Amos, Obadiah, Jonah
LESSON #1 PROPHETS OF COURSE (Amos)
TRUTH:
God always has and always will call prophets. If we follow them, we will be blessed and protected.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
Most of our students already know that we believe in living prophets. But Amos can help that familiar belief become something we feel grateful for again. God hasn’t left His children to figure everything out alone. He speaks. He calls servants to deliver His message. Sometimes that message reassures us, and sometimes it asks us to change. This lesson can help our students recognize both as blessings—and consider whether there’s an invitation from the Lord they need to make more room for.
WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD KNOW:
First, a little background on Amos himself. Amos was from the city of Tekoa, about 12 miles south of Jerusalem. He taught specifically while King Uzziah was the king of Judah and King Jeroboam II was the king of the Northern kingdom. Although he was a citizen of the Kingdom of Judah, the Lord called him to deliver his prophecies to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Which would have made his calling all the more difficult since they would view him as a foreigner coming into their kingdom to tell them what to do. And sadly, they do reject him. We know from Amos 7:14-15 that he didn’t start his life out as a prophet. He wasn’t a priest or the son of a prophet. Rather he was just a simple shepherd and gatherer of sycamore fruit. But he tells them that the Lord called him one day as he was watching his flock.
Well, something I love about the writings of Amos is what I would call his “duh questions” or “no-brainer” questions. These are questions where the answer is so obvious that somebody might look back at you and just say, “Well, duh! Of course, or Of course not. Sometimes we even use little sayings as a sarcastic response to someone who has just asked you a “no-brainer” kind of question. One of the most well-known examples of this would be, “Well, is the Pope Catholic?” That’s the spirit of these questions. Amos is going to ask the Israelites his version of that kind of question. Now the humor and the significance of the ones that Amos uses have probably lost a bit of their power through the ages, but who knows if these would have had an ancient Israelite rolling on the floor laughing. Or, more than likely, he wasn’t trying to be funny at all, but used these types of questions as a backdrop to make a very specific point. The answers to all of these questions would be: “Well duh, isn’t that obvious?” So we find these in Amos 3:3-8. And at the end of those verses he reveals his obvious truth, or the principle that he’s trying to teach the people.
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done (JST Change-known) it?
7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
So what was the “obvious truth” Amos wanted them to understand? SURELY, the Lord God reveals truth to his prophets. Duh! Of course he would. It’s a no-brainer. It just makes sense. And that’s the real crux question of this lesson from Amos. Why? Why does it make so much sense for God to call prophets? And this is a very significant truth for us as members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ in the latter-days because we are one of the only Christian denominations who believe that God continues to call prophets and use that term to describe our leaders.
Why does that make so much sense? My thought? Because He loves us. Because He cares about our lives and our eternal progress. Because He wants us to return to Him. He knows the challenges His children face. He knows how easily we can become distracted, confused, or convinced that we’ve got everything figured out. And so He calls people to teach us, warn us, encourage us, and point us toward Jesus Christ. In his infinite wisdom, he has decided to send us individuals who can speak for Him, and represent him, with an unmistakable, audible voice. A guide who is with us here, in the trenches, so to speak. Living in the world and culture that we live in and who speaks our modern language. This system of calling mortal men to speak for him allows him to continue to require us to live by faith, but also enable us to receive help and direction from him at the same time.
Of course God calls prophets! That makes sense to me. It’s one of those “duh” truths. A loving Heavenly Father would want to help His children find their way. And we have that longed-for blessing as members of the Church of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, we don’t take it for granted.
And then I also like the sentiment of verse 8 there. He adds another “duh” kind of truth as far as he is concerned. “The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?” So he’s like, “God spoke to me, so of course I’m going to share that with people. How could I remain silent when God gave me a message to deliver.” I’m sure that’s how our modern-day prophets feel about their counsels as well. Of course they’re going to share God’s word. Why wouldn’t they?
Sadly, many people react to the words of the prophets in the way that the Israelites did to Amos. Case in point, look at how Amaziah the priest responds to him in 7:12-13
12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.
So he’s saying, “Amos, get out of here. Take your counsels and instructions and go prophesy somewhere else. We don’t need your words here. We’ve got it all figured out.” Do we sometimes react or feel that same way? We wish the prophets wouldn’t teach certain things? Or wouldn’t counsel us in specific areas. Or challenge us to change? Or we start to pick and choose what we want to believe and the counsel that we want to accept and then disregard the rest?
But Amos isn’t having it. In fact, look at his BOLD reaction to Amaziah’s command.
14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
15 And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
17 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
Wow! He was definitely not afraid to respond to their denial. Prophets do not hold back. Prophets don’t always tell us what we want to hear and they’re not afraid to say it like it is. They WILL deliver their message. The question is, will we respond to it? Will we trust their counsel. Will we act in faith regardless of whether like their counsel or not. Because sometimes the counsel we most need may be the counsel we least want to hear. That last verse reveals the consequences that will come to Amaziah if he chooses to ignore Amos’s counsel. Really, Amos is trying to help Amaziah, but sadly he just doesn’t want to hear it.
The main message or flow of this lesson is this: God speaks → His prophet delivers the message → We choose how to respond→ Following=blessing/Rejecting=consequence
A fairly straightforward message.
ICEBREAKER:
Time: 2-3 Min
To introduce this lesson, I like to begin with a couple of what I would call “duh” questions. These are questions where the answer is so obvious that somebody might look back at you and say, “Well, duh! Of course.”
For example:
What day do we celebrate the Fourth of July?
What’s the number for 911?
What’s the Spanish word for taco?
Is the Pope Catholic?
Does a one-legged duck swim in a circle?
You know, those kinds of questions. We don’t have to spend much time thinking about the answer.
Well, Amos uses a series of questions with recognizable answers to lead his listeners toward an important truth. And I’d like you to see if you can discover what that truth is. The answers to all of these questions from an ancient Israelite would have been: “Well duh, isn’t that obvious?”
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
Time: 3 Min
So let’s read Amos 3:3–8. And as we do, pay attention to the “duh” questions Amos asks. Then see if you can identify the truth he’s building toward.
As the teacher, you might need to explain some of the imagery as we discussed in the teacher section. And you’ll perhaps want to explain the JST change in verse 6 as well.
And the truth they should discover, is that God “surely” reveals His will and guidance through his prophets. That’s the “duh” truth. Of course He would.
But don’t stop there. Verse 8 adds something important: Why is Amos speaking? Because God has spoken to him. He has a message to deliver. In other words, God spoke to me, so of course I’m going to share it.
So I would write the beginning of this pattern on the board:
God speaks → His prophet delivers the message
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Time: 2-3 Min
Why does it make so much sense for God to call prophets?
Take a couple of answers to that and also be prepared to share some of your own thoughts as well.
SEARCH ACTIVITY:Time: 2-3 Min
But now we need to add one more part to our pattern, probably the most important part. Let’s turn to Amos 7 now. Explain:
There’s a priest at Bethel named Amaziah who doesn’t appreciate what Amos has been saying. And in verses 12–13, we get to see his reaction.
I would read those verses with my class and ask them to watch for what Amaziah wants Amos to do.
And we know that he wants him to leave and go preach his message somewhere else.
But then have your students read verses 14–16 and ask:
What does Amos’s answer tell you about why he’s willing to keep speaking?
And I love his answer in verse 15:
“And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”
That’s why he’s there. The Lord called him. The Lord sent him.
Then ask: What does verse 17 suggest about rejecting the counsel of a prophet?
Answer: Consequences. And typically, they’re unpleasant ones.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Time: 2-3 Min
Now, it’s easy for us to look at Amaziah and think, “Well, I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t tell a prophet to go away.”
But perhaps we can bring the question a little closer to home.
Have we ever heard counsel from a prophet and thought, “I wish he hadn’t said that”?
Or, “I like the other things he teaches, but I don’t really want to think about this one”?
I believe it’s possible to be grateful for prophets in general and still struggle with a particular invitation.
You could give them a quick example. Suppose we hear an invitation to be peacemakers and to seek reconciliation. And we think, “Yes! Wonderful message. The world needs more of that.”
But then we think of a particular person. Somebody we’ve had a difficult relationship with. And suddenly that invitation feels a little more challenging.
And perhaps we start to explain why the counsel applies to everybody else.
So here’s a thought I’d invite us to consider:
The counsel I most need may be the counsel I least want to hear.
Now, having an honest question doesn’t make somebody an Amaziah. We may need help understanding. But sometimes our resistance is worth examining. Sometimes the Lord is inviting us to change something we’ve become rather comfortable with.
Then ask:
So what might be a more faithful response to a prophet’s counsel that we struggle with?
Take a couple of brief answers. My thought? We could go back and read the message carefully. We could pray about it. We could ask the Lord to help us understand. We could act in faith and rely on what we do know while we continue to work through what we don’t. We don’t have to have every question resolved before we begin making room for God to teach us.
Then I would share the TRUTH of the lesson: God always has and always will call prophets. If we follow them, we will be blessed and protected.
TAKE IT TO HEART:
Time: 2-3 Min
For the take it to heart, I’m really excited about the following idea. So explain the following:
Well, let’s make this very current. We’ve just had general conference. We’ve just had an opportunity to hear from living prophets and apostles. So what have they invited us to do?
In his closing remarks, President Dallin H. Oaks invited us to “study and ponder [the conference talks] prayerfully and to act in faith on the principles they explain.” “Closing Remarks,” October 2026
And that fits our Amos pattern beautifully, doesn’t it?
God speaks → His prophet delivers the message → We choose how to respond.
So I would give my students this list of ten different invitations from the First Presidency and apostles at our most recent general conference in October of 2026.
We’re not going to discuss every one. I’d just give them a little time to look through the list on the handout with this question in mind:
Which of these invitations do you most need to act on right now?
Maybe it’s President Oaks invitation to develop our faith through daily prayer and scripture learning that stands out to you.
Maybe you need to reach out and comfort somebody, as President Eyring encouraged.
Perhaps President Christofferson’s warning about gambling is something you need to take seriously.
Or maybe it’s an invitation to share your testimony, deepen your temple worship, or show greater love to somebody you’ve been worried about.
And I wouldn’t necessarily choose the one that would be easiest. Ask yourself, “Which invitation might help me come closer to Jesus Christ? Is there something here I’ve appreciated hearing but haven’t done much about yet?”
Then give them a moment to finish this sentence that appears on the handout:
This week, I’ll respond to __________’s invitation by __________.
Try to make that last part specific. What will you actually do?
You don’t need to share your answer with the class. But hopefully you’ll leave with something you intend to act on.
TAKEAWAY:
Time: 2-3 Min
To conclude, show the following takeaway slide and say something like this:Think about the purpose of a lighthouse. It provides light to help people find their way. Once you understand what it’s there to do, its presence makes sense. Well, that’s how I feel about prophets. Of course God calls prophets. He loves His children. He cares about where we’re going. He wants to help us return to Him.
And Amos gives us that simple pattern. God speaks. His prophet delivers the message. And then we choose how to respond. Sometimes that message will bring comfort. Sometimes it will give us encouragement. And sometimes it will ask us to change.
Hopefully, we’ll recognize the blessing in all of those things. So this week, I invite you to revisit the invitation you thought about today. Read it again. Pray about it. Ask the Lord to help you understand it. And identify a faithful step you can take. The counsel I most need may be the counsel I least want to hear. So let’s make room for God to teach us. Of course God calls prophets, and what a blessing that He does.
OPTIONAL LESSON IDEAS:
CROSS REFERENCE:
There’s a phrase in the Doctrine and Covenants that I think fits beautifully here.
Turn to Doctrine and Covenants 21:4–5. This revelation was given when the Church was organized, and the Lord was teaching the Saints about receiving His word through Joseph Smith.
And I would ask my students to look for two qualities the Lord wanted them to exercise.
Verse 5:
“For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.”
Patience and faith.
I love that combination.
Sometimes receiving counsel takes faith. We may not immediately see everything the Lord is trying to accomplish.
And sometimes it takes patience. We may need to study, pray, seek understanding, and give ourselves time to learn.
But hopefully our attitude can be, “Lord, I want to hear You. Help me understand what You’re asking me to do.”
QUOTE:
A quote you might want to share is this excellent one from President Russell M. Nelson:
“Sometimes we as leaders of the Church are criticized for holding firm to the laws of God, defending the Savior’s doctrine, and resisting the social pressures of our day. But our commission as ordained apostles is “to go into all the world to preach [His] gospel unto every creature.” That means we are commanded to teach truth.
In doing so, sometimes we are accused of being uncaring as we teach the Father’s requirements for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. But wouldn’t it be far more uncaring for us not to tell the truth—not to teach what God has revealed?
It is precisely because we do care deeply about all of God’s children that we proclaim His truth. We may not always tell people what they want to hear. Prophets are rarely popular. But we will always teach the truth!
(“The Love and Laws of God,” [Brigham Young University devotional, Sept. 17, 2019], 3, speeches.byu.edu)
LESSON #2 A GOD OF SECOND CHANCES (Jonah)
TRUTH:
Disobedience brings consequences, but when we turn back to God, He lovingly and mercifully gives us another chance.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
I imagine there’s somebody in almost every class who needs to know that a past failure doesn’t have to be the end of their story with God. Maybe they’ve ignored a prompting, fallen back into an old habit, or put off something they know they need to do. And now they feel discouraged about trying again. Well, Jonah gives us a wonderful opportunity to reach that person. The Lord continues working with a man who ran from Him. He preserves him, hears his prayer, and calls him again. Hopefully, this lesson can help our students feel enough hope to turn toward the Lord even when they feel like they don’t deserve another chance. Because he will offer it to them.
WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD KNOW:
Now this is one of the most famous stories in the entire Old Testament, so your students will probably be familiar with at least the main elements of it. So with our shortened teaching time, don’t spend your time going through every element of the story. Rather , spend your time on what the story teaches. But what should you know as the teacher.
First, who was Jonah? Well, we know that he lived during the reign of King Jeroboam II, so he’s prophesying at about the same time as the prophet Amos.
He’s mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 as the prophet who prophesied the restoration of Israel’s border under King Jeroboam II.
Jesus refers to the book of Jonah as a foreshadowing of his own death and resurrection.
The book of Jonah doesn’t claim to have been written by Jonah himself.
It’s a unique book in that it doesn’t contain the prophecies OF a prophet but is rather a story ABOUT a prophet.
And Jonah is also not your typical prophet. He’s not portrayed as a hero in the story. He’s disobedient, stubborn, ill-tempered, and uncompassionate. So not your usual kind of prophet story either.
In Jonah chapter 1, God asks Jonah to do something that he didn’t want to do. He’s asked to go and preach repentance to his enemies, the Ninevites. So what does he decide to do? He books a cruise to Tarshish instead. If you look at a map, Tarshish is in almost the exact opposite direction from Nineveh. Nineveh lies 500 miles east of Joppa. Tarshish lies 2000 miles west of it. It’s almost as if Jonah was looking for the farthest place from Nineveh he could find. So the question for us is: Do we have any Nineveh’s in our lives? These could be callings, commandments, standards, duties, that we, for whatever reason, just don’t want to follow. We’d rather run the opposite direction from them. I don’t want to go to Church every week. I don’t want to study my scriptures daily. I don’t want to serve in that difficult calling. I don’t want to live that standard in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. If we’re honest with ourselves, I imagine that every single one of us probably has some kind of Nineveh to grapple with. And the story of Jonah can teach us a lesson about running from the Lord’s calls. What happens when we decide to disobey or run from the Lord’s calls? Well, what happened to Jonah? Let me highlight the things that I see.
1:4 There was a tempest.
1:5 They feared
1:5 They cast their wares overboard. So they lost some things because of this. They experienced loss.
1:6 There was a threat of perishing
1:7 Evil came upon them
1:15 Jonah was cast into the deep
1:17 Swallowed by the whale
2:2 Affliction
2:2 He finds himself in the belly of hell (And that would be a verse I would point to as evidence that the whale Jonah finds himself in, may not have been a literal whale. But the metaphorical whale of spiritual death and hell)
2:3 In the deep
2:3 Compassed about with floods
2:3 Billows and waves passed over him
2:4 Cast out of God’s sight
2:5 Waters compassed about him even to the “SOUL”. (another phrase suggesting the possible metaphorical nature of the whale)
2:5 the depth closed round about him, the weeds wrapped around his head.
2:6 At the bottoms of the mountains
2:6 He feels that he is trapped within the earth.
2:6 Corruption
2:7 His soul fainted.
So you see that there is lots of evidence of the negative nature of running from God. It may also be a good exercise to ponder why the belly of a whale would be a good metaphor for what happens when we run from God. If he were literally inside a whale, how do you think he would describe that experience?
Cramped and claustrophobic. He would feel trapped.
Scary
Cold
Dark
Hopeless
Smelly
What’s the lesson for us? What happens to us when we run from God? Well, bad things can happen.
When we run from God, he may often send a storm or two our way to help us to turn around. Fear, affliction, darkness, hopelessness. It’s a great way to describe the consequences of sin. And the smelliness? I would put it this way, when we run from God, life stinks. We may find ourselves trapped by addictions or the aftereffects of our decisions. We may find ourselves spiritually in the belly of the whale—that great monster of the deep—spiritual death and hell. Running from the Lord can only lead to storm, suffering, darkness, and captivity. Now, not every storm in our lives comes from disobedience. But when our choices have brought painful consequences, the story of Jonah instructs us on what we can do.
Well, Jonah chapter 1 presented us with the problem. Jonah chapter 2 gives us the solution and the result. What did Jonah do after he found himself in the belly of the whale? Well . . .
2:1 He prayed to the Lord in the depths of his regret
2:2 He cried to God by reason of his affliction
2:7 He remembered the Lord, and his prayer came unto God.
2:9 He was willing to sacrifice unto God with the voice of thanksgiving.
So for us. What should we do if we find ourselves in the belly of our regrets and addictions and consequences? Pray! Cry out to God. And, he will hear us. There is nothing we could do that would make us unworthy of his love and help. When things get dark, and life stinks, remember the Lord and turn to him for help. And we may have to make some sacrifices. But hopefully we can be grateful and have a heart full of thanksgiving to a God that provides a way out of the belly of the whale.
And what were the results of that prayer?
Jonah 2:2 He heard me, thou heardest my voice.
Jonah 2:10 He brought Jonah back on to dry land.
In other words, he delivered him from the monster. He pulled him out of the depths of that dark, cold, cramped, and hopeless environment. He snatched him from the jaws of hell and placed him safely onto to dry land once again. God gave him a second chance. And the Lord can and will do the same thing for us. He’ll give us the opportunity to try again. God did not allow Jonah to perish. Jonah 1:17 tells us that God “prepared” the whale to swallow him up. He prepared a way for him to be saved. Being in the belly of a whale may not have been a pleasant experience, but it was better than drowning. It’s the whale that ends up saving Jonah’s life. I think that whale could also represent repentance. Repentance has been prepared by God to save us. It can set our feet back on dry ground. Repentance isn’t always easy though. It’s the changing of our heart. I believe forgiveness comes easily, but not the process of returning home. It can be like sitting in the belly of the whale.
Now there is a New Testament equivalent and a Book of Mormon equivalent of this same message. Jonah is the prodigal son of the Old Testament. After running from the house of his Father, the prodigal son also fell upon hard times. But he made his way back to his Father and cried out to him in the depths of his regret. And his Father welcomed him back, gave him another chance, and rejoiced at his return. He was set on dry ground once again.
Then in the Book of Mormon, there’s the story of Alma the Younger. That’s a perfect illustration of the Jonah principle. Alma also ran from the commandments and guidance of God. And what happened to him? He was swallowed up in darkness and torment for a time as well. If you read Alma’s description in Alma 36 of what it felt like to face the regrets of his life as he lay in his spiritual coma of sorts (for three days and three nights as well) you’ll get the same sense as Jonah’s description of being inside the whale. He felt racked, tormented, harrowed up, fearful, filled with horror, and the pains of a damned soul. But what did Alma do in the depths of that hell? He too cried out to God. And God heard him and “snatched him” out of what he refers to as “the darkest abyss” (Mosiah 27:29) and set him upon dry ground.
If God extended mercy to Jonah, the prodigal son, and Alma the Younger, we have reason to trust that He’ll extend mercy to us too. He will listen to us if we call to him. He will hear us if we pray. And the great fish of torment and guilt and regret will spit us out and free us from the darkness, the cold, the confinement, and the smelliness of sin.
ICEBREAKER:
Time: 1-2 Min
So as an icebreaker to the story, I sometimes just like to show some funny comics that I’ve collected over the years related to the story of Jonah. Since the idea of being swallowed by a whale is so fantastic, it lends itself to humor. So here are some of my favorites. Now a quick note to any of you teachers out there who may have purchased or decide to purchase my PowerPoint slides for this lesson. I always want to be careful of copyright laws, so I can’t include these in that purchase. But I can show them to you here, and you could find them yourselves by doing a quick google image search for Bible Jonah comics yourselves. They can be a fun way to introduce the story here.
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
Time: 4 Min
Begin by having your students read Jonah 1:1–3 looking for the answer to this question:
What does the Lord ask Jonah to do, and what does Jonah do instead?
And they should see the contrast pretty quickly. The Lord tells him to go to Nineveh. Jonah boards a ship going to Tarshish. You could then explain that Tarshish is in the exact opposite direction from Nineveh.
Then ask: From what you already know about the story, what happens to Jonah because he ran?
And they should know it already. If not, have them check the chapter heading. I don’t think it’s necessary to read the entire chapter to establish the situation. As an option, you could briefly show them the following slide and summarize some of the fallout of Jonah’s decision. You don’t have to read them all, but I would at least point to some of Jonah’s descriptions of being inside the whale. Or have them imagine how they imagine they might describe that situation if it literally happened to them.
And this isn’t the part of the lesson that we want to spend a lot of time on, but we do want to establish this truth in their minds because it’s key to setting us up for the more hopeful principle that follows. So I would just simply say, When we run from the Lord’s commands, we may experience storm, suffering, darkness, and captivity. Then ask them to ponder whether they’ve ever seen that principle come true in their own lives. Do they, or have they ever had a “Nineveh” in their lives? A commandment, standard, or gospel principle they weren’t wild about living? And then, have they ever experienced a tempest or a whale of some sort because of disobedience? Have they ever experienced the negative consequences of sin? If so, keep reading.
SEARCH ACTIVITY #2:
Time: 4 Min
The next search question is. What does Jonah do from the depths of those consequences? Have them search in Jonah 2:1-2 and 7-9.
And make sure they see those things that we discussed earlier in the teacher section.
Then ask: What happens to Jonah because he turned back to God in prayer and sacrifice? Answer in Jonah 2:10 and 3:1-3. And what is it? He gives Jonah a second chance. He brings him up out of the belly of the whale, puts his feet back on dry ground, and calls him again. God gave him a second chance.
Then I would share the overall truth of the lesson:
Disobedience brings consequences, but when we turn back to God, He gives us another chance.
TEACHER INSIGHT
Time: 3 Min
Then to help your students connect Jonah’s story to themselves you could say:
Now, I imagine that most of us are grateful for second chances. But sometimes we have a hard time believing that God would offer one to us. We think, “I knew better.” Or, “I’ve already promised that I would change.” Or even, “I’ve tried before. What’s the point of trying again?” And that’s where I think Jonah’s story can help us. The Lord knew Jonah had run. He knew exactly what had happened. And He called him again. God continues working with Jonah. And I think that’s something we need to remember when we’re disappointed in ourselves. We can turn toward the Lord while we’re still struggling. We can pray before we’ve worked everything out.
Jonah didn’t have to get himself back onto dry ground before he could ask for help.
Now, repentance doesn’t mean every consequence immediately disappears. There may be things we need to repair, habits we need help changing, or trust that takes time to rebuild. But we can begin that process with the Lord’s help.
Through Jesus Christ, we can receive forgiveness and move forward. We don’t have to keep running because we ran before.
TAKE IT TO HEART
Time: 4 Min
So here’s the personal question I would give my students:
Is there something you’ve been running from that you need to turn toward?
Maybe it’s a commandment you’ve struggled to live. A prompting you’ve put off. An apology you need to make. Or help you know you need to ask for.
And perhaps you’ve already tried to change. Perhaps this feels like more than your second chance. Well, bring that to the Lord too. Tell Him where you’re struggling and ask Him to help you take the next step.
Then the second part of the exercise: What is a step you could take this week in that direction?
Hopefully, they’ll leave with more than a feeling of relief that God gives second chances. They’ll leave with a decision about what they’re going to do with the opportunity He’s giving them.
TAKEAWAY
Time: 2 Min
To conclude, show the takeaway slide with footprints leading from the waterline onto a quiet shore at dawn.
The caption: YOU CAN BEGIN AGAIN.
Then say something like this: Imagine how good that dry ground must have felt to Jonah. After the storm, the sea, and the belly of the fish, his feet are on solid ground again. But my favorite part comes next. The word of the Lord comes to him “the second time.”
The Lord calls him again. I’m grateful we worship a God of second chances. Our choices matter, and disobedience brings consequences. But we can turn back. We can pray. Through Jesus Christ, we can repent and begin again. So if there’s something you need to turn toward today, I invite you to take that step. Begin that prayer. Make that change. Ask for that help. Jonah couldn’t change his first response to the Lord. But he could respond differently the second time. And so can we.
OPTIONAL LESSON IDEAS:
VIDEO:
Another option is to show this short, animated video. It gives your students a quick review of Jonah’s story so you can spend more time exploring what it teaches.
QUOTE:
A quote you might share. The following from Elder Matthew S. Holland:“Jonah’s cry is that of a good man in crisis, one largely of his own making. For a saint, when catastrophe is brought on by a regrettable habit, comment, or decision, despite so many other good intentions and earnest efforts of righteousness, it can be especially crushing and leave one feeling forsaken. But whatever the cause or degree of disaster we face, there is always dry ground for hope, healing, and happiness.”
(“Forsake Not Your Own Mercy,” Liahona, Nov. 2025, 105–6.)
HANDOUT:
If you had more time and you wanted to review the story of Jonah a little more quickly, you could do the following handout activity with your students. What you’ll give them is a summary of the story of Jonah, but there are some errors in it. Their task is to correct the story so that it reads accurately. Encourage them to use their scriptures and the chapter headings in Jonah for help if they need it. And what they’ll do is cross out any words or phrases that are incorrect, and then write in the correct detail underneath it. After you’ve given them sufficient time to complete it, ask for volunteers to point out the mistakes made and their corrections. If they correctly identify one, you could throw them a Swedish Fish as a reward. I won’t go through the entire story and corrections with you here, but you could see the corrections just by clicking through the slide here.
LESSON #3 WHEN GOD LOVES MY ENEMIES (Jonah)
TRUTH:
Because God loves all His children, we should seek their good, even when they are our enemies.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
Most of us love the idea of a merciful God. We’re grateful that He’s patient with us, that He sees our potential, and that He gives us opportunities to change. But what happens when He extends that same mercy to somebody we really don’t like? Somebody who’s hurt us? Somebody we’d rather see humbled than helped? That’s where the last chapter of Jonah becomes very personal. This lesson can help our students recognize that the people they struggle to love are still people God loves. And hopefully, it may encourage them to try and seek someone else’s good—even if their feelings are still catching up.
WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD KNOW:
In our previous lesson, we focused on Jonah receiving another chance from God. The Lord didn’t give up on him. So when Jonah receives his assignment again, this time, he does go to Nineveh. Well, now we get to see what happens when somebody else receives another chance. And Jonah doesn’t respond particularly well.
First, remember that Nineveh was an Assyrian city. These were enemies of the Israelites, and the story takes their wickedness seriously. In chapter 3, the king specifically calls on the people to turn away from violence. So we shouldn’t present this as Jonah having an unreasonable dislike of some perfectly harmless neighbors. There was real evil in them that needed to change.
But, lo and behold, change is exactly what happens. The people believe Jonah’s warning, they respond to it, and turn from their evil ways. And God, in his mercy, spares the city, and gives them another chance. If the wording about God repenting in verse 10 raises a question, the Joseph Smith Translation in the footnote clarifies the meaning: the people repented, and God turned away the threatened calamity. God wasn’t repenting of sin. He was responding mercifully to their repentance.
Now, you might expect the next verse to describe a very happy missionary. The people listened! They changed! The city was spared! Instead, chapter 4 begins: “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.” And verse 2 gives us an important explanation. Jonah tells the Lord that this is why he fled in the first place. He knew that God was gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and full of kindness. He’s worried that they just might repent and then, darn it, they won’t get destroyed, like he’s hoping. Jonah was totally fine with the Lord’s goodness and mercy applied to him, but it’s a different story when that goodness and mercy are being extended to his enemies. And how far does his anger go? Verse 3
3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
Wait, what??? He’d rather die than see the Ninevites forgiven. This is a Bible story that really flips things around. You have a prophet that is rebellious and stubborn, and then you have a Pagan people that are humble and repentant. That’s irony. Not what you’d expect.
So God asks Jonah a really good question? Doest thou well to be angry? Or in other words, “Do you feel like you have the right to be angry here? Is your anger justified, Jonah? The obvious answer here is “no” his anger is not justified. And so Jonah just seems to ignore the question, walks outside the city, builds a little shelter, and then sits down to wait and see what will happen to the city. More than likely, to watch it get destroyed. You know, wait for the fireworks to begin. Perhaps he’s hoping that this change in the Ninevites will be short-lived, that the people will repent of their repentance, and turn back to their wicked ways. And then, he can relish in the destruction of this people that he detests so deeply. Again, not your typical “prophet” here.
And so God decides to do a little object lesson for Jonah to make a point. He has this little gourd, or vine grow out of the ground and provide Jonah with shade. And then the next day it dies. And Jonah throws a fit and wants to die again. And at this point we’re all like, “Oh brother, ok Lord, maybe you should grant his request.” But God is merciful and continues to be patient with Jonah. And so he asks his question once again. “Are you justified in your anger?” But this time over the death of this little plant. And Jonah snaps back, “Yes. I am justified. You should just kill me now.” And now, with that situation as the backdrop, God attempts to teach him the lesson. He basically says, “Jonah, you are more concerned about the death of this little, insignificant vine, that you didn’t even plant, than an entire city of my children. Aren’t people more important than plants, Jonah? Shouldn’t I be concerned as their God for their salvation? Especially considering that they don’t even have a very good understanding between right and wrong.
And that’s it! The story ends. Rather abruptly. We don’t get to hear how Jonah responds to that message. I would really love to read a Jonah chapter 5. I wonder what it would say. Did he change? Did he realize the error of his ways? Did he go back home and give a powerful homecoming talk about what he learned? Who knows? But that’s not the point! By leaving Jonah’s answer unrecorded, the ending invites us to consider our own response. The author seems to care more about what we’ve learned. It’s almost as if God is “breaking the fourth wall” in the story and turning to us, as the readers, looking us in the eye, and asking us that question. “Are you justified in YOUR anger?” I believe he’s wanting all of us to turn inward and ask ourselves if we see any “Jonah” inside of us. Do we have any measure of his problem? And what was Jonah’s problem? What was it that was causing him to feel and act this way? I would answer, prejudice, or hatred even. A dislike so deep for another people, that he feels he would rather die than see them forgiven.
Well, I believe that the author is asking us to look inside and ponder if there is any group of people like that for us? Is there anyone out there that we feel justified in disliking? I mean, we may be very good, honest, and kind people, but is there some part of us that hates or detests some other group of people out there for whatever reason. People that are different from us in some way. People that hold different religious, political, intellectual, or cultural ideas or lifestyles. People from a different social class, faith, or nation that we view as the enemy? People that are even sinful, mean, or immoral? And here in the last chapter of Jonah, God looks at us and asks, “Are you okay with the fact that I love YOUR enemies? That I’m willing to forgive them if they change? That they are my children too, and that their souls are just as precious to me as yours? Is your hate justified?” The rhetorical answer: No, we’re not justified in hating anybody. Hate is not a part of God’s plan. When we relish in the thought of the destruction of others or rejoice in their misfortunes, who are we acting like? Whose attitude are we mirroring? That’s the adversary’s attitude, not Christ’s. Satan loves to see pain and suffering in others. But God wants his people to be Christlike.
Now, there’s an interesting way that we can connect the message of the book of Obadiah with this lesson from Jonah. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament and Biblical scholars aren’t even sure of what time period it exactly fits in. The book of Obadiah invites us to ask ourselves a question. When there’s somebody who has not been very nice to us in the past or when there is someone that we don’t agree with politically, religiously, or intellectually—when we see something bad happen to them, how are we often tempted to react? Does it make us happy? Do we rejoice in their misfortune? Do we smugly say, “serves them right”?
Well that’s kind of how the Edomites reacted to the conquering of Jerusalem. One verse that illustrates that particularly well is verse 12:12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.
Well, do we ever do the same kind of thing? Do we make things worse for those that have suffered some hardship or calamity? Do we pridefully look on and rejoice in the day of their destruction because we disagreed with them over some point in the past? Do we ignore them or take advantage of the situation because they don’t happen to share our culture, religion, or political views? This displeases the Lord.
And what does the Lord say will be the consequence of reacting in this way? Take a look at verse 15
15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
This is what I would refer to as a yo-yo principle. What goes around, comes around. But there is a better way! We don’t have to be like the Edomites. But there is a bit of a shift in the second portion of the Book of Obadiah starting in verse 17. The Lord promises that Zion will one day be delivered and possess all their land once again, in the day of the Lord. But the verse that I would like to focus on most comes at the very end of the chapter. When disaster befalls others, what can we do instead? Take a look at verse 21.
21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.
So instead of being prideful, spiteful, and taking advantage, we can actually become saviors to others! Wow! Who else holds that title? Jesus does. And we get to share that title with Christ. We can bring salvation and redemption to others too. Like Jesus did, we can sacrifice and serve to help people through their misfortunes and calamities. We can seek to rescue the perishing, comfort the bereaved, and mourn with those that mourn. We don’t want to be Edomites. We want to be saviors.
So we do missionary work and seek to enlighten and bless those of different nations, cultures, and faiths instead of putting them down or tearing down their beliefs.
We do humanitarian work to better the lives of the downtrodden.
And we do temple work, to bring salvation and the opportunity for exaltation to all mankind.
ICEBREAKER:
Time: 2-3 Min
To introduce this lesson, I would write two large words on the board:
US | THEM
Then say:
Let’s see how many answers we can come up with in thirty seconds.
What are some things that cause people to divide the world into “us” and “them”?
And be sure to invite them to give you categories rather than naming particular groups. And they might mention politics, religion, nationality, race, money, language, sports teams, or even friend groups at school. Write a few answers between the two words. If they need help getting started, sports teams is an easy example.
Then explain:
Every group or organization eventually has to decide how they are going to handle the issue of what I would call “otherness.” How are we going to feel about or deal with those who are different or think differently than we do? And what does God expect of those who call themselves Christians? How does a disciple of Christ handle “otherness.” Keep that in mind as we look at the story of Jonah today.
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
Time: 4 min
And then, if this is the only lesson that you get to teach in a week, you’re probably going to want to give your students just enough context to enter this part of the story. Briefly summarize the events that have led up to this point. You might even want to explain that typically teachers will focus on the more famous part of the Jonah story with the whale and everything. But this time, you’re going to focus on what happened next, because it too has a very important message to teach us. After Jonah is released from the belly of the whale, he travels to Ninevah and delivers the Lord’s warning to them. And that warning is that they need to repent. So ask.
How do the people of Nineveh react in Jonah 3:5 and 3:8-10 when Jonah calls them to repentance?
Then make sure they see that the people respond through action. They turn from their evil ways, and God decides to spare them.
Then ask:
Knowing that, how would you expect Jonah to feel?
You probably won’t need much discussion there. Most students will expect him to be happy.
Now ask:
How DOES Jonah respond in 4:1–3 and what do you think about his response?
And the important discovery is that he’s angry about it. He’s upset that God is extending mercy to the Ninevites. You could explain that that’s what makes this chapter so challenging. Jonah has just experienced God’s patience and mercy himself. But now he’s struggling to welcome that same mercy and patience for someone else.
So what is God going to do with a servant who feels that way? Let’s see how He teaches him.
SEARCH ACTIVITY: A PLANT AND A CITY
Time: 2 minutes
For this next part, I would briefly tell the story in Jonah 4:5–9 rather than have students take a lot of time searching through the details.
Explain that Jonah goes outside Nineveh to see what will happen, hoping that God will destroy them. So the Lord provides a plant that gives him shade, and Jonah is delighted. But when a worm damages the plant and it withers, Jonah becomes really upset.
Then read Jonah 4:10–11 together and explain that the Lord points out that Jonah cares about this plant, even though he didn’t create it or make it grow. Therefore, shouldn’t God care about an entire city full of people? His children?
And that’s the question I would emphasize. God is inviting Jonah to see the people he’s been so angry with as people whose lives matter to God. Jonah knows from personal experience that God is merciful. Now he needs to make room for the fact that God can be merciful and loving towards people he doesn’t like.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Time: 5 minutes
At this point, I’d bring the question to the class:
Why can it be difficult to accept that God loves someone we consider an enemy?
Let students share a few thoughts. I wouldn’t ask them to identify particular people or groups. We’re trying to understand something about our own hearts.
My thought? Sometimes we feel that loving someone means taking their side. If God loves the person who hurt me, does that mean He’s overlooking what happened? Does it mean my pain doesn’t matter? But God’s love for another person doesn’t diminish His love for us. He can care deeply about our wounds and still desire the repentance and redemption of the person who caused them. Remember, the people of Nineveh were called to change. God’s mercy didn’t make their violence acceptable.
And sometimes our resistance comes from prejudice. We’ve decided what “those people” are like. We’ve stopped seeing individuals and started seeing a category. It can be uncomfortable to recognize goodness or the possibility of change in someone we’ve already dismissed.
Then I’d ask:
How could remembering that God loves these people change the way we speak about them or treat them, even when we still strongly disagree?
Take a few responses. If needed, offer a thought like this:
We might listen before assuming we understand. We might stop making sweeping statements about an entire group. We might recognize someone’s sincere effort to change. We can speak honestly about what we believe while remembering that the person listening has worth. That’s part of learning to treat people as Christ would. We can hold to truth and still desire someone’s good.
Then share this lesson’s truth:
Because God loves all His children, we should seek their good, even when they are our enemies.
TAKE IT TO HEART
Time: 4 minutes
For the take it to heart, I would first explain that one of the great values of the Jonah story is the way it challenges us to ask if we’re okay with the fact that God loves our enemies. We believe God loves everyone. But that truth can become more challenging when we think about specific people. The person who treated us unfairly. The people whose beliefs we strongly disagree with. The group we tend to look down on.
God loves them too. And He invites us to become more like Him.
So I’d give my students a quiet moment to consider:
Who do I need to make more room for in my heart?
And that might be an individual or a group we’ve developed a prejudice against. People we’ve started thinking of as “those people,” forgetting that they’re God’s children too.
TAKEAWAY
Time: 2 minutes
To conclude, show the takeaway slide: a city at dusk, with warm lights glowing in the homes with the caption: HIS CHILDREN TOO.
Then you could say something like this:
Look at those lights for a moment. Behind those windows are people. People with worries, relationships, regrets, and possibilities. From a distance, it’s easy to reduce a whole city—or a whole group—to a label. But the Lord knows the people who live there. That’s what He invites Jonah to consider. “And should not I spare Nineveh?” Shouldn’t those lives matter to Me? Now, we aren’t given Jonah’s answer. But we can consider our own. The person I struggle to love is someone God still loves. And remembering that can begin to change what I hope for them. I can want harmful behavior to stop. I can want repentance and accountability. But I can also hope that these people or this person receives the help they need to become better. God was patient enough to keep teaching Jonah. Perhaps we can ask Him to keep teaching us as well.
OPTIONAL LESSON IDEAS:
A CONNECTION WITH OBADIAH
If you have a little more time, you could include the related message from the book of Obadiah here. You could explain that there’s a contrast in Obadiah that helps us take this lesson one step further.
Explain that Obadiah condemns Edom’s behavior when Jerusalem suffered. Then read Obadiah 1:12, asking students to notice the attitude the Lord condemns.
They rejoiced over Judah’s destruction and spoke proudly during its distress.
And we can understand how that temptation works. Someone we dislike experiences a setback, and part of us thinks, “Good. I’m glad.”
But now turn to verse 21 and read it together. Ask students to notice the word “saviours.”
I like to focus on that word “saviours” to help us consider the influence that we can have on others. What a different desire that gives us. Instead of rejoicing when someone falls, we could want to help them rise. Instead of hoping they remain lost, we could hope they find their way to Christ. Jesus Christ is the Savior. But we can participate in His work of helping and lifting people—even people we’ve struggled to love. In that sense, we can seek to be “saviours upon mount Zion” to them.
And that connects right back to Jonah. God sent him to Nineveh with a message that gave its people an opportunity to repent. Jonah had a part in helping them. The Lord was inviting him to care about them too.
QUOTE:
An optional quote you might share from President Russell M. Nelson’s masterpiece of a talk given in the April General Conference of 2023 entitled “Peacemakers Needed”. He said:
“There is room for everyone. However, there is no room for prejudice, condemnation, or contention of any kind.”
(Conference Report, Apr. 2023 “Peacemakers Needed”)
HANDOUT:
For a possible handout and application activity, you could give each student this little challenge card and invite them to place it in their scriptures. Here’s the rule: leave it there until you’ve completed the challenge.
Before you take it out, offer a private prayer for someone you struggle to love. Ask for something good for that person—something they may need. And ask Heavenly Father to help you see and treat them more like His Son would.
You don’t have to wait until your feelings have completely changed. This prayer can be a beginning. Every time you come across the card, let it remind you: they’re His children too.
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