Anger About Salvation
I have known of people who were so wicked and mean that I really didn’t want the Lord to save them. I remember thinking about Osama Ben Laden in this respect. I had to talk to the Lord about my attitude. I do believe he deserved to die as punishment for his wickedness. What if he asked the Lord to forgiven him – I would not really be excited about his salvation.
Jonah was less than enthusiastic about Nineveh turning to the Lord in repentance. He really wanted the Lord to punish them – in fact He built a shelter on a high point overlooking the city so he could watch the punishment. He had just preached to the people about turning back to the Lord. I can imagine that his tone of voice and his passion for the message he brought was less than enthusiastic, but they repented anyway. Check this out…
1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, ‘Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.’
4 But the Lord replied, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ (Jonah 4:1-4 NIV)
I think that deep down Jonah felt like he had done something good for the Lord, but was hoping for a different outcome. He was not preaching with passion wanting people to change – He was just preaching because God told him to. I do think Jonah really described the Lord quite well. I’m thankful for a God Who is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and abounding in love. I really want to lay down my attitude toward others and try to see them from the Lord’s perspective. There’s not a wide gap between my sin and their sin – the consequences are much different, but my sin is still sin. I want to walk in step with the Lord and have the courage to go where He calls me to go and say what He calls me to say. I want to be full of joy over anyone and everyone who turns to the Lord for salvation.
Pressing On!
Dwayne