If our first thought is to obey the first commandment, it can be very difficult to be joined successfully and permanently with someone else who does not have the same priority. If your priority is God and that of your partner is elsewhere, this can lead to friction.
The symbolism of light and darkness are carried all the way through the Bible. And it is never once suggested that they cohabit. There is always a suggestion of separation. This very first act that God performed on the earth is symbolic of the way we should live.
An abrupt ending to the story leaves us with an unanswered question, and one which was probably there in the unrecorded discussion God and Jonah had at the beginning of this whole episode. God had been seriously concerned about the people and the animals in that great city of Nineveh.
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.
Nothing God seemed to do had any long term effect on Jonah who was still entrenched in the world of self pity. He seems to have forgotten the amazing answer to prayer that he had after his time in the stomach of the whale. When he was spewed out unharmed!
This verse always makes me smile. Just when we think all was going well, our prophet would be happy again, the very thing that made him happy disappeared! Jonah must have wondered what was going to happen next, and we can imagine that he would be angry about the worm.
It seems to me that Jonah was the centre of his world, and his moods changed according to his circumstances. Do yours? Being a Christian is to live like Jesus did, He did not seem to have bad moods, and He is renowned for living for others instead of himself.
There are often times when we pray for something and God does not seem to hear. My own experience of unanswered prayer was when I had a gall bladder problem. But I am so glad those prayers were not answered. The experiences I had then were worth all the suffering!
What makes you angry? Do you think the same things make God angry? What do you do with your anger? Remember that anger is not a sin, it is what we do with the anger than can be sinful, and the Bible tells us to let our anger be short-lived.
How sad that Jonah did not feel able to rejoice at the fact that thousands of people had turned to the Lord who loved them and forgave all who turn to Him. What a great testimony it could have been! But Jonah focused not on the Lord but on himself.
EN 
FR