How Dare You God!

In a devotional for today, I pondered a concept enough to want to explore and blog about.  I found this piercing my own heart deeply, especially with all the recent abduction stories going around. 

I don't know about all of you, but deep down I personally despise those people that would want to take children and torment them through trafficking or sickening sexual desires.  I can't find it in me to ever want to give them a second chance.  I really feel like Jonah. 

We understand the story of Jonah pretty well, but read through it briefly.  It's only 4 chapters long. 

Short story cut shorter:  God tells Jonah to preach to an extremely wicked people, Jonah refuses and runs away, big storm and fish happen, Jonah gives in and preaches of God's wrath...and God forgives them and rebukes Jonah. 

I want to split this up for us to ponder more...and how personally I related to Jonah with today's hot media stories:


Jonah hated Nineveh. 

He fled because he didn't want God to save them.  He didn't want God to forgive them, and he didn't want to give these people a chance because in Jonah's mind, they didn't deserve it.  

Jonah refused to be part of these people salvation, but after some good negotiating he finally went to them and preached in hatred...wanting to see the disaster he spoke of actually happen. 

All that is recorded of Jonah's preaching was "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned."  That's all Jonah said.  No repenting message.  Jonah just spoke of destruction.  Oh how that would have felt to say those words to such a wicked people!  However, the result was not what Jonah wanted to have happen.  Deep down, we see the real hatred Jonah had for the wicked city of Nineveh. 

God loved Nineveh

God used that "hatred" to stir up the Ninevites so much that they repented...and God forgave.

"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 3:10

Jonah hated that God loved Nineveh

"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.  Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."  Jonah 4:2-3 

It sounds like Jonah is saying "That's just like you God!"

Yes...that's just like our God.  That's just like God to take a sinner like me and bring me to His glory.  That's just like God to sacrifice His only Son for a wicked people in order that we may share in His inheritance.  That's just like our God to love everyone unconditionally.  That's just like God. 

I can plug myself into Jonah's place with so many types of people. 

Kat hates sex offenders, but God loves sex offenders...and many times Kat hates that God loves sex offenders. 

I am thankful Jesus was not like Jonah.  Jesus obeyed God's call and reached out to us, a wicked people like Nineveh.  The problem is we don't always see it that way. 

Our big downfall is we constantly and naturally make comparisons.  We compare ourselves to others around us.  "At least I don't do that."  "So I lied a little bit, but at least I didn't sleep with my friend's wife."  It's all the same in God's eyes, and we don't realize how sickening every sin is to Him.  We are ALL wicked people, and this "hierarchy of sin" that we make up really doesn't match how God sees sin.  (Romans 3:23)
 
If we are called to be like Jesus and preach the Gospel to every nation, we need to remember that we too deserve the same fate and it is by God's grace we are even able to be saved.  It's so hard, and something I will constantly be pierced with. 

How do you relate to Jonah?  What is your Nineveh?  Ask God to change your heart to react in love for them, praying for their repentance.  It's hard...it's really hard...but it's what Jesus would do, and something he already did.   Thank Him because He is gracious and compassionate, even if you don't want Him to be.  It's not our call who gets saved and who doesn't.  As God says very well in the last verse, "Should I not be concerned about that great city?"  Should He not be concerned about everyone no matter their background? 

That's just like you God...thank you.