A lesson about bitterness

Like the salty spray can wear away rock, so can bitterness erode love in the heart of a child of God.

Jonah was a prophet of the Most High. 2 Kings 14:25

The Lord gave him a specific prophecy.

Jonah 1:1-2 NKJV — Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

Unfortunately, Jonah choose disobedience.

Jonah 1:3 NKJV — But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

The Lord was merciful and sent a storm, then a fish. Jonah 1:4-17, 2

For the Lord corrects His children.

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
Proverbs 3:11‭-‬12 NKJV

Then He speaks to Jonah again.

Jonah 3:1-2NKJV — Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”

This time Jonah obeys and his message is a difficult one.

Jonah 3:4 NKJV — And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

These pagan people turn and repent, including their king.

Jonah 3:7-9 NKJV — And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?”

God was merciful.

Jonah 3:10 NKJV — Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Jonah not only experienced God’s mercy himself, he saw God extend mercy to an entire city which had previously been enemies of His people.

With such incredible works of God, one would expect His servant to rejoice.

But that’s not what happened.

Jonah 4:1-3 NKJV — But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

Jonah couldn’t rejoice in the saving of the city, because he didn’t want it saved.

In Jonah, we see what happens to a child of God who allows bitterness to take root.

Bitterness, towards these enemies of his nation, had robbed him of his ability to love and trust God knew what was best.

In his heart he knew God’s character, but he wanted judgment not mercy.

The human heart is often at odds with the Word of God, for at the same time we want mercy and grace for ourselves and our loved ones, but we want judgment and punishment for those who have hurt us.

But that is not what God calls His people to.

James 3:9-10 NKJV — With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

Matthew 5:44-45 NKJV — “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Jonah is a warning for us, to not allow bitterness to override our love and devotion to God.

Rather, we need to be quick to forgive those who have wronged us, placing our trust in God, who sees all, even the depth of each heart.

For we can not truly love God if we are holding on to bitterness.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 12:19‭-‬21 NLT

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the story of Jonah. Lord, I am amazed at Your mercy and grace throughout. You use Jonah’s disobedience, You save an entire city of wicked people, You even teach Your stubborn hard hearted servant a lesson. Thank You! Lord, please help us to learn from these things. Help us to be quick to forgive, honest with ourselves and You when we are hurting. Lord, please teach us how to love our enemies. Please shine Your truth into this dark world and let those who have yet to know You come to a knowledge of You, Lord. Please work through Your children to bring the message of hope to this world. Thank You. Amen.

A story about mercy

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. Jonah 1:1‭-‬2 KJV

The book of Jonah opens with God’s mercy.

Their wickedness has been seen and God’s response is to send His prophet to that place.

Jonah was an Israelite who lived in the days of the kings.

2 Kings 14:23,25 KJV —23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. 25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.

God is both righteous and merciful, thus He sent a warning to these people by His prophet.

But His prophet didn’t want the people of Nineveh to hear God’s warning.

He wanted them to experience the judgement and have no opportunity to receive mercy.

Jonah 1:3 KJV — But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

The character of God is so full of mercy that He didn’t allow Jonah to remain in his sinful choice of “fleeing”.

(Scripture makes it clear there is no place we can go to “get away” from God. Psalm 139:7‭-‬10 KJV)

Instead, God sent a set of circumstances which Jonah could not ignore.

Jonah 1:4 KJV — But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

The sailors are terrified and begin to call on their gods, then they realize there’s this passenger whose sleeping in the ship, not crying out to his God.

Jonah 1:6 KJV — So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

These sailors sense this storm is nothing normal.

Jonah 1:7 KJV — And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Jonah knew God was in this and he tells the men to throw him over board, but the sailors don’t want Jonah’s blood on their hands.

So, they try to save themselves by their own efforts.

Jonah 1:13 KJV — Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

God uses Jonah’s rebellion to bring a ship load of men to knowledge of Him.

Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
Jonah 1:14‭-‬16 KJV

God’s mercy on Jonah’s disobedience is used to spread mercy on a group of foreigner sailors.

But Jonah also feels the consequences of his sin.

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17 KJV

Most of chapter two of the book of Jonah is his prayer to the Lord.

Jonah 2:1-2KJV — Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, “I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.”

There’s a debate as to whether Jonah was alive or actually suffered death during his time in the great fish, but either way the stunning part of this is the mercy of God.

And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
Jonah 2:10 KJV

God’s patience is apparent,in that He again speaks to Jonah.

And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Jonah 3:1‭-‬4 KJV

The next part is incredible.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
Jonah 3:5‭-‬9 KJV

These people are pagan and don’t even worship God, but they humble themselves and are saved.

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Jonah 3:10 KJV

Truly, God is a merciful and compassionate God.

Psalm 86:15 KJV — But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

As followers of Christ Jesus we need to understand the character of God and to reflect it in our own.

If God is both merciful and righteous, so we should be.

Proverbs 21:21 KJV — He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the story of Jonah. Lord, thank You that we see both justice and mercy in this story. Thank You that You used Jonah’s disobedience to reach a bunch of sailors. Lord, I don’t want to suffer the consequences of disobedience. I don’t want to sin against You in any way. Lord, please guide me and teach my wayward heart how to be quick to love, steady I’m compassion, wise, discerning, and merciful. Lord, thank You that You can use even my mistakes to teach me about mercy. Lord, let me never take it for granted, but always remember the high price You paid. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.