TODAY’S VERSE:
Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
When we last left Jonah in our study, he had vowed to obey God’s command to warn the Ninevites they were about to be disciplined by God for their wicked ways. They listened to this warning and repented! The prophet Jonah witnessed God’s incredible mercy and forgiveness in both his life and in those of the Ninevites. He must have been overjoyed at this, right?
Jonah 4:1-3 “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, ‘Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.’”
Today’s verse makes it quite clear how God wants His children to treat their enemies. Unfortunately, Jonah hated the Ninevites so much that he would have rather died than to see them share in God’s mercy and forgiveness. Does that sound right to you? What does the Word have to say about selfishness towards others?
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
The book of Jonah ends with God teaching Jonah one last lesson using a tree and a worm. Jonah was hoping that God would change His mind and destroy Nineveh. So, he decided to wait and see how this would all end.
Jonah 4:5-8 “Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live.’”
Jonah was so upset about God’s decision that he, once again, says that he would rather die. Here is God’s reply-
Jonah 4:10-11 “But the Lord said, ‘You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?’”
The Lord cares about His creation and He expects us to as well. As we have seen, God commands us to love and pray for others, seeing them as even more important than ourselves- this includes our enemies! How do we do this? Well, we must pray for God’s help, continue to read our Bible, and trust that He will give us the power to obey!