Jonah
went outside the city of Nineveh after being disappointed by the
LORD's mercy for the people there. He prepared a shelter where he sat
watching to see if the LORD would destroy the city anyway where the
LORD “prepared a gourd” for shade and comfort to him in
his misery. The next day “the LORD” prepared a “worm”
that destroyed the “gourd”,
and afterwards the LORD “prepared a vehement east wind”
that made Jonah so miserable he desired to die. In chapter four and
verse nine of this prophesy, God asked Jonah, “Do you
well to be angry for the gourd?”
where we read:
And
God said to Jonah, Do you well to be angry for the gourd?
And
he said, I do well to be angry, even
unto death.
The
verse begins, “And God said to Jonah, Do you well to be angry
for the gourd?” The writer began with the phrase, “And God
said” which refers to “the ruler, judge and divine One spoke
to, uttered, avowed and avouched” “to Jonah” whose name
means “dove”, “do you well” or “is it good,
pleasing, joyful and glad” “to be angry” which means
“hot, furious, burning and kindled” “for the gourd?”
or “the castor-oil plant or bottle gourd”. As God began to reason
with Jonah, he drew his attention first to the “anger” he
had because the “gourd” had died.
The
verse goes on to say, “And
he said, I do well to be angry, even
unto death.” The
writer continued with the words, “And
he said”
which refers to Jonah “speaking, uttering, avowing and avouching“,
“I
do well”
or “I am doing good, pleasantness, joyfulness and gladness” “to
be angry”
which means “hot, furious, burning and kindled”, “even
unto death”
or “to the point of dying, being slain and in ruin”. Jonah was so
“angry” that he thought himself doing “joyfully good” to the
point of “dying” if needed.
When
we think through the words in this verse, we marvel at the patience
of the LORD as He questioned Jonah. The LORD was merciful to Nineveh
and Jonah, and Jonah wasn't happy about the city, but was glad for
himself until the LORD “prepared a worm”. Jonah was
“exceedingly angry” because the “gourd” died and he
was now sitting in the “scalding heat”. When a person wants his
or her way so badly that “seething fury” causes them to argue
even with the Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, there is a
serious need for humility and repentance. Perhaps we are “angry”
at the LORD for something that did not go our way. If so, let us
humble ourselves, bow our heads before the LORD in repentance, and
listen as He questions us about our ways.
Next
time we see the
LORD reason with Jonah concerning his pity for the “gourd”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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