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The Book Of Jonah

By 2nd December 2020December 5th, 2020Reflections

Read Jonah 4

How does Jonah respond to God’s mercy on Ninevah and what does this tell us about Jonah?

  • It seems that Jonah is furious with God, so upset that he asks God to take his life from him as he would rather die than live.
  • This reaction begs the question, does Jonah truly understand God – or does he dislike God.
  • Jonah knows God is gracious and compassionate, he has experienced God’s mercy for himself.
  • But it seems that Jonah wants God to be exclusively for the Israelites and to show grace, mercy and compassion to only them and no-one else.
  • When he goes off to sit outside the city it’s almost as if he is still hoping for God’s judgement to fall upon Ninevah in the way it did with Sodom and Gomorrah
  • In behaving in this way Jonah is acting selfishly and irreverently –and in disliking God’s compassion for others, he is effectively disliking God Himself.

Have we ever behaved in this kind of a way?

Have we ever become upset or angry when God showed mercy and compassion to others who we though undeserving?

What does that say about our relationship with God?