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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 25 November 2023:
Jonah 4:1-4 — But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “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. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”
We often want God to give mercy and grace to us but justice and judgment to those who offend us. Our unforgiveness and resentment hinder our relationship with God and puts our desires at odds with His desires. Unforgiveness and resentment are very powerful and self-destructive emotions that hurt us more than the object of our hate. We have no right to stand in the way of God’s mercy and grace for others. On the contrary, we are called by God to be His instruments of mercy and grace to those who might terribly hurt us.
Jonah was so bitter he wanted to die because God had blessed Jonah’s enemies though they didn’t deserve His mercy and grace. Here again we see the pattern of how God works in our lives – while He is using His relationship with us to impact others for His glory, He is simultaneously working on us, addressing our attitudes and actions to conform our character to His. Jonah was being used by God to reach Nineveh, but God was also using Nineveh to address the anger, bitterness, and un-forgiveness in Jonah’s heart. Jonah’s resentment of Nineveh was standing in the way of Jonah’s relationship with God and robbing Jonah of his joy. Sure, from a worldly point of view, Jonah had a “right” to hate Nineveh, but from a spiritual point of view, Jonah depended on the grace of God just as much as anyone else, and Jonah, above all else, had been commanded by God to love and to be on the mission of reconciliation. Jonah should have been compelled by appreciation for the grace that he had received from God and by love to desire that same grace for others and to display that grace to others. However contrarily, it was Jonah’s personal knowledge and faith in God’s mercy and grace that inspired him to run from His God-given mission of reconciliation – He knew that his enemies might receive from God the forgiveness he himself was not willing to give Nineveh. He was add odds with God, and it was tearing him apart. Who is God using today to test your heart and to reveal the ungodly attitudes you are holding on to, attitudes that are standing in the way of your relationship with God and robbing you of complete joy? “Do you do well to be angry?”
BTW: Notice in Jonah’s self-induced misery, God only intentionally increased his misery in order to drive Jonah to surrender. God did this not simply to “win” but to bring Jonah back to a right relationship with Him and to ultimately restore Jonah’s joy.
- Matthew 5:23-24 — So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Knowing God’s nature, we should become like Him.
Jonah 4:10, 11 — And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”
Our human nature inclines us to care about all the wrong things and to be self-centered rather than selfless. We must strive to have the mind of Christ, to see all of our circumstances and relationships from God’s perspective rather than our own. Remember, we are ambassadors for Jesus, not for ourselves. We must never represent our own interests but only the interests of Jesus. Strive to remove yourself from the situations you are involved in — die unto self and live for Christ alone. Learn to love as Jesus loves. Again, we have no right to stand in the way of God’s mercy and grace for others. On the contrary, we are called by God to be His instruments of mercy and grace to those who might terribly hurt us.
In review, It can be hard to show mercy and compassion for sinners, particularly those who have sinned directly against us and have caused us pain and suffering. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians who had continually warred against the Israelites. It is impossible for us to understand the pain and suffering the Assyrians caused the Israelites and perhaps Jonah directly. What we do know is that Jonah preferred death over seeing the Ninevites forgiven by God (Jonah 4:3). Even after receiving God’s mercy (admittedly undeservingly) in a miraculous way, Jonah wanted God’s justice, not mercy, for his enemies. God had a mission for Jonah, and God’s target for that mission was as much Jonah as it was Nineveh. God was working through Jonah but also, simultaneously, on Jonah because Jonah had a forgiveness problem. This forgiveness problem was contrary to God’s character and will and unacceptable for one of God’s ambassadors.
At the heart of our faith is forgiveness. It is “the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7) in which we place our faith and hope. In fact, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).” Forgiveness of the undeserving is how God showed His love, and this is how we show our love and reflect the character of Christ before the world. Of course, Jesus had much to say about the requirement for forgiveness, but to me some of his most powerful statements are those that tell us that we should forgive to the same degree we desire to be forgiven by God: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins (Mark 11:25).” I cannot count how many times in church I have recited these words from the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.” Not only did Jesus teach on unconditional forgiveness, He lived out the ultimate example – “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’” Who do you need to forgive today?
God’s love and mercy may make Him appear unreliable as He gives mercy, grace, and forgiveness to people we do not accept.
God loves your enemies. Do you? What kind of love does God expect from us?
- Matthew 5:43, 44 — You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
- Luke 6:27 — But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
- Luke 6:35 — But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Psalm 136:1 – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136 is a list recounting all the ways God demonstrated His love and faithfulness to His people. This gave them encouragement for the future. Do you have a list of all the things God has done in your life as a reminder to you of His love and faithfulness? Take the time today to make that list, share it with your family, and give thanks to God.
- Psalm 75:1 — We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.
- Isaiah 63:7 — I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
- Ephesians 5:20 — Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
- Colossians 3:17 — And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
- Colossians 4:2 — Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
- Psalm 69:30 — I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
- 1 Chronicles 16:8 — Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
- Lamentations 3:23 — They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
- 1 Chronicles 16:34 — Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
- 1 Corinthians 15:57 — But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 25:2 — It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
The old adage says, “Knowledge is power.” Knowledge can be very valuable, but not when knowledge is used to build up pride, to achieve personal power for self-centered ends. Many subconsciously seek knowledge as a substitute for faith, an effort to free oneself from dependency on God, an effort to worship the god of self. Of End Times, Daniel says, “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Also, Jesus said, “because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12) Today, society is in a frenzied pursuit of knowledge in order to save themselves and to eliminate the need for the Savior. As a result, the love of most is growing cold. As Paul said, “This ‘knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8:1) Read Romans 1:18-32 (written prior to Rome’s fall) to see an accurate description of what is happening in society today. Seek knowledge in a selfless, humble way, and glorify God with your faith.
What motivates your quest for knowledge will largely determine what you discover. Many get the right answers to all the wrong questions. Many seek increased knowledge to validate their own assumptions, turning a blind eye to greater truths. What might we have discovered in science and technology has we not raised up our children within an education system that excludes God from the equation? So much knowledge is a misguided, prideful pursuit among people seeking to free themselves of God’s truth. “’Knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
Proverbs 25:4 – Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel.
Are you diligently seeking to remove the dross of sin from your life that you would be a worthy vessel for the Holy Spirit?
Proverbs 25:5 – Take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Proverbs 25:6, 7 – Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, ‘Come up here,’ than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
Don’t be a self-promoter. Let your reputation speak for itself. Margaret Thatcher once said, “Power is like being a lady… if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” What you are should be so apparent that you don’t have to promote it artificially. Some people become great at writing resumes, conducting job interviews, collective awards, accreditations, etc, all to get important positions, but they are only “empty suits” who overpromise and underdeliver. Of course politicians are known for doing what it takes to get elected and then failing to be all that they said they would be or failing to do all that they said they would do. Proverbs 25:14 says, “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.” Instead, Christians should let their actions, rather than their words, earn them an invitation to the party and a seat at the table. Do whatever you do so well that everyone demands more.
Proverbs 25:7, 8 — What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?
Don’t be too quick to judge.
Proverbs 25:15, 16 – With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone. If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
Patience and self-control are key to positive relationships and to success in general.
Proverbs 25:19 – Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
The wrong people in your life can make things bad that should be good.
Proverbs 25:21, 22 – If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
God expects your love for your enemies to be tangible; if it doesn’t cost you something, it probably isn’t worth very much.
Proverbs 25:26 – Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
Accept as much sin in your life as you would accept feces in your drinking water. Don’t pollute yourself with compromise.
Proverbs 25:26-28 — Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
Much of Proverbs 25 is about that last fruit of the Spirit, self-control – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24) The gift of the Holy Spirit does not remove the need or requirement for self-control but rather empowers us to have self-control.
Self-control is our God-given ability to overcome temptation, one of our endowments that separate us from the animal kingdom, our defense against the destructiveness of sin. The Spirit has empowered us with the ability of self-control; we must choose to live by the Spirit and not by the flesh, to keep in step with the Spirit and not to quench the Spirit. This is our choice. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) But we are not yet perfected and experience the same frustrations Paul did – “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15) So, the Bible remains a lamp to our feet to help protect us from our weak areas as we strive to build up our walls of self-control, as we live out the role of Nehemiah in our own lives, protecting our hearts.
In dealing with self-control, today’s proverbs first warn us to avoid prideful self-promoting and self-justification. We are all too quick to take credit and to cast blame; we often do it without even thinking; this is ungodly. Proverbs next points out that prideful emotions cause us to sin in both word and deed. We lift ourselves up artificially and tear others down inappropriately, and we deny others the good we should have provided them. In so doing, we subvert our message from Christ. We misrepresent him as his ambassadors. Like a polluted well, we have nothing to offer those who thirst. The Bible tells us we must have self-control, internal discipline. Self-control goes hand-in-hand with love. Don’t take your lack of self-control lightly, and don’t act like you are powerless to overcome your areas of personal weakness. Strive to build up your strength where you know you are weak as an act of worship, as a sacrifice to God, to bring Him glory.
Self-control is a mark of maturity and vital to the development of greater maturity. Another word we use for self-control is discipline. But interestingly when the Bible uses the word “discipline” it is almost exclusively used to describe external discipline rather than internal discipline, or “self-control.” God disciplines those He loves, but His desire is that we exercise self-control in maturity much like any parent would desire for their children. How is your self-control?
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 25 November 23: Make your list of how God has blessed you in your life, and share it with others today.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 