In A Sulk
2008-06-16

It's Monday morning, and I've just slept through my first night of vacation. I'll be doing my devotions in the morning each day this week, since I'm on vacation. Then it will be off to help with VBS at church.


Psalm for today: Psalm 33

"Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm." Verses 8-9



Day 179

Jonah 4:5-11

Still in Jonah, we skip over the whole "big fish" part and finish up with Jonah's sulking. Right. Jonah is sulking. You see, Jonah hates Nineveh. That's why he ran the other way in the first place. He knew that if he went and preached to Nineveh, they would repent, and God would spare them. So now, he's sulking.

Jonah really wasn't a very good prophet, was he?

In this passage, Jonah goes off to watch what will happen. God made a plant spring up to provide shade for Jonah. But then, God brought along a worm to eat the plant and make it die. Jonah got really angry about this. God confronted Jonah about this. Why is he angry about the plant? What right does he have? Jonah insists that he has plenty of right. God then makes his point about the city of Nineveh. How does Jonah justify being so outraged over a plant that he had nothing to do with, yet does not want to allow God to change his direction over a city of people that created?

The book ends rather abruptly, which makes me wonder if we are missing part of it. We never hear of any response from Jonah over this.



Father, let me never be as apathatic as Jonah over the condition of people. Let me never be angry when you spare someone judgment. I know that there are frequently cases of people on death row who have legitimate salvation experiences. I also know that this angers some people. But it shouldn't. It doesn't matter when someone comes to you, and it doesn't matter what kind of horrible life they lived before they come to you. What matters is that they repent and believe. I pray that this mindset will be in all believers, all over the world. Let us not be like Jonah.


The ONLY good thing about Jonah is that he did, finally, preach the word of God. But it was never willingly. How much better for us if we preach it willingly! Always be ready to be his voice. But please, for the sake of his might name, let what you say be his words, not your own.

Grace and peace, friends!



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