“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.”
~ Jonah 4:2
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever gotten angry? If you have ever gotten angry, what made you angry? Have you ever gotten angry at your dad and/or ma? Have you ever gotten angry because you have not gotten your way? Have you ever gotten angry because what you hoped would happen did not happen? Have you ever gotten angry at God? Do you think that it is okay to get angry at God? Do you think that God is happy with a guy, gal or kid who gets angry at Him? What will usually happen when you get angry? Ask your dad if he has ever gotten angry. Ask your ma if she has ever gotten angry. Do you think that it is okay to get angry? How often have you pulled a Jonah? Do you know what kind of guy that Jonah was? Jonah was a guy who tried running away from God. Jonah was a guy who asked to be thrown off a ship. Jonah was a guy who got gulped by a great big fish and who lived to tell about it. Jonah was a guy who talked directly with God. Jonah was a guy who argued with God. Jonah was a guy who did not want to do what God told him to do. What do you think will happen to a guy or gal who does not do what God has told him or her to do? What will happen to you if you decide that you are not going to do what your dad and/or ma has told you to do? What will happen to you if you decide that you are not going to do what your teacher has told you to do? Your grandpaa hopes that your dad and/or ma and your teacher are teaching you to do what they have told you to do without you getting angry with them.
Jonah really did struggle with doing what God had told him to do. Jonah really did not want to do what God had told him to do. God had told Jonah to take a message to an Assyrian city called Nineveh. God’s message for the 120,000 guys and gals who were living in Nineveh was to stop living debased, depraved lives or else, Jonah decided that he would not take God’s message to Nineveh. Why do you think that Jonah did not want to take God’s message to Nineveh? The guys and gals who were living in Nineveh were Gentiles. Jonah was not a Gentile. Jonah was one of God’s specially chosen guys. God’s specially chosen guys and gals were Jews or Israelite people group’s guys and gals. Jonah did not think that God should care for or help guys and gals – like the Gentile guys and gals who were living in Nineveh, who were not Jews or Israelite people group’s guys and gals. Even though Jonah still really did not want to do what God had told him to do, Jonah finally acquiesced to God’s expectation and . . . after Jonah finished passing on God’s message to the guys and gals who were living in Nineveh – which was to stop being decadent or degenerate or else, Jonah stopped at a place east of Nineveh and sat down. Jonah wanted to see what God would do to Nineveh. Jonah just could not get it that God wanted to save the 120,000 guys and gals who were living in Nineveh from having to destroy them. Jonah believed that his way was better than God’s way. God’s way to Jonah was totally the wrong way. The last chapter of Jonah’s known life map is Jonah 4. Verse 2 recounts the conversation that Jonah had at this time with God. “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.” God would give Jonah one more life lesson. God had a vine grow near where Jonah was sitting. The vine gave Jonah some shade from the hot sun. The vine made Jonah feel a little happier than what he had been. God the next day sent a worm to chew on the vine’s roots – causing the vine to die. Jonah no longer had the shade from the vine’s leaves to protect him from the hot sun’s rays. God then sent a scorching east wind to really make it tough on Jonah. How do you think that Jonah felt by this time? How would you have felt? How does God get guys, gals and kids to learn His life lessons? Do you think that God should only give Christ-follower guys, gals and kids easy life lessons?
When your grandpaa was at the Rio Grande Bible Institute and Language School (RGBI) in Edinburg, Texas learning to read, write and speak Spanish, your grandpaa played basketball some evenings with some of the other guys who were at RGBI. One evening one of the guys on your grandpaa’s basketball team kept taking or stealing the basketball away from one of the guys on the other basketball team. The guy playing on the other basketball team who kept having Dave take or steal the basketball away from him, was a very good basketball player but . . . your grandpaa could see that this guy was really getting angry. Your grandpaa told Dave – who was the guy who was always taking or stealing the basketball away from the guy on the other basketball team, that he should stop taking or stealing the basketball away from the guy who was on the other basketball team who was really getting angry. Dave – a few minutes later, took or stole the basketball away again from this guy who was on the other basketball team. This guy ran after Dave, grabbed the basketball, threw the basketball as far as he could throw it and marched off the basketball court really, really angry. Your grandpaa went to Dave and asked Dave why he had just done what your grandpaa had told him to stop doing – which was to stop taking or stealing the basketball away from the guy from the other basketball team who was getting so angry. Dave told your grandpaa that this other guy would never get the victory if he stopped doing what he was doing in taking or stealing the basketball away from him. Do you think that Dave was pleasing God when he continued to take or steal the basketball away from a guy who was getting really angry at Dave and after your grandpaa told him to . . . how is God teaching you to get the victory?
Jonah 4 (260)