In the belly of the whale

Jonah - The story of Jonah is one of the most vivid bible stories I remember. Of course there's more to the story than his three days and three nights in the belly of a whale. There are important features too, like he is the only prophet that God specifically sent to a foreign nation and not Israel/ Judah. In fact the Ninevites, the people of Nineveh the capital city of Assyria, were enemies of Israel. But with God's will and God's mercy, they heard the message Jonah brought them and they repented.

There are two quotes I particularly like, Jonah 4:16. It finishes with a question "...Should I not be concerned about that great city?" The book ends with a question, is there a limit to God's mercy and forgiveness.

Jonah 1:17 and Matthew 12:40 are mirrored passages. "But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights." Jonah 1:17
"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

ISAIAH
I'm going to ready four chapters of the Old Testament prophets each day and write a little something. Chapter 1-4 paints a very dismal picture of the sins of Israel. They are not crimes but pagan activities that God detests like moon festivals, divination, and not caring for the poor and weak. The image of women with balding heads and losing all their jewelry does not appeal to me. There are alot of prophesies here. There is one verse that stands out for me ".. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" Isaiah 1:18

The scariest thing is in Isaiah 2 the extent these people have wandered away from God. Did God abandon them?