February 09, 2012
Jonah is now ready to listen, and God says the exact same thing He said the first time. "Get up... go." This time Jonah obeyed, and he went. He preached God's message and the people repented, which was the very thing Jonah didn't want to happen. Nineveh was evil. They fought against God and God's people. But when the king heard Jonah's message he repented and ordered the people to repent as well. Jonah 3:8–9 - "Everyone must turn away from evil living and stop doing harm all the time. Who knows? Maybe God will change his mind. Maybe he will stop being angry, and then we will not die." When they repented, God relented, and they were spared.
Jonah was angry and wished he could die. He really hoped Ninevah would be destroyed. God asked him, "Do you think it right to be angry?" As Jonah was sitting outside the city waiting to see what would happen, God caused a vine to grow as a shade for him. The next day God caused the vine to die and again Jonah is angry and God asked him again, "Do you think it right for you to be angry?" You didn't make the plant. Why should you be angry? I made the people of Ninevah. I care about them. That is why I sent you to them.
When your heart is right you will want ALL people to be saved. When you truly believe in heaven and hell, you don't want anyone to miss out on heaven and spend an eternity separated from God in hell. No one! Whatever others have done to you in unimportant. The only thing important is that they are reconciled to Christ. That they repent, change their hearts and lives and live for Christ. Nothing else matters.
The judgment against Ninevah was averted when the people repented. Unfortunately, it was not a heart change for generations.
JOY:
Addendum: 9/25/15 ~The circumstances around us is not what determines our joy. We can have joy at ALL times. It is the presence of Christ in our lives that allows joy to be ours even in the most difficult of times.
Next Entry: Micah 1:1 – 2:13
Jonah is now ready to listen, and God says the exact same thing He said the first time. "Get up... go." This time Jonah obeyed, and he went. He preached God's message and the people repented, which was the very thing Jonah didn't want to happen. Nineveh was evil. They fought against God and God's people. But when the king heard Jonah's message he repented and ordered the people to repent as well. Jonah 3:8–9 - "Everyone must turn away from evil living and stop doing harm all the time. Who knows? Maybe God will change his mind. Maybe he will stop being angry, and then we will not die." When they repented, God relented, and they were spared.
Jonah was angry and wished he could die. He really hoped Ninevah would be destroyed. God asked him, "Do you think it right to be angry?" As Jonah was sitting outside the city waiting to see what would happen, God caused a vine to grow as a shade for him. The next day God caused the vine to die and again Jonah is angry and God asked him again, "Do you think it right for you to be angry?" You didn't make the plant. Why should you be angry? I made the people of Ninevah. I care about them. That is why I sent you to them.
When your heart is right you will want ALL people to be saved. When you truly believe in heaven and hell, you don't want anyone to miss out on heaven and spend an eternity separated from God in hell. No one! Whatever others have done to you in unimportant. The only thing important is that they are reconciled to Christ. That they repent, change their hearts and lives and live for Christ. Nothing else matters.
The judgment against Ninevah was averted when the people repented. Unfortunately, it was not a heart change for generations.
"Only later, when evil increased in the generations after Jonah, and the people failed to repent, did God's judgment finally fall on Ninevah. God's judgment is often this way. Someday it will come in all its fullness and finality, but in the meantime it may be that God's hand of judgment will pause when we repent." ~ From Storm Warning by Billy Graham.At the end of Jonah, Jane (Her Name Was Jane) has the following written in her KJV Bible.
JOY:
- Jeremiah 15:16 - "thy word...joy of my heart"
- John 15:1;16:24 - "your joy...full"
- Psalm 126:5 - "reap in joy"
- Philippians 2:2 - "fulfill my joy"
- James 1:2 - "count it all joy"
- I Thessalonians 2:19,20 - "ye...our joy and crown"
- Psalm 16:11 - "fullness of joy"
- II John 12 - "face to face that our joy...full"
Addendum: 9/25/15 ~The circumstances around us is not what determines our joy. We can have joy at ALL times. It is the presence of Christ in our lives that allows joy to be ours even in the most difficult of times.
Next Entry: Micah 1:1 – 2:13
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