Guilt and Mercy
"Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, "I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.' The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!" And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land." Jonah 2
Jonah turned to the Lord in his distress. He knew that the circumstances he was in were a result of his sin, but he cried out anyway. At the moment he thought he was going to die he turns to the Lord. He remembered who he served.
God answered.
He heard Jonah's voice.
He, because of His mercy, rescued and delivered Jonah from death.
Jonah marvels at the God he serves. He acknowledged to the sailors that he served the God who created the sea and the storm when they were pleading with their vain idols for mercy. Jonah recognizes that he deserved death but God had given him life. His cry changes from one of terror and despair to one of joy and thanksgiving. John Piper notes that Jonah did not complain but that he gave thanks.
God showed Jonah mercy so that Jonah's heart would be inclined to show mercy on the Ninevites - others to whom He would extend His mercy. I marvel at Jonah's response to this mercy, but often see it played out in my life - Jonah is angry at God for showing mercy to those who don't deserve it.
Jonah's story reminds me of one of Christ's parables - the parable of the two servants who owed debts. The first servant owed a debt he would never be able to pay and the debt was forgiven. Instead of showing the same mercy to the man who owed the servant money, the servant threw the man in prison until he payed his debt. The king's response to the servant:
Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." Matt. 18:32-25
We know that we have been forgiven a debt we could never pay and yet we do not count this forgiveness as being very great. We, in our pride, do not see our sin as being very great, therefore its forgiveness does not carry much weight with us. The greater our understanding of our own sin and forgiven debt before God, the quicker we will be to forgive much smaller offenses against ourselves. Jonah marveled at his Savior and then turned around and condemned 120,000 souls. How often do we do the same? How often are we angry at our brother and murder him in our hearts? How often do we play the judge and jury when God alone is the one who has the right to revenge wrong and will do it?
How great is our sin but how much greater is His mercy. We, like Jonah, are truly debtors to mercy alone.
http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/A+Debtor+To+Mercy/2Jm7cW?src=5
Jonah turned to the Lord in his distress. He knew that the circumstances he was in were a result of his sin, but he cried out anyway. At the moment he thought he was going to die he turns to the Lord. He remembered who he served.
God answered.
He heard Jonah's voice.
He, because of His mercy, rescued and delivered Jonah from death.
Jonah marvels at the God he serves. He acknowledged to the sailors that he served the God who created the sea and the storm when they were pleading with their vain idols for mercy. Jonah recognizes that he deserved death but God had given him life. His cry changes from one of terror and despair to one of joy and thanksgiving. John Piper notes that Jonah did not complain but that he gave thanks.
God showed Jonah mercy so that Jonah's heart would be inclined to show mercy on the Ninevites - others to whom He would extend His mercy. I marvel at Jonah's response to this mercy, but often see it played out in my life - Jonah is angry at God for showing mercy to those who don't deserve it.
Jonah's story reminds me of one of Christ's parables - the parable of the two servants who owed debts. The first servant owed a debt he would never be able to pay and the debt was forgiven. Instead of showing the same mercy to the man who owed the servant money, the servant threw the man in prison until he payed his debt. The king's response to the servant:
Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." Matt. 18:32-25
We know that we have been forgiven a debt we could never pay and yet we do not count this forgiveness as being very great. We, in our pride, do not see our sin as being very great, therefore its forgiveness does not carry much weight with us. The greater our understanding of our own sin and forgiven debt before God, the quicker we will be to forgive much smaller offenses against ourselves. Jonah marveled at his Savior and then turned around and condemned 120,000 souls. How often do we do the same? How often are we angry at our brother and murder him in our hearts? How often do we play the judge and jury when God alone is the one who has the right to revenge wrong and will do it?
How great is our sin but how much greater is His mercy. We, like Jonah, are truly debtors to mercy alone.
http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/A+Debtor+To+Mercy/2Jm7cW?src=5
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