Is it ever right to be angry at the Lord’s mercy? Jonah thought so. Have a read. Be blessed.
Jonah 4: Jonah's Anger and the LORD's Compassion
1 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 labour, 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?"
Things to think about…
Look at Jonah’s point in Jon 4:2. The whole reason he didn’t want to go on this mission trip was because he knew the Lord would spare Nineveh. Wouldn’t it be great to preach to those in our city knowing that God would be merciful to them and they would repent? Do we have this confidence in our knowledge of our Lord’s character?
Jonah wants to die because the Ninevites received mercy. He believes he has betrayed his nation and himself as a Jew by telling the city of its impending destruction. Think about it. If the Assyrians had been destroyed at this time large parts of Judah and Israel would most likely have been spared from Assyria’s eventual invasion of Israel which would happen after this time from 722 to 701BC. Do you rejoice when those you struggle with receive mercy from the Lord?
Jonah was clearly an emotional and reactive type of person. He even responds back to the Lord that it was right to be angry with Him for taking the plant away. Jonah responds by saying “angry enough to die”, Jon 4:9. Sounds like an insolent spoilt child doesn’t he. Do you have a tantrum when the Lord’s will seems to put you in a place of discomfort? No doubt the Lord is teaching you a valuable lesson.
God cares not only for the people of Nineveh, 120, 000 souls, but also the livestock, Jon 4:11. Why did God have pity on Nineveh but not upon Sodom and Gomorrah and their people and livestock? Is there inconsistency with God? While Lot was clearly a flawed character, Peter calls him “a preacher of righteousness”, 2Pet 2:5 and Sodom and Gomorrah had certainly heard of the Lord’s will, but they rejected it. The will of the Lord is just. Only faith makes sense of this reality in all seasons of life. Pray for our city who in like manner “do not know their right hand from their left”, when it comes to spiritual realities and their accountability before a holy God.
Nineveh would be spared. They were shown mercy. They did not continue in seeking after the Lord, but rejected the Lord’s mercy and grace. They were used to take the 10 northern tribes of Israel captive in 722BC and then destroyed 46 Judean towns of Judah. They raised their voices in pride when Hezekiah was king and in 701BC when they surrounded Jerusalem the Lord sent out a death angel, like he did in Egypt and in the morning 185,000 Assyrians were dead. Jonah rightly stated that that Lord is “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster”, vs 2. But He is also a “consuming fire” and a God of wrath and judgement when His people or others have rebelled against the knowledge and actions of His mercy and grace.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer points
1. Pray for Andrew Otte and his message on Sunday ‘How will Jesus return to earth – Part 1”.
2. Pray for Iran and peace in the region. May the Iranian people see the prophesy of Jer 49:34-39 fulfilled over the coming weeks and months.
3. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
4. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
5. Pray the influence of Russia and China is minimised militarily.
6. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
7. One for Israel ministry.
8. Conflict zones- Israel, Iran and Ukraine
9. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
10. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
11. Finances to cover our needs
12. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Lebanon
2. Praise God for the Lord’s blessing over our service on Sunday
3. Praise God for ministries – Life Groups, Prayer meetings, Kids@Church
4. Café team every week. Thankyou to all those who serve and bring food. Especially Fiona, Maddie and Suzy.
5. Worship, Admin and Technical teams – Nita, Brendon, AJ, Suzy, Maddie, Mathys, Doug.
6. Kids Church teachers – Jacqueline, Maddie, Elise, Anastacia and Fiona
7. The Lord’s faithfulness this year to CBC and all who have served in ministries
8. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church
2. All Life Groups are back.
3. Kids@Church has started back
4. Mothers Day High tea celebration – Saturday morning, May 9th at Church.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for February...
Q. 5. Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever sin? A. No; he was holy, blameless, and undefiled.
