Doest Thou Well to be Angry?

Doest Thou Well to be Angry?

Then said the Lord, ‘Doest thou well to be angry?’

Jonah 4:4

Jonah was a curious character, and more like us than we would perhaps like to think.  He was both nationally and personally one of the elect of God.  He had, as the result of his experience in the fish, a remarkable experience of personal salvation.  Hopefully you also can testify that you have the experience of personal salvation of the spiritual kind.  Jonah had received the call of God to high office.  As he was called to be a prophet, our high office is that of ‘ saints, kings and priests.’  We are, according to Peter, ‘a holy nation; a peculiar people.’

As Jonah had, we also have an evangelistic mission.  The Great Commission is for us as well as the disciples.  Just as it was for Jonah, God has granted us outstanding answers to prayer.  The answer to our prayer for salvation would be enough, but we have enjoyed many more.

Jonah had been privy to deep theological insights.  His theology is impeccable for its understanding of the character of God.  Jonah had also had personal interaction with God and been used of Him.  I suspect that every one of us could testify to the same thing.  God has shown Himself to us and used us.

Yet in the fourth chapter of the book bearing his name this privileged person was angry with God.  Why?  The answer perhaps lies close to us and may convict us of our own smallness of spirit.  Three things come to my mind as possibilities.  First, God was merciful to people for whom Jonah had no time or love.  Second, God had not done what suited Jonah.  Third, God had used Jonah in His Own way, for His Own purpose and not in the way Jonah wanted to be used.  We may be angry with God today for some of the same reasons.  This then, is a suitable question for us to ask today, ‘Doest thou well to be angry?’

The Person who most thoroughly sets the proper example for us is Christ Himself.  Whereas He has the most reason to take umbrage at our offenses, He demonstrates Himself to be most longsuffering, patient, forbearing and merciful.  In essence, by asking Jonah whether he did ‘well to be angry,’ the Lord was drawing contrasts and comparisons between His attitude toward the ‘unworthy’ and Jonah’s. In all our dealings with the persistently rebellious, let us look to Christ to conform our attitudes to be like His.  He alone can enable us to see others as He sees them.

Merciful Father,

We thank You today for Your patience with us.

We lift our eyes to You and trust

that You alone will enable us to see others

as Christ sees them.

Where the Bush is Burning

Tomm Tice