Do You Do Well To Be Angry?

Do You Do Well To Be Angry?

When’s the last time you read the book of Jonah all the way through? Sometimes, we can overlook studying the well-known stories. 

I recently read all 4 chapters of Jonah and was amazed at what the story was really about. I’ve seen a particular main point extracted from this story. That main point being -

Jonah was disobedient. (Because of fear?) He was swallowed by a large fish as a form of punishment? Jonah became obedient. 

I saw it more as a caution towards obedience especially when you are scared and encouragement to obey and fear the Lord. That is… not … what I got out of the story this time that I read it. 

Jonah actually shares why he was disobedient. He was definitely afraid. He was not, however, afraid of the Ninevites. He also was not afraid of God. His fear was that a powerful, financially abundant, evil, violent nation would experience the same mercy that his nation experienced. 

Have you ever felt that you had more worth because you attained some moral high ground? Maybe you weren’t the prettiest, the smartest, the richest.. but at least you’re a good person.  You may say no, but let me give you a couple examples where we see this. 

For starters, politics.

Both the left and the right, when on the extreme end of things, believe themselves to be doing the “right thing.” When you are convinced that you attain the level of righteousness that other people would do well to follow, you can easily fall into self righteousness. This makes it easier to demonize, marginalize and reject anyone whose actions contradict your level of goodness. 

I, myself, have a particular bent towards justice. I like that about myself and I don’t believe it to be a bad thing. God made me that way and I got that trait from Him. But it’s tough for me when I see people who have clearly not done things “the right way” get a blessing that I haven’t gotten. Especially when I feel like I did things in a way that honored God. I get frustrated when things come easier to others than with me. 

But just like God extended mercy to me and gave me a chance to repent, He will do that with all of his children. No matter what they’ve done, the crime they’ve committed, the political party they represented or defended. Jesus does not love you more than He loves His other children. 

Grace is offered. Repentance is requested. Then, mercy is given. This is the goodness of God, for all who believe. 

Let’s look at envy. 

“Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” Proverbs 27:4

Jealousy is a form of hatred that unleashes all kinds of evil. Jonah hated the Ninevites so much that he tried to make it literally impossible to obey God. He took a boat to head in the opposite direction so that he wouldn’t even have the option to obey anymore. When the waves threatened the journey, he asked for the other pagan men to throw him overboard. He would rather die than to obey. He would rather die than see mercy extended to the Ninevites. Hatred, self righteousness, nationalism, and envy created such turmoil in his soul that he tried to submit himself to death. 

Evaluate your heaviness. Are you looking at what other people have and what you don’t? Are you so impressed with your choices and so sick of everyone making the wrong ones and being so blinded and somehow they just can’t see their wrongdoing? Do you love your country so much that somehow God’s wrath is coming to everyone, besides America? These thoughts and ideologies are heavy to carry. 

And yes, the Ninevites were wrong. Their streets were filled with violence and death! They were wealthy and powerful and used those things for evil. But God chose to extend His mercy and give them the opportunity to come to Him. 

Jonah was not afraid that the Ninevites would stone him or not listen if he went and shared the word of the Lord. Here’s why he was so angry: 

“This is why I made haste to flee; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”

He wanted anger, wrath and punishment for them. He didn’t want love, mercy and grace.

But in God’s mercy just how he had grace for the Ninevites, He had grace with Jonah for his disobedience and hatred. We see in this book that we are all God’s children struggling with sin and we all need His mercy. Both the Ninevites and Jonah were saved from God’s wrath - because He is loving and He is good.