For every natural disaster we have seen, there is always that one person that makes God out to be a homicidal maniac and tells everyone that He meant to judge the nation through disaster. I am sorry but Jesus paid a great price so that ALL could be saved. Why would God send something so horrific that it would take the lives of children? I am not saying that God does not send judgment because it is obvious that He does from reading the story of Noah but...He always sets in place a rescue plan. Even Sodom and Gomorrah had a shot at God's mercy through Abraham's intercession. So, if God always has a rescue plan then where is it some might ask? My friends only look in the mirror and inside a church. The rescuers are sitting comfortably on the pews every Sunday, deafened to the cries of the broken because of their judgmental attitudes. Yes, my friends we are the spiritual rescue team looking for survivors under deep piles of religious doctrine, blind from the dirt of sin, groping around in the darkness and looking for shelter from the storm. What is sad about these attitudes that are seen in some Christians is that they are actually reinforcing the beliefs that many atheists have. I have heard this from many of them they believe that God is some kind of bully and homicidal maniac. Yes, I know they say they don't believe in God but most of them are just offended with the idea that God would kill innocent people. They mostly cite Old Testament scriptures to support this idea. Then to hear Christians confirm to them what they already believe about God is sickening. Some of us run around like angry prophets and to our chagrin it is the very reason the grace movement has gained so much momentum. They got sick of the angry prophets making profits from their pockets; using the commandments of men to manipulate people to do their bidding.
Then we see Jesus. He is confronted with a decision to stone a person caught in the act of sin. There she is awaiting her punishment that she so justly deserves. She was probably trying to cover herself up the best she could and looking away in shame. Then Jesus passed his sentence, "He who has no sin throw the first stone." With no accusers left to condemn her, Jesus just let her go with this exhortation, "Go and sin no more." What a relief she must have felt when she heard those words. She could now be free to love God without fear. Mercy had triumphed over justice.
As I saw the most current natural disaster unfold, the Lord led me to read the book of Jonah. We often dismiss this book as a children's story with little or no relevance to our adult lives. However, we couldn't be more wrong. Jonah hears the call of God to go to the city of Nineveh and warn them. 1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD....Jonah 1:1-3
Many of us don't understand why Jonah was avoiding his commission to rescue those living in a depraved city. What people don't understand is that Jonah had a biased view of the people of Nineveh. He refused preach to them. If you read 2 Kings 19 you will find out that Nineveh was the city of the Assyrians. They were Israel's enemies and were often at war with them. Nineveh was built by Noah's grandson Cush, son of Ham. Genesis 10:8-12 They were long distant relatives who over the course of time had become quite wicked and God was fed up with their sin. Jonah's disobedience of course causes problems for everyone on the ship he is fleeing on and finally they toss him out of the boat he gets swallowed by a fish to be spit out on the shores of...you guessed it Nineveh. God has a very persuasive way about Him doesn't He? Lesson for all of us is this: Our disobedience not only affects us but everyone around us.
Jonah finally relents warns Nineveh and to his surprise his enemies repent! Jonah 3:10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
Now Jonah is angry because really deep down he was secretly wanting to see the destruction of his enemies. How can God have mercy on such a perverse and wicked people? Jonah then explains why he didn't want to go to Nineveh in the first place. "I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, One who relents from doing harm" Jonah 4:2 Wow! Jonah knew that if preached his message that there was a possibility that Nineveh would repent and be spared. Instead of rejoicing Jonah sulks all day in anger.
So that Jonah could see things from God's perspective he raises a plant that shelters Jonah then dies over night. Jonah of course is sad that the plant died as it no longer was there to provide shelter for him; so God uses it to explain his heart to him. 10 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. 11 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
After reading the story of Jonah I realized that many of us have an angry prophet attitude. Some of us are like the disciples that Jesus exhorted long ago when they wanted to call fire down on their enemies. Jesus rebuked them when he said, "You know not what spirit you are of." The truth is many of us secretly wish for our enemies to be destroyed rather than to see them saved and delivered from destruction. Our bias towards certain groups keep us from reaching them. We often think well "they deserve what's coming to them." I think we forget sometimes where we have come from. Some of the people we see in church today were some of the people we look down upon now. In reference to our world now; many of us would rather see the end of the world rather than preaching repentance to our nation so that God would relent from His anger. This Jonah complex keep us from interceding for the lost and preaching the messages that would have them turn from their wickedness. Some of us have no concern for the lost because we are already going to heaven so we feel that our job is done here. Worse, some of us are so convinced that we will not go into the tribulation that we have not prepared ourselves or bothered to prepare the people who will stand before the Judgment seat of God. This is a selfish attitude. This is not God's heart. We need to have Jesus' heart.
Let us pray: Father forgive us for being angry prophets and having bias in our hearts. For disobeying the call to go into the highways and byways. For allowing our anger towards certain groups; to keep us from reaching them for you. We choose to forgive those who have come against our nation, who are being used by the devil and those who are in authority who are pushing the agendas of Satan. We choose to pray for those who are hurting us God. Please reveal our hearts and remove any attitudes that our contrary to the love of Christ. We pray that you would relent in your anger towards our nation for turning away from you. We pray that our nation would return to it's Godly heritage. Give us a plan for reaching those we don't understand and that perhaps we fear. Help us see those around us the way you see them. Holy Spirit shed the love of God in our hearts, in Jesus name. Amen.
