What Was Wrong With Jonah?

You've probably read the story of Jonah. If you went to Sunday School as a kid you probably read about him and the whale. The classic moral of the story is that Jonah disobeyed God and so God threw him into the sea, a fish swallowed him and he repented of his disobedience. I think that's not the real heart of the story.

Did Jonah reject God? No. When the men on the ship asked Jonah who he was he replied, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven." (1:9). Was Jonah running away from God? No. In the fish he cried out to God, knowing that He was there too. Then was God's ultimate purpose in Jonah to simply bully him into submission? I don't think so.

I think that what is really being called into question here is not Jonah's obedience but his attitude towards God's mercy.

When Jonah went to Nineveh and proclaimed God's judgment against sin, the people repented - and that made Jonah mad. He said, "O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew you that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster." (4:2)

Jonah simply didn't want God's mercy to be shown to these people. Perhaps it was because of the trouble Assyria had caused Israel. What ever the reason, Jonah did not want God's love extended to them.

How about you? Do you know people who have hurt you - are hurting you? Do you know people who have done things that deserve a slow painful death (or at least a slow painful embarrassment)?

My encouragement to you is to not withhold God's mercy from them either. Shower them with love, cover them in prayers. As Jesus said, bless instead of curse. God may be more merciful than we are, but that's because He can change the cold heart into one that is warm towards Him and His gift of life.

Pastor Tom