December 3, 2008 - Running Ahead Of God

Meditation on Jonah 4

Jonah walked with God the entire time he was in the city of Nineveh. As soon as he got out of the city, he was running way ahead of God's purpose for His preaching. He built a booth on the East side of the city for the purpose of observing God's punishing upon Nineveh in forty days as he had predicted. Is not this the way some of the so called dedicated Christians would behave? Since they feel that they have been cleansed by the blood of Christ and they are on fire for the LORD, they would criticize, condemn and judge upon others who are not doing everything or behave a certain way that these jealous Christians want everyone to do. Since they had a little success, so they feel so holy that they are above others. They are lack of compassion. They run ahead of God.

Jonah became angry that God did not do what he had preached on. He wanted to die than to live. He did not understand what it means to have compassion.

So God taught him a lesson with a fast growing plant. This plant gave him cover for the burning heat. He was very happy. But soon his joy changed to anger because the plant that gave him shade withered. So he did not want to live again because he felt so bad for the plant.

God said to Jonah that since he felt pity for a plant that was so temporal and that he had nothing to do with its growth, why should not God had pity on the people of Nineveh especially those innocent babies?

We may learn also that God even has compassion on their cattle too. (v. 11) God is an animal lover.

When we walk with God, we should have His compassion. Otherwise we would run ahead of God.