Jonah's Prayer Jonah 4:2

When God saw the humility of the people of Nineveh, he diverted from the “destruction” He purposed against them. This “infuriated” Jonah, and in chapter four and verse two of this prophesy we see Jonah's prayer to the LORD concerning His altered plans where we read:

And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray to you, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and you repent of the evil.

The verse begins, “And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray to you, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country?” The writer began with the words, “And he prayed” which means “intervened, interposed, meditated and intreated” “unto the LORD” who is “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the one true God”, “and said” or “spoke, uttered, answered, promised and intended”, “I pray to you” which is “and interjection that means I beseech or beg you”, “O LORD” which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing one and the proper name for the one true God”, “was not this my saying” or “Jonah's speech, word and utterance”, “when I was yet in my country” which is all one Hebrew word “'adamah” and refers to “the ground, land, specific plot of land, earth substance, territory and country where Jonah resided”. Jonah's plea and appeal before the LORD was that he mentioned this while he was still in his own “country”.

The verse goes on to say, “Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and you repent of the evil.” The writer continued, “Therefore I fled” which means “ran away, was put to flight, reached, shot and hurried away” “before” or “in front of, in advance of and lead beforehand in anticipation” “unto Tarshish” which means “yellow jasper” and was “a city of the Phoenicians in a distant part of the Mediterranean Sea to which the prophet Jonah was trying to flee”: “for I knew” or “perceived, found out, discerned, discriminated and distinguished by experience” “that you” which refers to “the LORD” “are a gracious” which means “merciful and benignant” “God” or “the one true God, Jehovah”, “and merciful” which means “compassionate”, “slow to anger” or “long-suffering and patient to wrath which is shown in the nostrils of face”, “and of great” which means “much, many, abounding, more numerous, exceeding, captain and chief” “kindness” or “goodness, faithfulness and favor” “and you repent” or “are moved to pity and have compassion with rue and ease” “of the evil” which means “bad, disagreement, malignant, unpleasant, pain, unhappiness and misery”. The reason Jonah fled to “Tarshish” was because he knew if Nineveh turned from their wickedness, “the LORD” would be moved to pity for them and not bring the judgment upon them he proclaimed.

When we think through the words in this verse, we see the wonderful grace of “the LORD God”, and we discover the disappointment that Jonah had knowing God was this way. Jonah desired for Nineveh to be judged for their “evil”, and when he thought about proclaiming judgment upon them, he knew there was a chance that God would turn from destroying them. We may have people in our lives whom we desire God to judge, and by thinking through this verse, we may learn the “LORD” is filled with “mercy” and “compassion”, and He is reluctant for any to perish. This was demonstrated by Jesus Christ when He came into the world “not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved”. For those who will hear His voice and obey the drawing of the Holy Spirit to put their trust in Him, He is not only willing to save, but ready to spare them regardless of how others feel.

Next time we see Jonah beg for God to “take” his “life”, 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.