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Week 30, Day 4 — Jonah

Kyle Turner
07/21/24 - Podcast

And now, a minute with the word…

When we read the book of Jonah, a lot of people think about Jonah trying to run away from God and being swallowed by a giant fish and spending 3 days and 3 nights in it’s belly. Others might focus on the preaching that Jonah did in the city of Ninevah and the results of that preaching — the repentance of a wicked nation. What I want to draw to our attention for today, is Jonah’s reaction to the repentance of the city of Ninevah. When Jonah saw that God did not destroy the city of Ninevah and He relented from the disaster that was planned, Jonah became angry. He was upset about the fact that God is a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster (Jonah 4.2). When I think about my reaction to a sinner who repents and returns to God, am I like Jonah, or does my attitude mirror what I can read in Luke 15? Do I rejoice with the angels in Heaven over one sinner who repents?

Luke 15.8-10 — “Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost! I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” (CSB)