Do I Care?
But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing 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, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Jonah 4:1-4
So Jonah is angry. Angry that God would show mercy to the Ninevites because they are… you know… Ninevites.
We don’t get Jonah’s anger of course. A Palestinian might. A Ukrainian might. An Indigenous person might. A Christian in China might (towards their own government). But for non-Indigenous Aussies I think we don’t have the sort of racial or national enemy that could elicit the kind of anger that Jonah is feeling.
The funny thing is though. That there’s something right about how Jonah feels. Sin, wickedness, evil does deserve justice. We should be angry that people ignore God, reject Him, and try to act like they are Him. It’s the greatest injustice in the universe. That God’s creation doesn't give Him the glory He deserves.
But this is exactly why Jonah can’t be angry. Neither has he.
What grace does Jonah deserve? None. And yet, in God’s kindness he is speaking to him rather than smiting.
But in this whole episode. God is bringing to the fore a question. Do you feel the way you should?
Do you? Do you care like you should about God’s justice? What about people receiving His mercy? The truth is that very few of us care like we should about either.
Can I encourage you to ask for God’s help today - to care like you should.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father that He cares so much about His people. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who cared enough to come and die for us. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others care like you should.
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Jonah 4:1-4
So Jonah is angry. Angry that God would show mercy to the Ninevites because they are… you know… Ninevites.
We don’t get Jonah’s anger of course. A Palestinian might. A Ukrainian might. An Indigenous person might. A Christian in China might (towards their own government). But for non-Indigenous Aussies I think we don’t have the sort of racial or national enemy that could elicit the kind of anger that Jonah is feeling.
The funny thing is though. That there’s something right about how Jonah feels. Sin, wickedness, evil does deserve justice. We should be angry that people ignore God, reject Him, and try to act like they are Him. It’s the greatest injustice in the universe. That God’s creation doesn't give Him the glory He deserves.
But this is exactly why Jonah can’t be angry. Neither has he.
What grace does Jonah deserve? None. And yet, in God’s kindness he is speaking to him rather than smiting.
But in this whole episode. God is bringing to the fore a question. Do you feel the way you should?
Do you? Do you care like you should about God’s justice? What about people receiving His mercy? The truth is that very few of us care like we should about either.
Can I encourage you to ask for God’s help today - to care like you should.
For Today:
- What have you been angry about lately?
- Do you struggle to care about people's rejection of God? What about their receiving mercy?
- How could you care more about the right things?
Pray:
Praise the Father that He cares so much about His people. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who cared enough to come and die for us. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others care like you should.
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