O. T. #2170
April 14, 2022
Jonah 4-Part 2
LET IT GLOW
What does Jonah know about the character of God?
- God is a gracious God. Gracious means to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior.
- God is merciful. Merciful means full of compassion.
- God is slow to anger. Anger refers to wrath.
- God is of great kindness. Kindness is pity, favor.
- God is one who relents from sending disaster.
LET IT GROW
Instead of being pleased and praising God for His grace to Nineveh and for the success of his ministry, Jonah was very angry. (120,000 saved) His anger may have stemmed from the fact that his message did not materialize. (God's judgment upon the pagan Ninevites was cancelled, so they were not destroyed.) Jews had a hatred for non-Jews, especially Assyrians.
Was Jonah exhausted from running away to Joppa, hiding on a cargo ship, experiencing a violent storm, giving up and being thrown overboard, terrorized by a whale swallowing him, remaining there for 3 days, then having to walk some 500 miles to Nineveh? And walking through a city (some 60 miles around) of evil people there, and preaching repentance. How frightening it all must have been for Jonah being in a deadly situation. There are no excuses for his anger.
Jonah didn't want to see God's grace fall on those wicked people. He knew God's character and if Nineveh genuinely repented, God would forgive them.
LET IT GO
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