Jonah 4
I remember one summer my mom signed me up for vacation bible school at our small country church on the top of the mountain. We had water balloon fights, we ate pita and hummus, and one 100 degree day we did a smelly object lesson… Our bible teacher turned the back corner of the basement into the “belly of a whale”. I mean canned tuna in a small country church in the middle of the summer with no A.C. The devotion was real.
What I don’t remember from that VBS was getting to chapter 4 in the story of Jonah. This is where we really see Jonah’s heart towards the Ninevites. This is where we see the reason for Jonah running when God called him. Jonah knew that God was a merciful, loving, gracious God. Good. But him knowing that God would relent of the destruction of the city in response to their repentance is what caused Jonah to flee to Tarshish.
You see Moses and Jonah had completely opposite worries when God called them to be prophets. Moses didn’t feel adequate. He was worried that he wasn’t going to be effective because of his speech impediment. Jonah was worried that he was going to be too effective and God would relent of the judgment he would bring on the people.
Jonah wanted justice at whatever the cost! He hated the Assyrians for what they had done to Israel and wanted God to judge them, not to spare them. Don’t get me wrong, we need justice in our society. The common adage is true, “Evil prevails when good men do nothing.” We need men and women who do what is right even if it isn’t popular in our culture or society. Just as importantly, though, we should be praying and sharing the mercy, grace, and lovingkindness of Jesus Christ. If there is one person that knows a thing about injustice He is Jesus Christ, who took all the sin of humanity without doing anything to deserve the punishment.
Did Jonah want God to be just when dealing with him or just with Nineveh? Do you want God to be just when dealing with you or just with your enemies? I think the answer would be just with my enemies. We all want God to be forgiving when dealing with us. We constantly seek justice when we are wronged without realizing the infinite mercy God has for us. Our society wants justice so bad we don’t even let umpires call balls and strikes anymore because it is an injustice. We ought to be just people while acting with love and forgiveness even for those who are the hardest to love and forgive.