a wayward nation. This small volume highlights a prophet who not only abandons his responsibilities by running from his divine commission but also harbors resentment when the Lord acts graciously toward those who repented and found their way back to Him.

What made Jonah, a man of God, run from God? What makes anyone run from God? An even better inquiry