This post is Day 29 in a series of studies about “Jonah”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Jonah – Day 29

What a ridiculous response Jonah gave to The Lord. I am angry enough to die! He really sounds like a spoilt child. There was obviously no thought in his response, and what did he think would happen if he died? I believe God was laughing to Himself and playing games.

Jonah 4:9

But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?” “I do,” he said. “I am angry enough to die.”

The Thought

Jonah’s argumentative response to God here makes me think he should be referred to, not as the reluctant prophet or the rebellious prophet, but the arrogant prophet. Who does he think he is to argue with the Lord God Almighty?All of us are tempted to do that sometimes, but most of us think that if we were His recognized prophets we would be obedient all the time. Even prophets are human!

Maybe it is not surprising that we hear very little more of Jonah than in the reading of these four short chapters. Maybe God made him redundant because of his arrogance, and his disagreeable attitude. I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that was true.

God was being very patient and trying to help Jonah to be grateful for the few hours shelter the vine had given him and get him to acknowledge how much God cared for him. He wanted Jonah to realise that life would have been much more uncomfortable without the blessing of the vine growing right where Jonah was sitting. But Jonah didn’t learn his lessons well.

What a ridiculous response Jonah gave to The Lord. I am angry enough to die. He really sounds like a spoilt child. There was obviously no thought in his response, and what did he think would happen if he died? I believe God was laughing to Himself and actually He was playing games with Jonah, but the prophet didn’t have eyes to see it, he was just focusing on himself.

Action

Pray that you and those in your church group will be quick to learn the lessons the Lord is teaching you at the moment. Pray against an attitude of self-importance.

Praise God that He uses the smallest things to teach us as well as the bigger things in our lives.

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