 Key Verse
2 And he prayed to the Lord and 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 that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” Meditation God wants you to know and show His mercy. In today’s reading we discover Jonah “displeased” with God’s mercy, angry that God relented from judgment because the Ninevites repented from sin. (1) Jonah knew God was merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. (2) Jonah hoped God would not relent. Jonah was angry enough to die. (3) God contrasts Jonah’s anger with His mercy through a question- Do you do well to be angry? (4) After an ecological engagement that exposed the shallow nature of Jonah’s self-justification, the prophet reinforced his position- he was angry enough to die. (5-10) Jonah cared about a plant but not the people and place of Nineveh. (11) Jonah knew God’s mercy in chapter 2. Yet Jonah refused to celebrate God’s mercy given to enemies of Israel. Deeper than ethnic arrogance or prejudice, the root of Jonah’s anger with God was spiritual pride. Jesus tells a parable to diagnose the depth of our understanding of mercy. (Matthew 18:23-35) The climax is a question, “I forgave you… should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant as I had mercy on you?” This question is for both Jonah and for you. Do you know God’s mercy? If so, shouldn’t you show God’s mercy? God is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4) and desires for His people to share the wealth of His mercy with those who need mercy, regardless of their ethnic identity, gender, or socio-economic status. Koning God’s mercy personally is an invitation to show God’s mercy relationally, even to our enemies. Today’s Reading But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and 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 that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” 5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially Jonah’s anger at God and His pleasure to show mercy? -How does God’s mercy revealed in the person and work of Jesus motivate you to show mercy to others? -To whom do you need to show mercy? Who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to show love to or serve? What will this look like? Be specific. Key Verse 2 And he prayed to the Lord and 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 that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.
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