But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. – Jonah 4:1
It is strange to think of Jonah as “displeased” because usually the preacher is pleased when the congregation repents, but Jonah wasn’t. There was something about the whole matter that displeased Jonah. Not only was this strange, it was very strange, because Jonah was very upset at the success of his preaching. We should not miss Jonah’s intensity here, because the language in the original Hebrew is strong. Jonah was incredibly, incredibly upset.
Jonah’s bitterness reflects our human heart’s ability to hold on to grudges. The history between Israel and Nineveh is not rocket science to piece together. They fought, they argued, and they just flat out hated each other. This explains perhaps more clearly to us the reason Jonah ran away in the first place. Interestingly enough, Jonah did in chapter 3 seem to come to an understanding that running from God is not a good thing. He was missing a key ingredient that made the results at Nineveh tough to swallow.
In the same way we cannot control where or what God will command us to do, we also cannot and should not attempt to control the outcomes of those commands. Was Jonah only obeying because his life was in danger? Did Jonah preach with passion? Or was he just trying to get it over with and return home? My intuition tells me he was probably just ready to go home. Nevertheless, God’s story is always more important than our story. God’s story incorporates the entirety of humanity.
God is not making plans just for the USA. God is not making just making plans for the house churches of China or the Catholic church of the Vatican. God is making plans for EVERYONE. Jesus was sent for the world. The question is, are you ready for Him? If Jesus was to return in all His glory, how would you feel seeing some of the world’s most gross criminals being lifted up with Him? Do you truly believe in redemption? Or, in your heart, are you more like Jonah? You know what you must feel so you tell yourself and tell others your feel it, but realistically your actions do not line up. Well, God knows. The best solution? Talk to him about it right now. #PrayITOut