Bible Bee :: What I'm learning from Jonah

I sure have been learning a lot about Jonah! That is because I have been studying that book for the National Bible Bee 2014!!

Maybe I should first start by telling you a little about the Bible Bee... :)

The Bible Bee began in 2009 by the Shelby Kennedy Foundation. Shelby Kennedy went to be with the Lord in her early twenties from cancer. She loved Bible study and memory and would surround herself with her favorite verses. She loved to serve others. She would often go to a lake or pond and throw a stone in and then say, “See the ripples? That’s how I want my life to be.” Thus the Shelby Kennedy foundation started in order to help promote Bible memory.  The National Bible Bee officially started in 2009, requiring the contestants to memorize up to 1,500 Bible verses. 

The study requirements have changed some through the years, but the goal is still the same: to encourage young people to memorize and study the Word of God, and to encourage them to grow in their walk with the Lord. There are three age divisions, Primary (7-10), Junior (11-14), and Senior (15-18). 

This summer, thousands of young people ages 7-18 (including myself and 4 siblings), are studying the book of Jonah in-depth and memorizing approximately 60 Bible verses. This is my fourth year to compete and I have been soooo blessed! I highly recommend the Bible Bee to anyone...it is a tool the Lord has used in my life.  Registration is closed for 2014, but possibly you can do it next year! :-)

After the summer level, the top 120 scoring contestants from each division are invited to the National level, which they are assigned to memorize up to 750 verses, and to study an additional book of the Bible in-depth. 

I thought that for my post today, I would share some of the many things I have been learning over the past month...when I first started, I didn't realize I could learn so much from a little book like Jonah!! :-) 

• Jonah is categorized as a minor prophet, but that doesn't mean it is less important! ;-) It is a unique book, as it is a narrative, prophetic, and historical story with some poetry, rolled into one.
• Jesus referred to Jonah in Matthew 12:38-41. He told the Pharisees and scribes that the 3 days and 3 nights Jonah spent in the fish was a sign of his time he would spend in the heart of the earth, at his death. (As I study Jonah, I am seeing this more and more. It's amazing how much Jonah ties into Jesus!) 
• In 2 Kings 14:25, I learned that Jonah was God’s servant, the word of the Lord came to him, he was the son of Amittai, a prophet, and from Gath-hepher.
• Genesis 10:1-11: The founder of Nineveh was Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord. He was the great-grand son of Noah.
• We've studied some Hebrew words for "God". A few are as follows: El is God, the strong/mighty one. Elyon is the supreme, most High, Elohim is the Supreme God. El Roi and El Shama is"the God who sees and hears".

There are sooo many other things I have been learning the past month, but hopefully you found the little I shared to be interesting. :-) Maybe, if you enjoyed this post, I will share more insights and information concerning Jonah and things relating to it in another post. 

Now for a challenge...go and read the book of Jonah yourself!! :) If you notice something interesting, or have any insights from your own personal devotions, feel free to share it in the comments below. 

God bless you as you study his word. Press On!