Anger and compassion
Day 458, Wednesday, Nov. 12
Jonah (all)
Jonah is a surprisingly short book when you consider how familiar it is. It packs a lot into four short chapters, and is one of those books whose story invites sharing. We often focus on the storytelling part, with the adventure of the storm and the miracle of Jonah being swallowed by the huge fish.
I’d like to focus instead on the lessons Jonah learned about anger and compassion.
At the heart of the story of Jonah is the fact that God is compassionate. In fact, in 4:2 we read one of the most beautiful and frequently quoted lines from the book: I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”
But to truly understand the book of Jonah we have to understand that, to Jonah, this was not a statement of praise but a statement of complaint. He continued, “Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Jonah recognizes God’s compassion, and is angry about it.
Jonah’s story both begins and ends with a simple fact that Jonah can’t handle: God loves the people of Nineveh.
Nineveh is a large city, and it is apparently a city with a lot of sinful people in it. For Jonah this arouses a desire for judgment and punishment. But that isn’t the way God thinks. For God it arouses a desire for grace and compassion.
Jonah is so angry about Nineveh’s sin that when God tells him to go there and preach he runs away. He’s not afraid that the people of Nineveh won’t listen to him; he’s afraid that they will and will be saved.
After being thrown from the ship in a storm and being saved by the huge fish, Jonah finally does what God had told him to do, but his anger hasn’t abated. “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.”
Interestingly, the book ends without Jonah repenting of his anger. We hope that he did and restored his relationship with God, but we can only speculate about that.
When we think of places or businesses or institutions that we consider to be the personification of evil, it’s worth remembering the lesson of Jonah: God loves them and seeks their salvation. And he just may be calling on us to be the messenger.

Wednesday meditation

Psalms 25:8-15
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.

Prayer focus
For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Give me your graciousness and compassion that I may be motivated to seek and save the lost.

-Rev. Mark Fleming