BLINDED BY BITTERNESS (5 OF 5)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: John 3:5-10, John 4:1-11
This content is part of a series.
Title: Blinded By Bitterness (5 of 5)
Series: Blind Spots
Author: Jeff Strite
Text: Jonah 3:5-4:11
Most of us have heard the story of Jonah and the whale. We've heard how God told Jonah to go the evil city of Nineveh and warn them to repent of their wickedness... or perish. But Jonah didn't want to go so he got on a boat and went entirely the other direction because he believed he could run from God. But God had other ideas and Jonah ended up in the belly of huge whale.
It's amazing what spending 3 days and nights in the belly of a whale will do for your state of mind. Jonah ended up praying and repenting, and ultimately he went to Nineveh just like God asked. He preached to that city saying 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!' And they listened to him, and repented in sackcloth and ashes.
END OF STORY... well, almost.
Here's the rest of the story: Jonah 3:5-4:11 (READ)
The end of the book of Jonah is NOT a pretty picture. It ends with Jonah still sitting around in bitterness and hatred wishing he'd never gone to Nineveh, and wishing they'd have ALL died.
In fact, he even had the audacity to rebuke God by saying: "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster." (Jonah 4:2) Believe it or not, Jonah was telling God off! He was NOT happy and he wanted God to know it.
Jonah was a bitter man.
But why was he so bitter? Well, the Bible doesn't say... but I can guess. Nineveh was a nasty piece of work. They were a war-like nation that showed no mercy to those they attacked. If a city opposed them they'd NOT just kill the survivors - they would dismember them and impale them and do other horrible things that I'm not comfortable talking about from the pulpit. Their actions so frightened other cities that... they'd simply surrender rat ...
Series: Blind Spots
Author: Jeff Strite
Text: Jonah 3:5-4:11
Most of us have heard the story of Jonah and the whale. We've heard how God told Jonah to go the evil city of Nineveh and warn them to repent of their wickedness... or perish. But Jonah didn't want to go so he got on a boat and went entirely the other direction because he believed he could run from God. But God had other ideas and Jonah ended up in the belly of huge whale.
It's amazing what spending 3 days and nights in the belly of a whale will do for your state of mind. Jonah ended up praying and repenting, and ultimately he went to Nineveh just like God asked. He preached to that city saying 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!' And they listened to him, and repented in sackcloth and ashes.
END OF STORY... well, almost.
Here's the rest of the story: Jonah 3:5-4:11 (READ)
The end of the book of Jonah is NOT a pretty picture. It ends with Jonah still sitting around in bitterness and hatred wishing he'd never gone to Nineveh, and wishing they'd have ALL died.
In fact, he even had the audacity to rebuke God by saying: "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster." (Jonah 4:2) Believe it or not, Jonah was telling God off! He was NOT happy and he wanted God to know it.
Jonah was a bitter man.
But why was he so bitter? Well, the Bible doesn't say... but I can guess. Nineveh was a nasty piece of work. They were a war-like nation that showed no mercy to those they attacked. If a city opposed them they'd NOT just kill the survivors - they would dismember them and impale them and do other horrible things that I'm not comfortable talking about from the pulpit. Their actions so frightened other cities that... they'd simply surrender rat ...
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