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Jonah Had a Whale of a Time

Here’s the third of my in-rhyme bible stories.  Hope it makes you smile...and think.


Jonah had an easy job that anyone could do
All he had to do was say what God would tell him to

But one day Jonah didn't like the words God gave to him
“Go tell the folks from Nineveh I don't want them to sin
And if they keep on sinning things are going to get real grim

You see our Jonah didn't like those rotten Ninevites 
‘Cause Ninevites and Jonah’s folks kept getting into fights

So what did Jonah do?
What would you do?

Jonah did a silly thing I’m sure you never would 
He ran away from God, but do you think he really could?

He hopped aboard a little boat and sailed across the sea
“If I can just go far enough, God never will find me.”

But God found Jonah in that boat and started up a storm
The weather went from warm
Then started to transform
And as the storm began to form
The sailors said, “That’s not the norm!

And now our boat is filling up with too much ocean water
Help us, help us, help us, God, get off this teeter totter!”

The sailors then said, “Somebody has gotten their god mad
That has to be the reason that the weather’s gotten bad

And since we cannot think of how to stop our boat from sinking
We’ll toss somebody overboard, at least that’s what we’re thinking.”

So what did the sailors do?
What would you do?

It may sound odd, quite odd to you, but that’s just what they did.
They threw poor Jonah out and he was eaten by a squid!

No! Just kidding! That was what you call a tall, tall tale
There was no squid - for we all know he was swallowed by a whale

A whale? Yes a whale that swam up to him and swallowed
That whale had seen the little boat, the boat that he then followed

Jonah sat inside the whale and cried, “Lord, I repent!
And if you let me out of here, I’ll go where I am sent.”

Well just like that, the whale coughed and coughed up our poor Jonah
But did he go to Ninevah?  At least he said, “I’m gonna!”

But what did Jonah do?
What would you do?

He went!  He went! He went to there, and went there on the double
And when he got to Ninevah said, “You guys are in trouble!

My God is really mad at you for being really rotten”
And Jonah smiled, for in the whale he nearly had forgotten

How much he hated Ninevites, but now he was in town
He hoped they wouldn't change they ways so God would bring them down.

So what did the Ninevites do?
What would you do?

Those people said “We’re sorry for the wrong that we have done!
And hope God will forgive us like a dad forgives a son.”

Well just like God forgave our Jonah, God forgave them too.
But while they celebrated, Jonah sat and cried “Boo hoo!

I do not like those Ninevites, not even just a bit
I’m mad that you forgave them, so I’ll throw a hissy fit.”

“Oh Jonah,” said our loving God, “I do love all my kids.
I love you, and I love them too, and kinda wish you did.”

Do you love all people?  The nice and not so good?
It’s hard but you can do it! I always thought you would!


So…what WILL you do?

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