Everyone Gets a Second Chance: Wisdom From the Story of JonahSýnishorn

3 Things You Need to Know About the Book of Jonah

Jonah is a small but mighty book in the Old Testament that wrestles with some of our deepest feelings, fears, and questions about following God. Before diving into this powerful Bible book, here are three things to know.

1. The big fish isn’t a main character.

If you’ve heard of Jonah, you’ve heard about the big fish. But why does a big fish swallow Jonah? Well, like Jonah, you’ll have to wait three days, but we’ll get there.

While the big fish looms large in the story, it’s not one of the main characters. Instead, this book is all about Jonah working hard to resist God’s calling and God’s consistent care for the people He loves.

2. Jonah isn’t a hero.

Apologies to people who grew up reading kids’ books about Jonah running from God, getting swallowed by a fish, then becoming a great hero of the faith. Unfortunately, the story isn’t that simple.

As we’ll see, Jonah is not a great role model. We first meet him in the book of 2 Kings, where he’s associated with an evil king of Israel. It’s not a great introduction—and then it gets worse. The Book of Jonah starts with him running from God, and ends with him angry with God. Jonah is deeply flawed and self-destructive. But even though he’s definitely not a person we should try to copy, his story has a lot to teach us about the cost of running from God.

3. Everyone gets a second chance.

This book is full of people getting second chances. Of course they’re often more like third, fourth, forty-fourth, and a-hundred-and-fortieth chances, but for simplicity, we’ll call it a “second chance” every time God provides an opportunity for someone to start fresh.

As you read Jonah, you’ll see constant examples of God’s love of second chances. In fact, just about everyone in this story gets a second chance. So if you’ve ever messed up, made a choice you regret, or wished you could have a do-over, this book is for you.

Each day of this Bible Plan, we’ll explore a section of Jonah’s story. But for today, we’ll dip our toes in the water and go over a few key quotes from the book. Then, we’ll read a story told by Jesus.

While on Earth, Jesus told a famous story called the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which is often compared to Jonah’s story. Why? Because it’s all about God giving people second chances. So today, read the story of the prodigal son. Notice how both brothers in the story receive a second chance from their father—who represents God. And as we explore the Book of Jonah, see if you notice similarities between the characters.

Challenge: No one is perfect. That’s why we all need God’s limitless grace. As we start the story of Jonah, think back to the past week, month, and year. What are some ways that you’ve seen God give you second chances? It could be in a relationship, at work, breaking a bad habit, or a timely answer to prayer. Today, thank God for how you’ve seen His grace in action.

One last thing: This Bible story will get weird, as in “Jonah gets swallowed by a whale and survives three days” weird. So if you’d like a helpful resource for processing weird stories in the Bible, check out this Finds article.