Lesson on Jonah

Before the lesson for today I have a riddle for you that someone sent me. This puzzle was written by a lady in California in 1890 in response to a gentlemen in Philadelphia, who said that he would pay $1,000.00 to anyone who could write a puzzle that he could not solve. He failed to do so, and paid the lady $1,000.00 (a great sum at that time). The answer is one word, five letters long, and appears only four times in the King James Version of the Bible.
An eight-year-old boy figured out the puzzle. Let's listen closely to see if you can figure out the answer!

THE RIDDLE

God made Adam out of the dust, But thought it best to make me first; So I
was made before the man, According to God's Holy plan. My whole body God made
complete, Without arms or hands or feet. My ways and acts did God control,
But in my body He placed no soul. A living being I became, And Adam gave
to me a name. Then from his presence I withdrew, For this man Adam I never
knew.

All my Maker's laws I do obey, And from these laws I never stray. Thousands
of me go in fear, But seldom on the earth appear. Later, for a purpose God
did see, He place a living soul in me. But that soul of mine God had to
claim, And from me took it back again. And when this soul from me had fled,
I was the same as when first made; Without arms, legs, feet, or soul, I
travel on from pole to pole. My labors are from day to night, And to men I once
furnished light. Thousands of people both young and old, Did by my death
bright lights behold. No right or wrong can I conceive; The Bible and
it's teachings I can't believe. The fear of death doesn't trouble me; Pure
happiness I will never see. And up in Heaven I can never go, Nor in the
grave or Hell below. So get your Bible and read with care; You'll find my name
recorded there.
 
Good luck!!!  :-)

The answer to the riddle can be found in:
Mt 12:40

Jonah
Jonah Song
God said Go
Jonah said NO
So God sent a Big Fish to Swallow Him Whole

In a fish for 3 days
Jonah changed his ways
He prayed that God forgive him then and God forgave.

Jonah said to God
I will go
Ill head for Nineveh today and do what You say !  

We find in our story today that God has told Jonah to go to Nineveh, a very wicked city, and preach against how the people were behaving there. And did Jonah do what God told him?
No! Jonah did just the opposite.Jonah was trying to run from God!  Instead of going  to Nineveh he got on a ship that was headed in the other direction,  for Tarshish.  God wasn't happy with Jonah over this, either, so he sent a big wind called a "tempest" which threatened to destroy the ship.  The sailors on the ship decided that someone on the ship was causing this storm so they cast lots to see who had brought this storm on them.  The lot fell on Jonah and Jonah told them that it was his fault because he hadn't done what his God had wanted him to do!  They asked Jonah what they could do to make his God happy again and stop the storm from destroying their ship.  Jonah told them to throw him overboard so the crew cast him off  the ship to save thier lives and just as soon as they did the winds stopped blowing and the sea was calm.  The crew believed then that this God was a mighty and powerful God and they worshipped Him!

Meanwhile, Jonah was in the sea, so God sent a BIG FISH to swallow Jonah and keep him from drowning.  Today we build mini submarines out of metal for one person to go underwater and not drown, but before we ever built a submarine God created big fishes. God sent one of his own creatures, a  BIG FISH,  to save Jonah's life! God had a reason for this.  He wanted Jonah to do what he told him to do and go to Nineveh. Jonah spent 3 days inside of that big fish   and finally realized that he was wrong and God was right!

Jonah prayed to God from inside the big fish and asked Him to forgive him and God did.  Then God caused the fish to vomit Jonah out on dry land.  God asked Jonah again to go to Nineveh and this time Jonah said YES!!!! and he did.  When he got their he preached to the people to change their ways and told them that if they didn't repent God would destroy their city in 40 days.
What did they do when they heard this?  They ask God to forgive them and changed their ways.  They went without food (fasted), wore scratchy sack cloth, and covered themselves in ashes to show God that they were sorry for the way they had been behaving. The king ordered everyone to give up their evil ways and pray to God.  Because they did this God didn't destroy Nineveh.
 
While working on arts and crafts sing.
Song:
God Wants Me to Do Right
Song
Oh Be Careful
Song
Praise Him!

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