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"Should I not pity Nineveh"

Text: Jonah 4:11

IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

God wanted Jonah to learn what it means to have a compassionate and gracious soul! That would be truly becoming of a prophet, a servant of God!

“But the LORD said,
‘You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored,
nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.
And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than
one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern
between their right hand and their left- and much livestock?'”
Jonah 4:10-11

1. The last word came from the Lord God.

2. “You have had pity on the plant”

a) Jonah did nothing for the plant.

i) He did not labour.

ii) He did not make it grow.

b) The life of the plant

i) It lasted for one day.

ii) It perished after one day.

3. “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city”

a) A hundred and twenty thousand people lived in Nineveh.

b) They were so morally inadequate they could not distinguish right from wrong.

c) This is the meaning of they “cannot discern between their right hand and their left”.

4. “And much livestock”

a) This was added on purpose.

b) Jonah had pity on the plant.

c) Perhaps he too had pity on the animals that lived in Nineveh!

THE VIRTUES THAT WERE LACKING IN JONAH

There were certain virtues that were obviously missing in Jonah’s life. The last word from the Lord was meant for him to ponder deeply!

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3)

2. Blessed are the merciful (Matthew 5:7)

Jonah’s angry spirit needed to be addressed and changed! How wonderful to know that God in His graciousness and mercifulness can help His children to cultivate the Divine image they are created with!