Jonah 1-4 Bitterness 

Have you ever met a person who is bitter over something that occurred years ago and that bitterness has festered so much that they are angry, disappointed, discontented daily. Their bitterness has led to physical challenges even to the point of illness. 

Jonah is one of those biblical characters that is challenging us to look within ourselves to see if we are harboring a spirit of bitterness. Jonah was bitter over the treatment the Ninevites had fostered upon the Israelites. He couldn’t see the truth of Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,” He just wanted God to destroy them, not save them. We act the same way when something happens and we want revenge not grace.

What Jonah did not figure into the equation is how his decision would affect other people. And so we find him leaving Israel and on a ship fast asleep thinking he had outsmarted God. But, God was determined that the Ninevites would hear the gospel and so He sent a major storm to get Jonah’s attention. It took a major storm, a fish and three days meditating on his choice. In the end, God Jonahobeyedto go and preach to the Ninevites. He did it grudgingly but the city heard and repented. Did Jonah shout Hallelujah? No, he pouted and acted like a spoiled baby. 

There are so many lessons for us to learn from Jonah but the major one is obedience is God’s way for His plans are higher than ours. We may not understand but God does.