The Whale & the Worm (Bible Stories in Rhyme)

This is a retelling of the Bible story of Jonah in rhyme. The story tells the full story of Jonah including the vine and the worm, and tries to get to the meaning of the story. It is meant to be a book that the parent reader and the child will enjoy. This is the poem in the book:-Poem: The Whale & the WormJonah was afraid; he tried to run awayHe wouldn’t tell the Ninevites they needed to obeyHe jumped aboard a sailing ship and sailed across the baySo God sent in a storm to shorten Jonah’s tripThe mast began to break, and the sails began to ripThen Jonah said “it’s my fault, it’s time I took a dip"So the sailors took him by the arms and threw him off the shipThen the waves came in, and swallowed him wholeAnd the seas fell calm as a goldfish bowlJonah was embarrassed as he sank into the deepThe sailors had been panicking while he was sound asleepBut the sailors worshiped God now for the promises He keepsSo God sent a big fish, it might have been a whaleBut now you’ll want to know, did Jonah live to tell the tale?Then the fish came in, and swallowed him wholeAnd for three long days Jonah thought about his soulJonah was quite sorry, as he thought about his waysThis is not the way he thought he’d live his final daysSo he turned his heart to God and he shouted out His praiseSo God then asked the fish to go swimming near dry landAnd the fish got kinda sea-sick as it washed up on the sandThen Jonah left the fish, as it spat him out wholeAnd Jonah preached in Nineveh, achieving God’s goalThe Ninevites stopped fighting and listened and obeyedNow tired Jo’ was thankful for a vine that God had madeHe decided to sit under it and rested in its shadeSo God then sent in a worm to start nibbling on a leafBut Jonah sat there pouting and pouring out his grief.And the worm just went on eating till it swallowed it wholeAnd Jonah had a headache and his eyes began to rollJonah was just angry now his shade had gone awayHe was cross that all his enemies had turned to God that dayHe’d rather live in comfort than hear what God would saySo God then questioned Jonah, “so you cared about the vineBut you didn’t want your enemies to know the love of mine?”Are you scared, or are you angry, are you sorry, are you sad,When you know the good you should do, but you end up doing bad?So God sent his son, Jesus, to take the pain from youIf you will place your trust in Him, and find His love is true.Andrew Abel, Oct 23, 2022© Andrew Abel 2022 Read more