This Week's Story
click here to play audioRepentant Ninevites find God's mercy, causing great anger in the prophet Jonah's heart.
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Jonah, does God have the right to forgive? part four
Jonah was furious with God! His thoughts were the frustrations of a prophet in rebellion! He was disrespecting the Lord God Almighty!
He prayed and what a tantrum he had! “You told me to go to Nineveh and tell the people that God sees their cruelty. I know that you are slow to anger and merciful. You might change your mind from punishment to forgiveness, if the Ninevites repented.
“I have a dilemma. I told the people their cruelty was offensive to God. Their city would be destroyed in forty days. The people did not treat me like a mad man. From the poorest person to the king, they actually listened!
“They repented when the king and his leaders proclaimed and published a decree for all the Ninevites to repent. The people were instructed,
“‘Plead with God for forgiveness. Maybe He will turn from His fierce anger and we will not die.’ Well, as I should have known, you were merciful and forgave the Ninevites.
“Now we are in a predicament. As I speculated when I was home in Tarshish, You are merciful and might forgive the Ninevites. Indeed, the Ninevites repented and You have decided to not destroy Nineveh or its people.”
“If you will not kill them, kill me. It is better for me to die than to live.”
God replied, “Jonah, what do you accomplish by being angry?”
Jonah went outside of Nineveh and made a makeshift shelter from branches to protect himself from the sun’s heat. He waited to see what would happen to the city. God caused a plant to grow rapidly to give shade and comfort to Jonah. Jonah became happier.
The next day God caused a worm to attack the plant. It withered and Jonah was angry. God sent a wind and the sun beat upon Jonah’s head. Oh-h-h, how miserable he was! He fainted. Then he wished, “It would be better if I die.”
God said to Jonah, “How does it help you to be mad about the plant?”
Jonah reacted defensively, “I have good reason to be upset, and to want to die.”
God gave words of wisdom to Jonah. “Jonah, you did nothing to provide the plant. I made it grow one day and die one night.
“Should I not spare Nineveh, a great city, which has more than 120,000 people? They do not discern right from wrong, and have many animals.”
Did Jonah understand that God was willing to punish, but he also cared about the people of Nineveh? This city boasted about its cruelty to its enemies. They made drawings on their palace walls of impaling and flaying prisoners. They separated prisoners from each other to break their culture. They had about 2,000 gods. The first law Jonah had been taught was: Have no other gods but God.
The record of Jonah in the Bible does not indicate Jonah’s later life.
Investigate the website of thisweeksstory.com. Today, Gwen Crawford, Todd Warren, Carlos Gamez, and I, Barbara Steiner, were happy to be your recording team.
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