Jonah 1:7-10
The Lot Fell on Jonah
Read the passage
7“Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
8“Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”
9“I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”
10Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The sailors cast lots to discover who is responsible for the calamity, and the lot falls on Jonah. They demand to know his work, his country, his people, and where he has come from.
Jonah says he is a Hebrew who worships the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and dry land. His words make the men even more afraid. “What have you done?” they ask. They know he is fleeing from the LORD’s presence because he has told them.
His confession makes his flight more striking. He names the Creator of the very sea on which he is trying to escape. What he knows about God has not kept him from refusing God’s command, and the sailors now face the danger with him.
Questions
1 Why do the sailors cast lots?
AnswerThey want to find who is responsible for the calamity that has come upon them. The lot falls on Jonah, and they question him.
2 How does Jonah identify his God?
AnswerAs the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land. He says that he is a Hebrew who worships Him.
3 How do the sailors respond?
AnswerThey become even more afraid and ask what Jonah has done. His description of the LORD makes the situation more frightening to them.
4 How do they know he is fleeing from the LORD?
AnswerJonah has told them. He can describe the LORD truthfully while openly admitting that his voyage is an attempt to flee from Him.
What This Means for Us
Knowing a true answer about God and living by it can come apart. Jonah’s words about the Creator are true, but his journey contradicts the worship he professes.
Choose a truth your family already knows about God. Talk about what it asks of you in an ordinary situation—telling the truth when it costs you, trusting Him when worried, or forgiving someone. Ask Him to make that knowledge visible in how you live.
Prayer
Father, we can say true things about you while walking the other way, and Jonah shows us how far that can go. Do not let us be satisfied with knowing the answer. Close the gap between what we say and what we do. Amen.