Read Jonah 4:1-11 and John 3:16-17
“If I were king of the forest,” the Cowardly Lion sang, things would happen the way I want them to. Maybe you’ve sung that song with me, questioning God and His ways, holding on to resentment and self-righteousness.
Jonah wanted to be king of his forest, too. If he were king, he would judge sinners—those different from him and his people. Those that were not just bad, but wicked and evil.
Nineveh embodied evil for Jonah. They were deserving of God’s punishment, wrath, and destruction. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, known for ruthlessness and an archenemy of Israel. Jonah would rather die than preach repentance to them!
Why such a dramatic response? Because Jonah knew his God. God called him to cry against Nineveh “for their wickedness has come up before Me” (1:1). But Jonah also knew that God was “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity” (4:2). Calamity was what Jonah wanted, not forgiveness.
Jonah fled from the presence of God, almost drowned, and was saved by a fish. All orchestrated by God. He finally obeyed. He didn’t stick around but watched from a distance. The Ninevites repented, God relented, and Jonah was furious.
God had pity on Nineveh, but He cared about Jonah, too. Through a plant, a worm, and heat, Jonah was mad enough to die. God grilled him that Jonah might grow in his faith.
God is not wanting anyone to perish. Not the Ninevites, and not those we think deserve exclusion and condemnation. In sending His son, the whole world is invited into everlasting life (and growth) with Him.
DIG DEEPER:
- Have you been angry with God ? How has your desire to be “king of the forest” prevented you from being used by God in boldness, forgiveness, and grace?
- Are there people that you think deserve God’s judgment and that you refuse to see as made in God’s image? Don’t flee from them or from God; ask for His help now.
written by Lisa Sinclair
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