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January 21st, 2021

Jonah 4:41-11 “And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”  Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.  Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.  But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.  When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”  But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”  And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.  And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

The Big Picture

This part of Jonah’s story exhibits the profound patience of the LORD with Jonah (and with us).  Jonah is like the ungrateful servant in Matthew 18:21-35.  He had forgotten that God had forgiven him of much and Jonah was unwilling to offer the same grace to the people of Nineveh.  This is a lesson in humility and humiliation.  I’ve always liked this saying from Mark Driscoll, “God’s plan A is humility.  God’s plan B is humiliation.”  God knew the heart of Jonah and he patiently worked Jonah through a process of heart change.  It can be an exhausting venture.  Have you ever wished you had learned the lesson of humility but ended up learning the lesson of humiliation?  I have.  Jonah lived it.  God is weeding out the nasty things planted firmly in Jonah’s heart and yet God does it with compassion and generosity.  He is just that good.

How To Pray

  • Thank God for His goodness. How has He been good and patient and kind to you? How has He been generous to you? Thank Him for all of that today.

  • Pray that we will be a people to learn lessons quickly and live in humility not experiencing humiliation.

  • Pray that Pontiac Bible Church will exemplify the traits that God shows to Jonah: patience, kindness, & generosity.

  • Pray for an open door to show love to your neighbor (even if you live in the country).