# Jonah and the Vine - The Book of Jonah

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 22 Dec 2023, 12 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/d692c2c3-0c38-425d-953b-b4d6018a5a15/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 115. Join us for a fascinating story with Jonah, now in the bustling city of Nineveh! After being saved from the belly of a giant fish, Jonah finally follows God's command and warns the people of Nineveh about their impending doom. Witness the extraordinary reaction of the Ninevites, from the king to the commoners, as they fast, wear burlap, and pray for mercy. But the story takes an unexpected turn when God forgives them, leading Jonah to struggle with his own feelings and understanding of God's mercy. Discover how a simple plant teaches Jonah a profound lesson about compassion and the value of life. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: The Lord's word came to Jonah the second time, saying, Arise,
[0:05] Speaker 1: go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it
[0:08] Speaker 1: the message that I give you. Jonah 3, 1-2 Dear God,
[0:15] Speaker 1: thank you for caring about not just some people, but
[0:19] Speaker 1: all people. Your kindness, patience, and love are so amazing.
[0:24] Speaker 1: Please help us to be loving and merciful to those
[0:27] Speaker 1: in our lives as we follow your example. Forgive us
[0:31] Speaker 1: for the times we disobey and do things our own way.
[0:36] Speaker 1: Thank you again for being the God of the second chance.
[0:40] Speaker 1: In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
[0:44] Speaker 2: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:47] Speaker 2: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[0:51] Speaker 2: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world,
[0:55] Speaker 2: cultivate curiosity, and discover new interests. With hands-on crafts and
[0:59] Speaker 2: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more. All with a
[1:03] Speaker 2: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more.
[1:08] Speaker 2: And save 20% with code blessed.
[1:17] Speaker 3: Jonah and the Vine In our last story, God sent
[1:22] Speaker 3: Jonah to Nineveh. But Jonah went the other way and
[1:25] Speaker 3: tried to flee by a ship. A storm came, and
[1:29] Speaker 3: the men aboard threw Jonah into the sea to calm
[1:32] Speaker 3: the storm. And then a great fish swallowed Jonah, and
[1:36] Speaker 3: he was vomited to shore after three days. In this story,
[1:41] Speaker 3: Jonah will go to Nineveh to preach repentance and then
[1:45] Speaker 3: have a bad attitude when they listen, as inspired by
[1:50] Speaker 3: the book of Jonah.
[1:54] Speaker 1: Hi there, it's Joya Sadler and welcome back to the
[1:57] Speaker 1: Kids Bible in a Year podcast. Today we're going to
[2:00] Speaker 1: hear the rest of Jonah's story and learn a lesson
[2:03] Speaker 1: from a tree. Let's jump in and see what happens
[2:06] Speaker 1: when Jonah gets a second chance with Nineveh.
[2:13] Speaker 3: God repeated to Jonah, Leave right now and go to Nineveh.
[2:18] Speaker 3: You're to tell them that I'm going to judge them
[2:21] Speaker 3: because of their evil ways. This time, Jonah listened. He
[2:26] Speaker 3: got up off the ground and walked straight to Nineveh.
[2:30] Speaker 3: The city of Nineveh was huge, but it took three
[2:33] Speaker 3: days to walk from one side to the other. Jonah
[2:37] Speaker 3: began to walk through the city shouting, God is going
[2:40] Speaker 3: to destroy this city in 40 days. The people of
[2:44] Speaker 3: Nineveh heard him and knew that what he was saying
[2:47] Speaker 3: was true. The king of the city created a law
[2:51] Speaker 3: that said everyone was going to fast, no exceptions, no
[2:55] Speaker 3: matter what. They were going to go without food or water.
[2:59] Speaker 3: Everyone was going to wear burlap sacks, even the animals.
[3:03] Speaker 3: They prayed for God to have mercy on them and
[3:06] Speaker 3: their city. Even the king of Nineveh got off of
[3:10] Speaker 3: his throne, took off his robes, and replaced them with
[3:13] Speaker 3: a burlap sack. He sat down in the dirt. The
[3:23] Speaker 3: Lord noticed that they were all beginning to humble themselves
[3:26] Speaker 3: before him. They changed into burlap and were starving their flesh.
[3:32] Speaker 3: He knew they were changing their ways as well. God
[3:36] Speaker 3: decided to have mercy on the people of Nineveh. He
[3:39] Speaker 3: refused to kill them or destroy their city. Jonah didn't
[3:44] Speaker 3: understand and grew upset. In fact, He was so mad,
[3:48] Speaker 3: he began to scream at God. I knew you were
[3:53] Speaker 3: going to do this. I knew you were a merciful God.
[3:56] Speaker 3: You forgave them so quickly. That's exactly why I didn't
[4:00] Speaker 3: want to come here. I ran away because I knew
[4:04] Speaker 3: this was going to happen. Kill me right now. I
[4:07] Speaker 3: don't want to live. The Lord looked at Jonah. Do
[4:10] Speaker 3: you think it's okay to be upset about this? Jonah
[4:15] Speaker 3: didn't answer. clearly stubborn. He walked to the east side
[4:19] Speaker 3: of the city and built a small tent of branches
[4:22] Speaker 3: and leaves. He sat and waited to see what God
[4:25] Speaker 3: was going to do to Nineveh. Jonah sat and waited,
[4:29] Speaker 3: and God allowed a tree to grow up right next
[4:33] Speaker 3: to him. The tree provided shade and protection from the
[4:37] Speaker 3: hot sun. Jonah smiled and relaxed, happy that the tree
[4:41] Speaker 3: had grown behind him. The night passed and the sun
[4:45] Speaker 3: came up. In the morning, God sent a worm to
[4:49] Speaker 3: infect the tree and kill it. The sun became hotter
[4:53] Speaker 3: and hotter. The plant withered in the heat. God then
[4:57] Speaker 3: sent a blistering hot wind to blow onto Jonah. There
[5:02] Speaker 3: was no longer a tree or shade to protect him.
[5:06] Speaker 3: Jonah cried in frustration to God. I don't want to
[5:10] Speaker 3: live anymore. I just want to die. God looked down
[5:14] Speaker 3: at Jonah again. Is it right to be angry about
[5:18] Speaker 3: that tree dying? Stubborn Jonah responded, Yes, I can be
[5:24] Speaker 3: angry about it. I'm so angry I want to die.
[5:27] Speaker 3: The Lord said, You're angry about a tree? You didn't
[5:32] Speaker 3: take care of it. You didn't plant it or water it.
[5:35] Speaker 3: It was only here for a day. It grew one
[5:39] Speaker 3: day and died the next. In the same way you
[5:42] Speaker 3: cared about that tree and grew upset when it died,
[5:46] Speaker 3: Shouldn't I act the same way about the people of Nineveh?
[5:50] Speaker 3: I've changed how I feel. I was angry because they
[5:54] Speaker 3: lived a life of wickedness. Now I am pleased because
[5:58] Speaker 3: they have turned from their ways. How sad would it
[6:02] Speaker 3: be for me to ruin a city that had over
[6:05] Speaker 3: 120,000 children living here? They know nothing of right and wrong.
[6:11] Speaker 3: What about the innocent animals? They are also My creation.
[6:22] Speaker 1: Just when we thought Jonah's story was over, a lot
[6:26] Speaker 1: more happens. Today's story opens with God telling Jonah to
[6:30] Speaker 1: go to Nineveh for the second time. We call this
[6:34] Speaker 1: a new beginning. As we heard yesterday, God often offers
[6:39] Speaker 1: a second chance when we fail to do things His
[6:42] Speaker 1: way the first time. When he decides to use someone,
[6:46] Speaker 1: he stays patient and kind, two characteristics of his true nature.
[6:52] Speaker 1: And thankfully, this time Jonah listened. He got right up
[6:57] Speaker 1: after three long days of travel. He shouted and told
[7:00] Speaker 1: the people of Nineveh that God would destroy their city
[7:04] Speaker 1: in 40 days. And they believed him. From the king's orders,
[7:09] Speaker 1: everyone fasted, prayed, and begged God not to destroy their city.
[7:14] Speaker 1: The Bible says they all wore burlap sacks or sackcloth.
[7:19] Speaker 1: This was a rough, heavy cloth made from goat's hair.
[7:22] Speaker 1: And it was something that was done when the people
[7:25] Speaker 1: felt very sad. They took off their normal clothes and
[7:28] Speaker 1: wore the sackcloth because they wanted God to know that
[7:32] Speaker 1: they didn't want to be comfortable. They just wanted him
[7:36] Speaker 1: to hear their cry for help. And of course he did.
[7:41] Speaker 1: He saw how humble and sorry they were for their
[7:44] Speaker 1: sins and decided not to punish them. Great ending, right?
[7:49] Speaker 1: Not exactly. Remember Jonah's heart in the last story? It
[7:54] Speaker 1: was bitter and mad at the people of Nineveh. It
[7:57] Speaker 1: was even angry at God for not punishing them. Jonah said,
[8:03] Speaker 1: I knew this would happen and became very angry at
[8:06] Speaker 1: God for not punishing this nation. They were enemies of
[8:10] Speaker 1: Judah and Israel. Why would God show them mercy? Now
[8:15] Speaker 1: here's the thing. It's good that Jonah was telling God
[8:19] Speaker 1: about his anger and being honest with him. God knows
[8:22] Speaker 1: what's in our hearts and likes us to talk to
[8:25] Speaker 1: him about our feelings. But once we understand that God's
[8:29] Speaker 1: ways are always better than our ways, we need to
[8:32] Speaker 1: repent from our anger and tell God that we trust him.
[8:36] Speaker 1: As the story comes to a close, God teaches Jonah
[8:40] Speaker 1: a lesson through a picture of a tree. Imagine Jonah
[8:45] Speaker 1: leaving the city and sitting down outside to pout. A
[8:50] Speaker 1: tree grew up next to him and gave him shade,
[8:53] Speaker 1: which made him happy. But when God sent a worm
[8:57] Speaker 1: to destroy the tree and a hot wind blew on Jonah,
[9:01] Speaker 1: he became very angry again. He even told God he
[9:05] Speaker 1: wanted to die. God then told Jonah that he was
[9:09] Speaker 1: upset about a tree dying. But what about all the
[9:13] Speaker 1: people in Nineveh? What about all the children and animals?
[9:18] Speaker 1: If they have repented, why would you want me to
[9:21] Speaker 1: destroy them? This shows us again God's loving nature and
[9:26] Speaker 1: how much he cares about all people. The Bible doesn't
[9:30] Speaker 1: tell us how Jonah responded in the end, but we
[9:34] Speaker 1: can add that to our list of questions to ask
[9:37] Speaker 1: him when we get to heaven. We can only hope
[9:39] Speaker 1: that Jonah understood what God was saying and turned his
[9:42] Speaker 1: heart toward the Lord again. We can hope that he
[9:46] Speaker 1: went on to preach and share God's love with many
[9:49] Speaker 1: more people after that. Because sometimes when we go through
[9:53] Speaker 1: hard things, God uses those hard things to help us
[9:57] Speaker 1: do great things for him. He takes situations that seem
[10:02] Speaker 1: sad or awful and turns them into something good. It's
[10:06] Speaker 1: just one of those mysterious, amazing things about our God.
[10:11] Speaker 1: Thanks for listening today. I hope you learned as much
[10:14] Speaker 1: from the book of Jonah as I did. Be sure
[10:16] Speaker 1: to come back next time to hear a weird story
[10:19] Speaker 1: about a little stick, a big tree, and how pride
[10:23] Speaker 1: can make you act crazy. Let's say it. The Bible
[10:27] Speaker 1: is the best story ever told. It's God's story to you,
[10:32] Speaker 1: and it's all true. Love our podcast? Stay tuned for
[10:36] Speaker 1: new adventures by following and subscribing to Kids Bible in
[10:40] Speaker 1: a Year, your companion in exploring God's Word. Thanks for
[10:45] Speaker 1: listening to Pray.com's Kids Bible in a Year. For more
[10:49] Speaker 1: inspiring stories and wisdom to last a lifetime, download the
[10:53] Speaker 1: Pray.com app for free today. Thanks for listening to Kids
[11:06] Speaker 1: Bible in a Year. I want to invite our adult
[11:08] Speaker 1: listeners to check out my other show, Unapologetic, God's Truth
[11:13] Speaker 1: on Today's Topics. It's unfiltered, important, inspiring, and we have
[11:18] Speaker 1: awesome conversations and amazing guests such as Candice Cameron Bray,
[11:24] Speaker 1: Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Robert Jeffress, Shannon Bream, Maddie Pruitt,
[11:29] Speaker 1: and so many others. We are helping you have conversations
[11:34] Speaker 1: that empower you to have bold faith in a broken world.
[11:38] Speaker 1: You'll be excited, inspired, and encouraged in your faith as
[11:42] Speaker 1: you check out Unapologetic. Remember that you can tune in
[11:46] Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts and on pray.com.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.