Jonah 3:10, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
Jonah 4:1-5, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry? So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.”
Jonah lived during the time when the Assyrian Empire ruled the entire world in the 8th century BC. Before Assyria Egypt ruled the world, and afterwards Babylon ruled the world. The Assyrian military was infamous for their horrifying torture methods, in particular nailing a man to a tree and with pliers stripping the skin from his body while the victim was alive. With this fact in mind it is not hard to understand why Jonah fled from going to Ninevah (the capital city of Assyria) to preach the Gospel to them as God had commanded.
I'm sure that you are familiar with the amazing story. Jonah fled on a ship to Tarshish. While at sea the Lord caused a severe storm that threatened to sink the ship. Jonah told the men that it was the curse of God because of his disobedience, so they threw him overboard. God caused a big whale to swallow Jonah. In the belly of the whale Jonah had three days to think about his life and situation. In Jonah 2:9b he exclaimed that, "Salvation is of the LORD." He also renewed to keep his vow to God. Jonah 2:9, “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” In my humble opinion, it seems that Jonah had promised God to go to Ninevah, but didn't go. That is just Stewology (my speculation), but you just read for yourself what Jonah said. It was at this time that God told Mr. Whale to drop Jonah off at the next whale stop on dry ground.
The Bible says once freed from his nightmare in the whale's stomach, that Jonah ran and made a 3 day's journey in just 1 day (Jonah 3:3-4). Wow! The ole boy ran his butt off! When he arrived, Jonah began to warn the Assyrians that God would utterly destroy Ninevah in just 40 DAYS!!! I have heard some preachers speculate that Jonah's skin must have been dyed green from the digestive stomach acid in the whale's belly. We simply don't know if Jonah's appearance was disheveled, frightening, strange or normal. I think it is safe to assume that Jonah was full of zeal in his urgent message of coming judgment upon the Assyrians, considering the ordeal he had just been through for three days.
You Don't Have To “Turn From Your Sins” To Get To Heaven
The Bible says that the people of Ninevah repented of their sins. I would like to stop for a moment here and point out that no one has ever been saved by turning from their sinful behavior, which would be works. Proof of what I say is found in Jonah 3:10, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” Here is clear biblical evidence that turning from one's evil way is WORKS! Tragically, over 85% of Baptist churches today are preaching a corrupt plan of salvation.
Look at the Satanic garbage that is being taught at Pensacola Christian College (PCC) today in their Campus Church. Anybody who teaches that you must be willing to forsake a lifestyle of sin to get to Heaven is preaching ANOTHER GOSPEL (Galatians 1:6-9). So, the Ninevites didn't get saved, they repented to turn away from their wickedness and God spared them judgment. A century later the Assyrians had returned to the vomit of their evil ways, so God sent Naham the prophet to pronounce doom upon them! Sin always leads to judgment!
Be Careful Not To Hate Sinners Like Jonah Did
Jonah 3:10 and 4:1, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.” I have a confession to make. Sometimes I have a bad attitude like Jonah. I get angry about the horrible things wicked people—whether it be backslidden Christians or false believers—who have done to hurt me in the past. At times, I feel a strong desire to see them punished by God. I'm sure you have felt the same at times toward people who have done you wrong.
I could take a pen and paper and write down 100 rotten things people have done to hurt me in the past, particularly pastors. Some of the most evil people I have known were pastors. When a pastor preaches a counterfeit plan of salvation, and you befriend him with biblical truth, but then he drives you out of his church and bans you from returning—that pastor is evil incarnate! I have had that done to me multiple times by different ungodly pastors.
Jonah 4:1, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.” Have you ever felt angry that people who have hurt you didn't get punished? I have. It upsets me to see a wicked pastor who is living large, getting paid a disgusting 6-digit salary, while he preaches the Devil's fraud of Lordship Salvation and gets away with it. My only comfort and peace of soul comes from knowing that the time of reckoning will come, when those ungodly arrogant pastors will be punished by God almighty (Galatians 6:7).
Loving Justice Versus Hating Sinners
I have often said that there is a fine line between faith and foolishness. It is okay to pray impreccatory prayers. David did this often. For example: Psalms 58:6, “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.” David felt righteous indignation toward the wicked, wanting to see them burn. It is biblically okay to desire to see justice. I could list several dozen names of people whom I pray and desire for God to severely punish, to avange me of their evils against me (Matthew 7:1-2). God has promised to avenge me (Romans 12:19-21; 1st Thessalonians 4:6).
The Bible says in Revelation 18:15a that “The merchants of these things” cried aloud saying that God has avenged the saints in Heaven, who were tormented and marytred on earth. Revelation 18:19-20, “And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.” So, here we see that biblically it is okay to rejoice when there is justice.
However, in Jonah's case he was still upset even after the guilty party repented of their wrongs. The inspired Scripture tells us that the Ninevites turned from their evil ways. They changed their minds from committing horrible wickedness, to obey the Lord. They didn't get saved, because turning from your evil ways is WORKS, which the Bible plainly says. Anybody who teaches that people were saved by WORKS + FAITH in the Old Testament is a LIAR! Romans 4:4, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” This lone Bible verse proves that NO ONE has ever been saved by WORKS, because to do so would have meant God OWED them salvation, which cannot be GRACE. I marvel that any preacher could be so woefully ignorant to think that people were saved by WORKS under the Mosaic law. The prophet Habakkuk lived under the Mosaic law, who plainly said in Habakkuk 2:4 that the just man shall live by his faith.
Dear reader, there is an amazing passage of Scripture in the Old testament that I am reminded about often, concerning Job and his horrible friends. Poor Job had once been very wealthy. He was a happy man with a wife and 10 children. But then God made a wager with Satan (the reason for which I will never understand), to allow the Devil to destroy Job's life, to see if he would curse God. Satan robbed Job of his wealth. Job's servants were murdered, his fields burned, his thousands of heads of livestock stolen, his 10 children all killed by a tornado, his health taken away, and then to seal his fate Job's wife suggested that he curse God and die. In fairness to Mrs. Job, she had just lost her 10 precious children. I cannot blame her for being bitter against God. I don't know how I would have held up under such dire circumstances, and neither do you honestly know friend, until you and I have been in Job's shoes.
As if that all weren't bad enough, then Job's rotten hypocritical friends blamed him, accusing Job of harbouring sin in his life. Then they suggested that perhaps his children were sinning in secret, which tempted the judgment of God upon the family. What jerks for friends! With friends like Job's, you don't need any enemies! Look at what Job said about his losers for friends in Job 16:1-2, “Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.” They made Job more miserable!
But here is the beautiful truth that I want you to see dear reader. Job 42:10, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Wow! Job was a much better Christian than I have been over the years. I have often prayed over the many years, for God to curse the ungodly pastors who have added misery to my miseries. But ever since I read this Bible verse about Job several years ago in Job 42:10, I have started praying for the professed Christians who've deeply wounded my soul and added misery to my hardships, inexplicable emotional trauma, losses and bodily pain. It's not easy to pray for those who have hurt me, but if God was pleased with Job's forgiving spirit, then our Creator who never changes (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8), will be pleased today thousands of years later when we also pray for those who hurt us.
Is that not what our blessed Savior taught in The Beatitudes (or as I like to say, "The Attitudes That Should Be")? Look at what Jesus said to do when people hurt us, use us and curse us. Matthew 5:44-45, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Very few believers have grown to the point of unconditionally loving their enemies with Christ's love. Remember, GOD IS LOVE!!! Luke 6:28, “Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”
When the disciples went to Samaria to preach the Gospel of free grace, the Samaritans rejected them. The disicples were so angry that they asked Jesus for permission to pray down fire and brimstone to consume and annihilate the people. Jesus sternly rebuked them and reminded the disciples that He came to save men's lives, not to destroy them. ...
Luke 9:51-56, “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.”
I don't know about you, but on a regular basis I need to be reminded that I am not enough like my precious Savior, Jesus. I sometimes get upset with mean and foolish people. I told someone off a few months at Amazon.com, for falsely accusing me of "Hate Speech" for mentioning "The Little Rascals" in a movie review. The Amazon employee lives in India and isn't familar with our American culture, so they assumed that I was calling children "rascals," which they deemed hate speech. They threatened to terminate my acocunt if I did it again. I'm not making this insanity up, it really happened. I had been a loyal customer at Amazon for 20 years, but the company has ZERO loyalty for me as a customer. Amazon's owners have outsourced all customer operations to foreign countries in the Philippines, South Africa and India; and has unfortunatelt given full autonomy to these incompetent idiots).
Anyway, I apologized several times to Amazon, for telling off their employees. I even wrote a letter and mailed it to Seattle, Washington to their corproate headquaters. It didn't matter, Amazon's thugs refused to forgive me and that is that. So, I am permanently banned from ever writing any product reviews again. The Bible warns that if someone refuses to forgive others, God will NOT forgive that person (Matthew 6:14-15). Amazon will not be forigven by God.
But regardless, they are not born again Christians, I am, so the burden falls upon me to be Christlike at all times. I shouldn't have told them off using the harsh language that I did. I told them to kiss me where the sun don't shine. I told them what they could do with their reviews. They didn't like that. It seems that Amazon has given full control to young brats in their Community Standards Department, who have zero people skills and lack compassion. So, it didn't surprise me when I went to file a complaint at the Better Business Bureau, to find over 50,000 complaints against Amazon by their mistreated customers, 60% of which have never been reseolved.
One upset man said that as a small business owner, he had been a loyal Amazon customer for over 20 years, but they banned him from writing product reviews and didn't even give him an explanation of why. The gigantuan company was wicked and unreasonable with the man, as they also were toward me. 2nd Thessalonians 3:2, “And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.”
If you are a driver like me, then you know that drivers will test your Christian faith to the max. In the 17 years I lived on Guam I never stuck my middle finger up once, but I did it last year when a speeding driver was on top of me out of nowhere and laid on the horn. I was startled and angered by the rackless driver, and I flipped him the bird. I am ashamed to admit what I did, because that is not the Lord's way. We're not going to win souls to Christ by being worldly, angry and retaliatory toward ungodly sinners.
That is exactly what the inspired Holy Bible means in Hebrews 10:14-16, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”
Hebrews 10:14 is a quote from the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 29:18, “Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;” When a child of God chooses to live a life of open sin and wickedness, their light for Christ is hidden under a bushel. When we don't emulate Christ in our daily life, lost sinners may go to Hell because they won't see Jesus in us. Dear reader, you are the only Jesus that someone knows.
This is why when Lot tried to warn his two son-in-laws about coming fiery judgment upon the city of Sodom, the Bible says they laughed him to scorn as one who mocked. It was like Late Night comedy on television for their time. Lot might as well have been Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien telling jokes! Neither of his son-in-laws took him serious because of the lack of holiness in Lot's life. Lot was Abraham's nephew. His family did not respect him as a man of God; to his family, Lot was a phony and a hypocritie. Proverbs 25:19, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” To put the cookies on the bottom shelf for everyone to reach: Our walk talks and our talk talks, but our walk talks louder than our talk talks!
May we all do better with God's grace, to show forth the Lord Jesus Christ in our daily lives. Let us unconditionally love and pray for those who hurt us and add misery to our miseries, and not have the bad attitude of Jonah who wanted to see Ninevah crash and burn.
