God - Reluctant in Judgment Pt 2

8/8/2019 God - Reluctant in Judgment Pt 2

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God Reluctant In Judgment - Part 2

Upon thinking further on this subject I want to elaborate. The book

of Jonah is a book whose theme is that the LORD is a universal

God and has genuine concern for the Gentiles. In this beautifulstory Jonah a reluctant prophet, told to go preach to the war like

city of Nineveh, but he disobeys and catches the first ship to Spain.

We all know the story about the prophet getting swallowed by the

large fish (not whale). Lets pick up from there Jonah goes and

preaches and the people of Nineveh repent. Lets read.

Jonah 3:5 & 9-10 & 4:1-2 So the people of Nineveh believed

God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatestof them even to the least of them.

9 Who can tell ifGod will turn and repent, and turn away from his

fierce anger, that we perish not?

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 itnot.

4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

2 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.

It is hilarious that Jonah gets angry at Ninevehs repentance it

seems childish of the prophet. Jonah deems this all as an exercise

in futility, because the LORD is gracious and kind. So the LORD

gives Jonah a little lesson. It was very hot and the LORD caused agourd plant to grow up over night, to shade Jonah, this makes

Jonah glad. The LORD then sends an east wind that destroys the

gourd plant, Jonah is then sorrowful for the plant and wants to die.

Lets read the LORDS reply.


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Jonah 4: 9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for

the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the

which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came

up in a night, and perished in a night:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are

more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between

their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Jonah has pity on a plant but not on the Gentile people of Nineveh.

What I love is the depiction on the people of Nineveh being so

dumb that dont know left from right hand, which hints they are to

dumb to know right from wrong. Interestingly the Assyrians laterin history accept Christ and become a large and great church.

The lesson to be deducted out of the book of Jonah is that the

LORD is merciful, kind and slow to anger even with dumb sinners.

The Apostle Paul is also a subject study on this theme that God is

reluctant in judgment, and abundant in mercy. Saul later renamed

Paul is a Pharisee who persecutes the church. He is a Christian

killer.

1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not

meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of

God.

Galatians 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past

in the Jews religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the

church of God, and wasted it:

The LORD thinks different than we do. The LORD is going to take

a man whose desire is to destroy the church and make this man one

of the most important spokesmen for the church. The LORD has a

way to turn what seems like disaster into blessing.

Paul on his way to Damascus meets the LORD, lets read.


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Acts 9:1-9 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter

against the disciples of the LORD, went unto the high priest,

2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that

if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he

might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly

there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul,

Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, LORD? And the LORD said, I am

Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the

pricks.

6 And he trembling and astonished said, LORD, what wilt thouhave me to do? And the LORDsaidunto him, Arise, and go into

the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless,

hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened,

he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into

Damascus.

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor

drink.

This is probably the most dramatic and punishing conversion in the

bible. Paul is sent to a mysterious saint in Damascus named

Ananias, lets continue in the ninth chapter of Acts.

Acts 9:15-17 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named

Ananias; and to him said the LORD in a vision, Ananias. And he

said, Behold, I am here, LORD.11 And the LORDsaidunto him, Arise, and go into the street

which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas forone

called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and

putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.


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13 Then Ananias answered, LORD, I have heard by many of this

man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all

that call on thy name.

15 But the LORD said unto him, Go thy way:for he is a chosenvessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings,

and the children of Israel:

16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my

names sake.

17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and

putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the LORD, even Jesus,

that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me,

that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the HolyGhost.

This is such an interesting setting of scripture. Ananias is a

mysterious figure in the bible, this is the only place in scripture

that he is mentioned, he is so close to the LORD in that the LORD

speaks to him in a vision to lay hands on Paul which heals and

consecrates an apostle. Upon Paul meeting the LORD he begins to

spread the doctrines of Christ as enthusiastically as he condemned

them. Truly Jesus overcomes evil with good.

Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with

good.

A further observation of the LORDS abundant mercy and

longsuffering is the way that the gospel goes to Greece and Rome

two nations that for centuries had tried to destroy Gods chosen

people Israel.


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Today we watch a clash of civilizations and religions with Islams

sword hacking away in places like Sudan and Afghanistan. All the

while Islam trying to convince the world that they are a peaceful

religion, nevertheless their barbarous acts bewilder the western

world, their peace appears disingenuous. Perhaps only when theworld is smoldering in rubble and ash the entire world will come to

the conclusion that Jesus Christ is the river of life in a hostile

desert of despair. Shalom!

Copyright 2010 J. Wilder & The Wilder Family Trust dated 2/13/04

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by anymeans, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,

taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the writtenpermission of the author or the estate except in the case of brief quotations

embodied in scholarly or critical articles and reviews. Teaching othersencouraged.


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God - Reluctant in Judgment Pt 2

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