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Show A BUSH, A WORM, AND THE SUN Jonah 4: 5-9 The wise man Solomon learned early how to avoid the downward road of chaos and destruction. He learned that "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that city." (Proverbs 16: 32) This proverbial verse sums up what was happening in the book of Jonah. The people of Nineveh deserved to be punished and wiped out because they had taketh a done wrong and sinned. Jonah had every right to run (he thought) away from the presence of God. The city was stinking and he hated the place. Why was he called to warn them of the judgment of God? The Ninevites mistreated Jonah's 1 own people entitled to thing they were some blessing from God. and the last was So Jonah ran, ran as fast and as far as he could in the opposite direction. But God had news for him. God sent a great storm big fish to catch Him. God had other plans for Jonah and the Ninevites Jonah wanted to sleep but God gave him three days ad three night too think about it in the belly of the fish. It was 750 and a . . years before Christ was born yet it was like His three days in the grave before the resurrection. Jonah went Nineveh and the people on to hated preached the good news to and the Ninevites heard the Word of the Lord. The people repented and God relented and Jonah got angry. Look at Jonah's reaction to the patience and the love of 2 God. Jonah went out and sat under shelter had a on a the east side of Nineveh. Jonah remedy to the problem Can I tell you again, that man homemade he faced. made shelter will Unlike a never do. shelter which is man made, a bush is God grown. God sprouted a bush to grow up quickly and provide Jonah with shade and comfort. There he sat waiting, waiting for the Lord to overthrow the land. Imagine if you will, the preaching was about God's hand of judgment, about His punishment upon those who have done wrong. God paused His hand of destruction and gave the people another chance. How dare Jonah get angry about the mercy of God! For that God gave Jonah another let Jonah get by, did not let him same chance, 3 die in the water in the or To get Jonah's belly of the fish. attention, God prepared a bush and let it shade Jonah. But just as quickly as the bush came up, God sent attack it The a worm so worm to take the bush that the sun would dry out, to it out. cut and ate and ate and cut until the life stream of the bush dried up. No sap of warmness dripped through its branches. No juice of kindness flowed through its limbs. No lifeblood softened the hardness. The leaves dried up and fell off. The limbs weakened and drooped. The bark cracked and whither away. The next day, the peeled. sun got The bush so hot on his head that Jonah lost his mind. He wished he was dead. He 'wanted to die. God had asked the question so 4 much so clearly, so emphatically that Jonah responded, "It is right for me to be angry! I tell you, you are in a terrible place when you get so angry that you would rather be dead. Those who fly into a fit of anger always So pray that God will direct your heart and mind and He will direct your every step. have a bad landing. 5 |
