lesson from Jonah: Is God truly compassionate?

[elaina]

This passage out of Jonah really got to me, cause sometimes I have a hard time controlling my temper and there was this lady last week who made me mad cause she was bossing me around (and she's not my boss) and told me to do something I didn't need to do and naturally I rebelled at that cause who did she think she was, the queen of England? I was very tempted to tell her that but that wouldn't go over well and I obssessed about it for the morning cause I wanted to miff her like she miffed me. That isn't good I know and this attitude doesn't please God. I informed God that He should take care of her attitude problem but that request just resulted in God informing me that I had an attitude problem that needed to be addressed even more... cause as a daughter of God I really should love and have the right attitude even when somebody annoys me. (and being bossed around really annoys me.)

 

Here in Jonah there is a very wicked city that God sent Jonah to, and you can read all of the book of Jonah if you want the before and after, but this part did really get to me.

 

Peace and God bless

 

 

 

Jonah 3 (NIV)

 

"1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

 

6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:

"By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish."

 

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened."

 

Jonah 4

 

" 1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."

4 But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?"

 

5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."

 

9 But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"

"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die."

 

10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

[Tony T]

The very minute you begin to understand that it is YOU and nobody else...not any person or circumstance...that makes you angry you will have arrived. YOU have control of your emotions. Anger, like any other emotion, is a choice. Most people are raised to jump to anger, jealousy, depression, fear, elation or whatever when something happens or is said that doesn't meet with their approval. But it's absolutely a choice. Some people choose to be fearful upon seeing a snake, others are quite happy (Steve Irwin).

 

If you're content most of the time, I'd say that was terrific and you should rejoice because things you disagree with happen so infrequently!

 

The next time you have the inclination to get mad, ask yourself why you would want to do that to yourself. A more rational decision would be to be disappointed or sad...maybe. But getting downright pissed is a bit outlandish. You have no idea how many people die and go to another world thinking it was others who made them angry, fearful, jealous or whatever...hahaha! We do all that to ourselves.

 

Google "heart disease and anger" to learn just how getting mad screws up your heart. People with anger problems very often end up getting heart attacks, ulcers and other diseases. Negative emotions take their toll. I can think of very little that could happen in the course of the day that could make me so upset that I would get really mad.

 

You have no idea the number of people in this forum who get mad at getting an infraction...something they deserve most of the time...and something that has ABSOLUTELY NO AFFECT ON THEIR LIFE WHATSOEVER!!!

 

The world is just plain nuts and it has nothing to do with bible verses.

[disgracian]

I'm fortunate in that I rarely get angry, though apparently I come across as such on message forums. I think I just like my soapbox a little too much sometimes.

 

Like most things, anger can be averted by stepping out of yourself and seeing the bigger picture, instead of limiting your perspective to merely how things affect you. When people mistreat others, either consciously or unconsciously, it's generally because they're redirecting their own pain outwards. The appropriate, albeit counter-intuitive, reaction is sympathy. To respond in kind is to fall short of your potential.

 

This isn't directed at Elaina though (except maybe as an affirmation), who from her post clearly already knows this.

 

Cheers,

D.

[elaina]

I have always liked the quote "hurting people hurt others". That is what you stated. That if we stay in our own misery and choose not to step outside of ourselves and our current situation, we will always be filled with hurt and anger. It is a lesson that I strive to improve upon everyday and I am so grateful I am not where I was, even though I have a long way to go.

 

 

Yep ya'll all gave really thoughtful comments and sometimes it is hard to do what is right and not give in to being spiteful, but God is helping me to grow in obedience to Him and you know, life is a lot more fun when one isn't mad!!!

 

Peace and God bless

[FleshNBones]

I believe what really upset Jonah was that the townsfolk only changed their clothes, and put on an act for a while.

God was satisfied, but Jonah was not.