Monday, May 23, 2016

Jonah 4:1-4 (timeless)


Jonah 4:1-4
4:1 - But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry.

God's work angers the self-centered and willful man.

4:2 - He prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.

The righteousness of God is not the righteousness of man.
Man can run, but God's will will still be done.
God is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.
Man responds to the above attributes with anger.
Man is vindictive; God is compassionate.
Man is cruel; God is gracious.
Man is quick to anger (Jonah immediately fled in 1:3); God is slow to anger.
Man is ruthless; God is abundant in lovingkindness.
Man calls for calamity (judgment); God relents concerning calamity.

4:3 - Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”
When man cannot accept God's will, life if miserable!

4:4 - The Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”

God loves rhetorical questions.

Paragraph Summary
Even though man knows about God, he still wants to follow (cling to) his own will and perception

No comments: