Do you like God? Strange question, but worth asking yourself. Because in chapter four we discover that Jonah actually doesn't like God.
Read Jonah 4 v 1-3
How Jonah responds
- - How does Jonah resopnd to the mercy God extends to the Ninevites? How do you feel about this?
- - Compare Jonah's reaction here to his response when God saved him (2 v 9). How are they different? What are we reminded about him?
- - What doesn't Jonah like about God (v 2)?
Centuries before, when Moses had asked to see God’s glory (ie: what makes Him so great), God described Himself to Moses as: “The LORD, the LORD, the compassion- ate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and for- giving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Exodus 34 v 6-7). Every member of Israel knew these words.
- - Is it that Jonah doesn't know who God is? Or that he does know, but doesn't like Him?
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TIME OUT
- - What aspects of God's character do people today want to be different?
Any time people say, or we find ourselves thinking: "I like to think of God as..." or "Surely God can't...," we need to be careful. We don't want to join Jonah in telling God that we don't like Him.
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APPLY
Are there areas in which you, like Jonah, want to change God? Confess this desire to God. Remind yourself that God is God. He will not change, nor should He! When our opinions or desires are out of step with God’s, we are always the ones who should change. The problem is with us, not Him.
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What Jonah wants
- - What does Jonah now want (v 3)? Why is this amazingly petulant, given all that happened in chapter 2?!
Surely now God will give Jonah what he wants?! We should expect this rude prophet to become a dead prophet.
Read verse 4
- - How does God respond? What does this tell us about God's character?
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PRAY
Thank God for His patience with His people. You may know that God is being patient with a particular failing of yours right now. Thank Him for that, and ask for help to change.
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This devotional is taken from Explore—a daily Bible-reading devotional from The Good Book Company which enables you to engage with Scripture and which will encourage, equip and inspire you to live for Christ. Explore features contributions from pastors such as Dr Timothy Keller, Mike McKinley and Tim Chester.
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