TODAY’S VERSE:
Romans 9:15 “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion’.”
Last month, we read how Jonah shared God’s warning with the Ninevites and how they repented from their sinful ways! How do think Jonah, the prophet of God, reacted?
Jonah 4:1 “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.”
Whaaattt???!!! His mission was a success! Why in the world would he be angry? Well, the Assyrians were enemies of the Jewish people and Jonah did not want God to show them mercy. Remember, this was the reason he initially disobeyed God’s command to go to Nineveh. How did the Lord Jesus Christ command us to think about and treat our enemies?
Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
Jonah clearly did not obey this command. In fact, he was so disappointed that God was merciful towards his enemies that he wanted to die.
Jonah 4:3 “Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
He decides to camp outside the city, hoping God will change His mind and destroy it. So, God teaches him a lesson. Jonah built a shelter for protection from the sun and God grew him a plant to provide him even more shade, which made Jonah “extremely happy” (Jonah 4:6).
Jonah 4:7 “But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered and died.”
God also sent a very hot wind and caused the sun to beat down on Jonah’s head. Jonah became extremely uncomfortable and, again, asked God to kill him. This was God’s reply:
Jonah 4:10 “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?’”
Do you see the lesson God is trying to teach Jonah? Jonah liked the plant because it made him comfortable, shading him from the sun. He was upset when it died because the loss of it made him uncomfortable. He cared about the plant for selfish reasons. However, he did not care about the people of Nineveh and actually wanted them to die. He cared more about the life of a plant than for people! God created the plant, as well as all of the people and animals in Nineveh. He cares for His creation, not for selfish reasons but because HE created it. He has mercy and compassion because that is who He is. God was showing Jonah how unmerciful he was being.
We have learned so many wonderful lessons from this book, such as the importance of obedience to God, that we cannot run or hide from Him, and that we do not get away with anything. We also learned that God desires us to repent from our sin and shows us mercy by disciplining us and getting us all alone with Him when we need it. God can use our discipline to reveal His glory and power to others, including unbelievers. God always does what He says He will. We will not always understand the reasons for what He does or allows, but we can always trust Him because He is perfect, merciful, and faithful.