Prayer: Father, teach me and open my eyes to see mankind and cities the way You see them. Amen.
Reading: Jonah 4 key: vs. 4-5 “Yet Adonai said, “Is it good for you to be so angry?” So Jonah went out from the city and sat east of the city. There He made a sukkah and he sat under it, in the shade, until he saw what would happen in the city.” TLV
Attention: Jonah is angry over God’s response to the city of Nineveh’s repentance. He wanted to see God’s wrath, not His compassion and kindness. He is so angry that He justifies his anger by saying, he knew God’s character and that is why he ran away. He knew God would relent. God prefers grace and compassion over judgement.
The Holy Spirit inspired John to write these words about God’s intentions, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:17).”
Likewise, God spoke to king Saul through Samuel, “Samuel said: “Does Adonai delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Adonai? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Since you have rejected Adonai’s word, He has also rejected you as king (1 Samuel 15:22-23).”
Plainly, God does not enjoy discipling us or bringing judgement upon us. His discipline and judgement are corrective measures to bring us around to His ways and back to relationship with Him.
Jonah’s attitude was wrong, yet he justified his anger and walked away from God to watch outside the city. He was so angry that he despaired to die. If God was not going to punish those heathen Ninevites, he would just as soon die.
Do we have misplaced anger and inappropriate compassion for those who are in rebellion? Are we siding with the rebellious and ignorant who do not know their right hand from their left? Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh because he claimed God would relent and they would get out of the judgement they deserved. Jonah in his self-righteousness, did not recognize his own need to repent and seek forgiveness. God is more than love only and He is more than judgement or discipline only. In His love for us, He is both and more.
Action: I choose to embrace my unworthiness of God’s grace and mercy, yet He has extended grace, mercy, and forgiveness to me to extend to other’s.
Yield: I choose to submit to the grace, mercy, and forgiveness I have received from God.
Engage: I choose to engage in the marvelous grace given to me.
Relationship: I choose to live in holy, intimate relationship with God.
Prayer: Father, how sad that the preacher Jonah was the only disobedient person in the book named after him. May we all learn from his life experience with You and the people and animals of Nineveh. Amen.
Memory Verse: 1 Samuel 15:22-23 “Samuel said: “Does Adonai delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Adonai? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Since you have rejected Adonai’s word, He has also rejected you as king.” TLV
Music Video: Keith Green—To Obey is Better than Sacrifice https://youtu.be/TzWyZxlwGKI?si=N8Aiu3Zet2d-SGqt
Remember, “Abide in Yeshuah, today!”