AT LONG LAST I COMPLETE MY JONAH DEVOS! This is a really interesting chapter, so I split it into two parts. In this chapter, we see Jonah is very very upset with God because he is discontent with why God is forgiving the people of Nineveh. He goes to the point where he even says in verse 3: “Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to live than to die.” Let’s step back though and remember how Jonah got to where he is. In Jonah 1, he was fleeing from God because he did not want to be the servant that God uses to reach out to Nineveh. In Jonah 2, we see Jonah repent of his sins and decide to turn to God. In Jonah 3, we see Jonah do what God had always intended him to do by reaching out the Nineveh people. Lastly here in Jonah 4, we see Jonah struggle with God. I remember, when I posted Jonah 1 a while back, I said I relate to Jonah very much as a person. I can relate to Jonah because we are both selfish. Even though Jonah is a servant of God, his selfishness is shown the chapter through verses 5-11. Jonah is waiting near the outskirts of Nineveh to await what will happen to the city. Through his waiting, Jonah has to endure an unbearable heat and is constantly complaining. This is a rare moment where we see a servant of God outright get angry at God. God constantly questions Jonah asking him “is it right for you to be angry?” in which Jonah always replies “It is, and I would rather die!” God in his love and mercy blesses Jonah by sprouting a large plant overnight to shade Jonah from the sun. I know it is a bad illustration but this is what it seems like the plant would have looked like. However, the following night, the plant dies and Jonah is left in the sun again. Immediately, the complaints begin again from Jonah and this time God says “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 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?” We ultimately do not see Jonah’s response to this question, but God shows us more of Himself in this chapter as a God who loves and forgives for all people.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 02:41:06 +0000
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