But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”

Reading the story of Jonah is thrilling for many reasons, but one of the most shocking thoughts might be: Could I ever be swallowed whole by a sea creature? Let’s look at the candidates that people have considered as answers to this question.

First up, the sperm whale would be physically able to fit a human down its throat, but then you’d be stuck in the first of its four stomachs, which, unless God intervened, would instinctively crush you.
Second, consider the whale shark. At about the size of a typical city bus and with a mouth that can be 5 feet wide, the biggest fish in the world certainly has the ability to fit you within its jaws. But even though it has 300 rows of teeth (a dentist’s dream!), it doesn’t use them to eat (they’re actually tiny—smaller than a pencil eraser). Plus, you couldn’t fit down its throat.
Lastly, you might think about a prehistoric sea beast such as the megalodon (made famous in recent movies). Its mouth is said to have been so big, it could have swallowed not one but two adult humans together with no problem at all! A megalodon tooth could be longer than the width of your Action Bible! However, as it was also quite possibly the largest ocean predator and a carnivore, it was unlikely to swallow a human gently.
The truth is, it’s highly unlikely that you would ever be swallowed by a fish. But you know, to be on the safe side, it might be a good idea to just follow God’s commands when He tells you to go somewhere!

Often in the Old Testament, the lives of God’s prophets are used to show something about God and to help others learn about Him and what He wants for us. So when they have strange experiences or act in strange ways, it’s God’s way of providing visual lessons for us. Read Jonah 4:5–11. What is God trying to show through Jonah’s experience with the leafy plant?