Jonah 4:1
“But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry.”
We now understand why Jonah ran away from the call of the Lord in the first place. He simply did not like the Assyrians and became very angry that God had forgiven these enemies of the nation Israel. (Jonah 3:10)
Jesus commanded us to "love one another" (John 13:34) and He followed that statement with: "By this all will know that you are My disciples, IF you have love for one another" (John 13:35). Why would people trust that the invisible God loves them, if His people who are visible display no love?
The lesson to learn from the book of Jonah is that forgiveness is for everyone who repents. If God forgave the Ninevites on the basis of their repentance; if He tolerated Jonah and accepted this stubborn man who resisted Him, He will do the same for you and me and anyone else, if we repent.
The Truth
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
