Jonah the Rebellious Prophet

What do we know about Jonah, he was a very angry person and very rebellious?  When God told him to go to Nineveh, he defied God and headed for Tarsus.  If you read this story you will see the mercy, patience and grace of God, also His long suffering and His compassion, and how He is slow to anger and full of kindness and love and forgiveness, and how He relents over calamity when people truly repent of their sins, and also His justice all rolled into one.  

                                   

Many may see God as a tyrant and a very ridged and very angry person in the Old Testament, throwing His weight around, calling all the shots.  This is not a fair assessment of God, however. 

God is a just God, knowing the end from the beginning of every person’s life.  Think of this, if God was unfair and unjust, He would not have given everyone a free will to be able to choose and make their own decisions.  Yes, He knows the decisions we will make because He knows all things, but He is still fair and just by giving us a choice at all.  

He knew Jonah also, and He knew the choices that he would make and how rebellious he would be, but He didn’t destroy him like He could have, and rightly so; but He showed mercy and love, grace and patience to this rebellious Prophet.  Understand this, Jonah knew God and He knew His attributes and Jonah knew what God would do before it even took place but he hated these people, and even though you think he may have been justified in your eyes, he wasn’t in God’s eyes.  When God took mercy on Nineveh and relented from the calamity that He said that He would do to them, Jonah was very displeased, and he resented it.

Then he prayed to Adonai and said this, please read Jonah 4:2-3, “So he prayed to the Lord, and said, ‘Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!’”

God showed his love, mercy and grace and forgiveness to these repented Ninevites and Jonah was still so angry he wanted to die.  Now try to wrap your head around this, God was going to destroy all these people over 120,000, who deserved to die because they were so wicked, as well as many animals, but God relented because everyone in that city truly repented, but Jonah was still so angry, he actually did not want to live.  Now think about this situation, not long before this, Jonah was in a big fish’s belly where he could have died for his rebellion and rightly so, but God showered on him all the attributes that He showered on the Ninevites and forgave him because he repented, but how quickly he forget.  

Wow what a great lesson to be learned, it is so much easier to judge and condemn people than to love and forgive them.  Did Jonah have good reason to hate these people?  He did.  And God, did He have a good reason to hate Jonah and the Ninevites?  Sure He did, but God chose mercy and love and grace where Jonah chose bitterness and hatred.  This story shows us that love is always the best reaction to have no matter what the situation.

Please read what the Lord said about this in Matthew 5:38-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”             

According to what we’ve read, we all have a choice to make, either to love and forgive or to hang on to bitterness and hate.  I hope everyone will make the right choice and that is to love and forgive and show mercy and grace to everyone, even to your enemies.  Enough said, may the good Lord bless you and yours with His perfect peace, love and joy and health and happiness and may the Lord’s will be done in our lives!!