“God`s Love even to the lost (our enemy?) “ The book of Jonah speaks of God`s never failing love,slow to anger and abound in lovingkindness,When God send Jonah to Niniveh (a sinful city like of our city of our time )Jonah murmur and instead of going there he took a ship to Tarshish ,yet we know already the story when Gods prevailing purpose in our life persist even to Jonahs life and missionary purpose to Niniveh., it is Jonah, who gives himself away in (jonah 4:2) when he explains why he originally fled to Tarshish. It was not because he feared the brutal Assyrians. Rather, it was because he knew that God is gracious . . . merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Jonahs words echo Gods self-revelation to Moses at the conclusion of the golden calf episode (Exodus 34:6). It is clear that Jonah knows God well! But it is equally clear that Jonah does not like Gods way of doing things. So, in perhaps what is the most amazing ideas in the Old Testament, Jonahs affirmation of Gods gracious, merciful, and steadfastly loving character is followed immediately by a request in 4:3 that amounts to this: So, kill me! While Jonah himself had been the recipient of Gods grace, and while the people of Israel were continually forgiven by God,(seems familiar ?) Jonah the Israelite prophet cannot even begin to imagine that Gods grace might extend to the other, especially not to the hated Assyrians. So, four times in chapter 4 Jonah expresses the wish to die rather than to forgive those who trespass against them. Jonahs opposition to Gods grace is not unusual. Jonahs response anticipates the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son,when the older son is envious to the younger who receive grace despites lost his inheritance wasting, (see Luke 15:11-32, especially verses 29-30); it anticipates the workers hired first in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard ,where in the first hired worker thought that they will receive greater tan those were hired one hour. (see Matthew 20:1-16, especially verses 11-15); and perhaps it anticipates those of us who still find it extremely difficult to follow Jesus eminently clear and straightforward admonition to love your enemies (Matthew 5:44). The Book of Jonah ends with a question that Jonah does not answer, and this open-ended conclusion effectively suggests that the question is now ours to answer. Will we do any better than Jonah when it comes to resisting the pervasive and persistent temptation to restrict the plans of Gods concern to us and to others especially if they are our enemy quote and a unquote !? What if the next time around we will be on their shoes and their part is to pray for us ? remember the principle of planting and reaping.. ? May God always prevail in His devine plans for us and for others…….Amen !!!
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 09:33:00 +0000
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