Unfortunately, the story of Jonah doesn’t end with chapter 3.

Read Jonah 4:1-11. What is Jonah’s problem? What lesson can we learn from his rather faulty character?

Image © Kim Justinen at Goodsalt.com

Jonah 4 begins with Jonah’s anger toward God because his mission outreach was so successful. Jonah is worried about looking foolish. We find God taking the time to talk to and reason with His prophet, who behaves like a toddler having a temper tantrum.

Here is evidence that true followers of God — even prophets — may have some growing and overcoming yet to do.

“When Jonah learned of God’s purpose to spare the city that, notwithstanding its wickedness, had been led to repent in sackcloth and ashes, he should have been the first to rejoice because of God’s amazing grace; but instead he allowed his mind to dwell upon the possibility of his being regarded as a false prophet. Jealous of his reputation, he lost sight of the infinitely greater value of the souls in that wretched city.” — Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 271.

God’s patience with His prophet is astounding. He seems intent on using Jonah, and when Jonah runs away, God sends the storm and the fish to bring the runaway back. And even now, again, when Jonah is being contrary, God seeks to reason with Jonah and his bad attitude, saying to him: “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4).

Read Luke 9:51-56. How does this account somewhat parallel what happened in the story of Jonah?

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16) or, as God puts it in Jonah 4:11: “Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left — and much livestock?” (NKJV). How grateful we should be that, in the end, God — and not we ourselves — is the ultimate Judge of hearts and minds and motives.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Amen!(0)

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Just a few years ago, I was meeting a friend from church at the bank to handle some church business. I parked my car in what I thought was a secluded area of the parking lot, away from the other cars. My friend followed behind in her car, and for reasons I still do not know, sideswiped the back of my car as she parked next to my car! All she did was scrape some of the paint, but I was upset by the senseless destruction. There was no reason! She could have parked anywhere else where she would have had plenty of room, but no! She had to park right next to my car, and then hit it. She said she was sorry and would pay for it. But as I kept playing the scenario over in my mind, it just upset me that what happened to my poor car was so needless and senseless. It never should have happened. 

Photograph by William Earnhardt

Later that night I called my lifelong friend back home, so I could vent. (After all, I wasn’t going to gossip about it to my church family or anyone who knew her.) I told my friend back home all the tragic details but assured her my friend would pay for it. After listening, my friend replied, “William do you remember when I bought my brand new red Pontiac Fiero not long after we graduated from high school?” I replied, “Oh no! I remember now! Don’t remind me.” My friend still continued, “Remember at church while it was still new, you parked next to me and side scraped it as you left church ? Do you remember how you offered to pay to fix it, but I knew you didn’t have the money so I just forgave you?” 

Immediately I realized that, out of all my friends on earth,  God directed me to call this particular friend – the only friend whose car I have ever damaged the exact same way it just happened to me! A friend since early childhood who freely forgave me and never held a grudge. As a matter of fact in the 35 years since I side-swiped her car in the church parking lot, she never mentioned it once. That is until I told her that I was having trouble forgiving someone who did the exact same thing to me. Then she had to remind me that I had been forgiven, so I must forgive also. It was like the forgiving master telling his unforgiving servant,

Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Matthew 18:33 NLT 

I found it was a lot easier to forgive someone once I realized I had been forgiven for the exact same thing. It  was good that my friend forgave me and forgot about it, but when my other friend accidentally did the same thing to my car, I should have remembered on my own, how freely I had been forgiven and then freely forgave my friend. 

For example, Jonah was upset with God for being merciful on such a wicked city, forgetting that the same mercy that spared Nineveh was the same mercy that provided the fish to save him. Jonah should have rejoiced that the same mercy that saved him also saved a wicked city. Maybe Jonah forgot about the mercy that had been shown him. 

When we remember all the things we have been forgiven it makes it so much easier to forgive others. 

Amen!(5)

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