Doest thou well to be angry?

"The gospel is NOT about personal feelings towards someone's sin; yours or mine; pro or con." - Lysa

Hi everyone.

Not too long ago during the morning ride to work I opened up the Bible and it fell open to the story of Jonah. For some time now I've come back to the book of Jonah every once in a while because/and it has spoken to me about some things in my own relationship to God.

But this time in particular something really stood out to me that I hadn't noticed before.

Up to this point I had caught on that Jonah had fled from the prescence of God, and that, this was so, at least in part, because there was a point of disagreement between him and God - God wanted to extend mercy to the Assyrians, the enemies of the Israelites, and Jonah appearantly did not.

And like I said, this had been speaking to me about my own relationship to God, but this time I noticed something more. It has to do with this question that God asks Jonah in chapter 4 verse 4, saying to him,

"Doest thou well to be angry?"

I've learned enough in reading and studying the Bible to know that when God asks a question in the scriptures, it's important, something to take note of. Certainly God does not ask anyone questions in order to discover the answer!

Adam where are you?

Moses, what is that in your hand? and Who has made man's mouth?

Balaam, what men are these with you?

Peter, do you love me?

And this question that God asks Jonah really stood out to me. It struck me.

Jonah had just before this said something that, at least on the surface, sounds really pious. He says he wants to die. As if to say, God, if you're not going to destroy these wicked people, than I don't want to live anymore. Well, that sounds pious doesn't it? I mean, isn't Jonah righteous in hating the wickedness of the Asyrians and wanting to see them destroyed?

I remember hearing a man on the radio talk about this story and describing how the Asyrians were such a vicous and cruel people. How they would stack the skulls of those they conquored into huge piles. I don't know if that was true or not, I never checked into it. But I think it could be possible(Deut 28:49-50).

So, isn't Jonah at least righteous, in his indignation?

Well, the Lord asks him,

"Doest thou well to be angry?"

And that question speaks to me. I think it speaks to us doesn't it? About considering our motives in what we do, or even in how we feel?

Are we really just in what we are doing? When it comes to our motives and our heart?

If we are angry about sin around us, is it something that is genuinely coming from God? Or are we really angry because others are enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season, and we can not. And their flagrance about it is a greif to us because they are a constant temptation or annoyance, even because of something not pure in our selves?

Or if we want to tell others to repent. Is it because God has sent us to do so? Or are we using it as a way to politely and religously, tell people off?

Is our grief about the condition of God's Church because we love it so much? Or are we angry with the people of it, and desire to use rebuke and critisim as a whiping post?

God must know why any of us do what we do. And we beleive that He is longsuffering and patient with us.

But I think it is worth considering anyway, this question, about being angry. Without a doubt it is a good question for me.

If God could ask Jonah. I'm sure He could ask you and me.

Hmmm. Really gets at the motive of the heart doesn't it? It makes us question whether our motives are in line with the heart of God.

Thanks for the post brother!

Hi ChrisJD...

My wife and I were studying this book just a few days ago during our evening devotion time. She actually mentioned some things that you said.

Thank you for sharing!

Chris and twayneb,

thank you both also! Twayneb, I remember reading about your desire to build up other believers(through a school I think?). I ask that God would bless your desire and I believe He has. And Chris, thank you and your wife for your labor of love to remember others in prayer. Including myself.

This morning I was walking and had thought of something else that I want to share with you both.

What I called to mind was how similar the story of Jonah is in what happened to him to what the Lord Jesus did in dying and rising again and how this is even mentioned in the scriptures(Mat 12:39-40).

That's pretty well accepted I think.

But what was significant to me about that this morning is how, even though Jonah had had this experience, of dying of sorts, that is being in the fish's belly, with all hope lost and being totally cast upon the Lord to save him, yet after this, coming out of that there's still this issue with Jonah that comes up that God deals with.

In the midst of this story which, if you'll permit me, speaks so much of dying to self and of the ultimate work of that that the Lord Jesus would accomplish so perferctly as none of us ever could have, in the midst of that we read about, if I could say, not only the sign of the prophet Jonah. But also his sin.

And that spoke to me. And I said to myself, no wonder then that Paul would say something like 'I die daily' to the Corinthians(1 Co 15:31), or that the author of the letter to the Hebrews would exhort us saying "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so [b]easily[/b] beset us". Or that Paul would speak to the Phillipians as one that had not yet fully arrived at his destination(Php 3:12-15).

Well, it spoke to me about these things.

Wish you all well and thanks again,

Chris