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Chapter 4
Passage: "But to Jonah, this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home”.
Jonah fears about what might happen while he reflects that he is far from being pleased. He is angry with the Lord's decision of sparing Ninevites. This is because he wanted God to punish them and moved to Tarshish. The central reason for migrating to Tarshish was Jonah's belief that God will not spare them. However, when Lord acted against his desire, Jonah exhibited his anger and confusion. Jonah had a firm belief on Lord that he is merciful and compassionate and will offer him help.
Jonah's reaction to the fate of Ninevites depicts that he was expecting that God will punish them. However, they were spared which convince Jonah to believe that the Lord doesn't respond to anger immediately because he is giving time to the people. He wants them to return to the right path by giving them ample time. God exhibits traits of kindness, love and compassion. He is not the one who causes calamity. He witnessed that the Lord never put humans in a miserable state that brings their downfall or demise.
God's reaction displeases Jonah so he decided to choose a vantage point where he witnesses Nineveh. Jonah remains passionate to view the demise of Nineveh because he believes that the Lord will punish them for their deeds. God teaches Jonah a lesson by appointing a plant to grow that provides shade to him. This allowed Jonah to see ways of God’s preaching who aims at shading humans and protecting them. He comes to a situation where he uncovers the true meaning of Lord and associates him with graciousness and mercifulness. God wants people to learn from their mistakes and forgive them so they can come to the right path.
References
BIBLIOGRAPHY Woodard, Branson L. "Death In Life: The Book Of Jonah And Biblical Tragedy ." Grace Theological Journal 11, no. 1 (1991): 3-16.
Bible. Jonah 4. 2017. https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/jonah/jonah-4.html (accessed 04 27, 2019).
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