The Sovereignty of God

By Jasmine Britto, Kerala, India

PART 14

Jonah 4:10-11

But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

In this Scripture, God is reminding Jonah that if he cares so much for the plant that he has done nothing for it, then how much more should God care for the people who He created in His own image, the Ninevites. The Ninevites are in spiritual darkness and though they were doing many wicked things, God had concern for them. God cares for every soul.

2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

God desires that all should come to repentance. That is His will for everyone. Through the book of Jonah, we learn that God loves our enemies, and He calls us to love our enemies. He wants us to live fully reconciled with Him and with other people.

In this story, we see that God intentionally brings Jonah into contact with his enemies to teach him something. When we have difficult people in our lives, people who annoy us regularly with their behavior, we find it very hard to deal with it. We wish we didn’t have those issues in our lives.

However, the book of Jonah presents this question to us. Could it be that those very people are God’s plan, and He placed them in our lives so that we can change and grow in our understanding of God and His grace? What is God teaching you through those situations in your life?

Are you growing in your patience? Are you growing in your understanding? Difficult people or difficult circumstances expose what is truly in our hearts so that we can bring those things to God, and he can refine us.

By sending Jonah to Nineveh, God was exposing the sinfulness in Jonah’s heart. In the end, we don’t know how Jonah responded.

Today, when God exposes the sinfulness in our hearts, how do we want to respond?

Ultimately, Jonah points to Jesus and Jesus is the greater Jonah (Mathew 12:40-41). Jonah was reluctant to save the sinners but Jesus on the other hand gave himself up to save us.

God’s mercy and judgment are not at odds with each other. God is merciful and at the same time, sin must be punished. The good news is that God’s judgment is satisfied in Jesus’ work on the cross when we put our faith in Him.

The Book of Jonah points us to this amazing reality of our salvation.

Prayer Focus

Let us ask God to give us a heart to see the needs of others, especially that of salvation of those around us, rather than live drenched in our own desires and hurts.

Conclusion

The book of Jonah teaches us the truth about God and the sinfulness of our hearts. I have loved going through the book of Jonah and I believe it is the same for all of you.

Here is what we saw God is revealing about Himself through this book:

• He is sovereign, and the creation obeys His Word.
• God is rich in mercy toward those we would least expect, and he cares for individuals who are doing His work just as much as He cares about the work being done.
• This is a story meant to expose our own worst tendencies. For example, Do I have this mind set? "Grace for me and condemnation for my enemies"?
• Jonah points us to Jesus....Jesus is the greater Jonah. He fulfills everything that Jonah never could, and we never could. HE IS THE ANSWER.
• When we look at Jonah, we can see his hidden bitter roots and wrong motives of his heart. Yet God loved him, cared for him, and used him powerfully. Jonah was honest enough to acknowledge his feelings, his disobedience, and the motives of his disobedience.
• We don't know how Jonah responded at the end. Many commentators say, the book doesn't say it purposely because God wants us to choose our own response towards Him.
• The question we can ask ourselves today is, “Am I honest before God about the ugliness of my own heart, or do I try to look ‘better’ than I really am?
• Who is my worst enemy? Do I truly desire good for them, or do I secretly (or openly) desire judgment for them, while asking God's mercy for myself?
• Am I caring more about my comfort rather than caring for the lost souls around me?