Now that's different!
I have always heard and thought that Jonah - you know, the whale guy - was disobedient to God, mainly because he was "scared" to go to Nineveh. Well, after reading the book again, I've come to change my thoughts about our run-a-way prophet. I'm sure fear for his own life did play a part in his detour to Tarshish, but for the most part, Jonah was just plain angry about the whole idea of preaching repentance to the Assyrians. After all, the Assyrians...the inhabitants of Nineveh...were Jonah's arch enemies. They had attacked his city over and over again, killing and raiding as they went. So, you can imagine how much Jonah valued the lives of the Ninevites.
I can't say I blame him. In his eyes, preaching repentance to the Ninevites was like throwing a life preserver to those who had made many of his own people - possibly even his family - walk the proverbial "plank."
So when God commanded him to "Go," Jonah said, "No."
I don't think he actually looked up at God and shook his fist while defying Him. Instead, I think he heard God's orders, packed his bags and left, going in the opposite direction.
Jonah wasn't interested in saving the Ninevites. He wanted to see them suffer. He wanted to see their city destroyed. Wouldn't it be better for Israel, if her enemies were wiped off the face of the earth? Jonah wanted judgement - punishment for those who had inflicted so much damage and pain.
I know that because in Jonah chapter 4 (post-whale), when the prophet saw the repentance of the people of Nineveh, Jonah became very angry. His prayer revealed his reasoning for not wanting to go in the first place: "Ah, Lord was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore, I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness; One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live" (vs.1-3).
Before Jonah ever made plans to leave Israel, he knew what would probably happen if he preached repentance to the Ninevites. He knew that God was "a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness; One who relents from doing harm." He knew God was too gracious and merciful not to give them another chance, before He exacted judgement. He knew that God was going to spare Nineveh, so I'm assuming he banked on the fact that God would spare him, as well.
Jonah wasn't dumb. He knew that intentionally disobedience wasn't smart, but he probably rationalized that God, being gracious and merciful...full of lovingkindness and compassion, would be gracious and merciful to him in his disobedience. He figured God would let him get away with rebellion this one time - maybe...
Maybe not.
God IS gracious and merciful. Yes, He is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness. Yes, He is a God who relents from doing harm. But did that give Jonah a reason to willfully sin against the Father and disobey His commands? NO! God told Jonah at the end of the book that the Ninevites didn't know their right hand from their left. They didn't have a clue they were wallowing in sin...but Jonah KNEW better.
I think we are just as guilty as Jonah sometimes. God tells us something that's hard to do...something that takes us out of our comfort zone and like Jonah, we look at Him in our own way and ask Him, "Are you kidding me? I can't forgive him for what He did. I can't forgive her for what she said. There's no way I'm going to even try. They've damaged me far too much. My heart is hard and will remain so. I can't believe You are even asking me to do this, God." And then we count on the fact that He is gracious and merciful. We count on the fact that He is full of lovingkindness and compassion. We bank on the fact that He will overlook this ONE area of rebelliousness in our lives, and we head to Tarshish.
Then, like Jonah, we find ourselves in the belly of a whale - cold, dark, hungry and clueless - wondering why God would allow this to happen.
Oh, Beloved of God...LOVED by God...sometimes the things that God asks us to do in His Word ARE hard. It's not easy to forgive. It's not easy to minister grace and mercy to those who have caused you harm. It's not easy to let go of the anger and allow God to do His work. And it's definitely not easy to watch the results of that work - sometimes being full of grace and compassion. Yet, God calls us to do it - to forgive - to not judge - to not hold grudges - to be more concerned about their souls and their relationship to God, than we are about our own feelings.
Forgive, today. Tell yourself and God that this person has your forgiveness. They are no longer in debt to you, nor are you to them. They are His and He can do whatever He wants with them - whether that be salvation or destruction. Choose to repeat that to yourself - "With God's grace and because of God's lovingkindness to me, I forgive ______________." Then, let God do His work in their lives - even if it includes you.
Dearest Jesus, please help me today to let go of vengeance. Please show me my hidden rebellion...the sin that is keeping me captive. Help me choose to forgive, as you forgive...to love, as You love...to obey, as You were obedient to Your Father. Thank You for being gracious and merciful - full of lovingkindness to me. I love You, Lord. I love you.
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