The More the Merrier

Day 200: Jonah 3-4

The Lord called Jonah a second time, telling him to go to Nineveh and preach to them. Jonah didn't run this time; instead, he obeyed. He went to Nineveh and told them to repent. He did this, not believing that Nineveh would change. But what's crazy is that Nineveh did change. God's dream to have them repent and turn to him occurred. They fasted and prayed. They grew in the Lord. And God did not bring the destruction on them that he had threatened.

And what was Jonah's response? He was angry. He told God that he didn't want God to be forgiving, gracious, and compassionate. He wanted to send them calamity and destruction, and so he asks God to take away his life. Does Jonah's response here surprise you? That he wanted people to be punished for their sins. It's easy for us to judge Jonah and not put ourselves in his shoes, but we are often like Jonah, even if we don't recognize it. We get angry when people aren't punished for their sins, when destruction does not come upon them, when good things happen to bad people. In our mind, it's so unjust.

But God responds to Jonah by asking him if he had a right to be angry.

Jonah doesn't respond but instead goes out of the city, builds himself a shelter, and watched the city, waiting for it to be destroyed. But God sends some sort of shade tree to protect Jonah, and Jonah was very happy about this. But then God sent a worm to chew up the gourd. Jonah is parched and weak and faint. He wants to die. He's angry that the gourd has disappeared and that it's no longer there to protect him.

God asks Jonah if he has a right to be angry. And Jonah says that he does. But God corrects Jonah. He reminds Jonah that this shade tree was provided for him, and he didn't tend it or make it grow. And he goes on to point out that Ninevah, like Jonah, is important to him.

God cares about people. He cares about individuals, and he cares about communities. And he wants to save us, just like he saved Jonah and Nineveh. What a mighty God we serve.