This book keeps getting better and I am growing in wisdom with it.
After Jonah gets spit out by the fish, he wants to obey God now - wouldn't you?
I like how She Reads Truth put it: "Jonah guzzles grace like he's never been thirstier for it, but then, without missing a beat, he does something revolutionary, he obeys!"
God commanded Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and proclaim the message, again, and Jonah went. (v. 3 1-3) After Jonah proclaimed, "forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown", the ninevites believed God. Then a fast was proclaimed and all of them put on sackcloth. (v. 3:4-5) The king of Nineveh heard the message and he rose from his throne and put on the sackcloth and sat down in dust. He told the people, animals, flocks and herds to not eat or drink anything and to be covered with sackcloth. He told them to urgently call on God and give up their evil ways and violence. "Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so we will not perish" Seriously - let's point out that the he said who knows, God may or may not relent. But God did relent and didn't bring the destruction he had threatened. (v. 3: 6-10)
It's hard to be obedient to the Lord, but it is a responsibility Christ followers have. Most of the time, we are more likely to obey when things in our life are going bad because we want it to come to an end. We seek the Lord more in the bad trials of life - it's true. Just like the ninevites, they heard that the city would be overthrown in 40 days and the bible says the ninevites believed God, they fasted and obeyed. What I love the most about this part of Jonah, is when the king fasted as well and told the people to not eat or drink and end their evil ways, he also said, who knows? the lord may relent and turn from his anger and we will not perish. He was willing to obey either way. Good or bad. God did relent and did not bring destruction on Nineveh.
God wants you to obey for a reason. He is God, after all. Sometimes really painful things come out of you putting your obedience in the Lord, but there is a reason for that pain. God doesn't want to hurt you, he wants to see if you are willing to put your full trust in Him and obey to what he says. When we don't do that, he can take some things away from you, but it is to help you. I can think back from some of the most painful times I have been through and now I can clearly see why God allowed that to happen, and I'm thankful I obeyed him through that time in my life. And then I think back at the times I didn't exactly obey the Lord, and still have really painful things happen, but I learned from that and can see why God wanted me to obey. God is God, simple as that. The creator of the Universe, the maker of humans, the ultimate love. Let's learn to obey, even when times are hard and good!
"Repentance is about what God is doing, not what we do to gain any kind of merit."- SRT writings.
Annnnnd, after I just wrote a book about obedience, chapter 4 takes a turn.......
Jonah gets selfish. He thought it seemed wrong and became angry. He knew the Lord would be gracious and compassionate to this city and he didn't want to go out and do what God had commanded him to do. (perfect example as to how we react when God calls us to do something but we think we know the outcome anyway and we shouldn't have to do that.) Jonah wants to die. He literally asks God to take his life. (v. 4:1-4) Jonah goes out and finds a place east of the city and makes himself a shelter. God then provides a leafy plant to give shade and Jonah is very happy about that. God provides a worm to chew the plant. Then He provides a scorching east wind and the sun starts blazing on Jonah's head and he is faint. He told God he wanted to die again. (v. 4:5-8)
In verse 4:10-11: God is saying here, Jonah, you are the same as the people of the city of Nineveh and I give the same mercy and compassion. Y'all, God doesn't pick and choose who He graciously gives mercy to, we are all undeserving (so very undeserving) and yet He still loves us and gives us that mercy and grace.
"over and over God grants mercy and provisions to his undeserving child.
over and over, the Lord grants the same mercy to his other (also undeserving child)." -srt writings
obedience. mercy. grace.
thank Jesus for that today.
