Scriptures: Jonah 4:9-10 9Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” 10But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. (NKJV)
Nugget: In the scriptures prior to this one, it is apparent that Jonah is angry with God for relenting in His actions to bring disaster upon the people of Nineveh. The people had turned from their evil ways, believed in, & followed God. Jonah’s anger stemmed from God changing His mind about overthrowing Nineveh.
Following God’s decision, Jonah had built up anger as he felt action still needed to be taken on the people of Nineveh; so much anger was built up that he took it upon himself to make shelter on the outside of the city to be by himself. God provided shelter & shade to Jonah during his time in self-imposed isolation; later God took this away, which heightened Jonah’s anger.
Overall, God was trying to teach Jonah the lessons regarding holding anger. Jonah was holding on to anger that he didn’t need to. God reminded him that the things & people he was holding anger towards, weren’t even for him to do. This reminded me of how we sometimes do the same thing; there’s so much that we hold on to that we don’t need to (anger, hurt, pain, etc.), but God is trying to tell us that it’s not for us to do so!
What is God trying to show you regarding the things (& people) that you need to let go of? What are you holding on to that isn’t yours to do so? It’s amazing what we could have if we just let go.
Quote: “Holding anger is a poison…It eats you from inside…We think that by hating someone we hurt them…But hatred is a curved blade…and the harm we do to others…we also do to ourselves.” -Mitch Albom
© Lisi P, 2013
Hey Lisi! Love this post. Jonah also reminds me of the older brother in the story about the prodigal son. The older brother was angry and felt as if because his younger brother lived his life in sin, he shouldn't have been able to get their father's forgiveness or partake of the blessing. It was not his business what the father did, since it was his blessing to give away. I love how scriptures in the Bible reference one another. Thanks for sharing…have a blessed day!!
Michell @Prowess and Pearls