SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/02/2025/10:15
AM
My
Worship Time Focus: PT-6 “The Final Admonition”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Jonah
4:9-11
Message of the verses: ““Then God said to Jonah,
“Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant? And he said, “I have good reason to be angry,
even to death.” Then Yahweh said, “You
had pity on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came to be overnight. So should I not have pity on Nineveh, the
great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left
hand, as well as many animals?”
I mentioned in my last SD
on the book of Jonah that today’s SD will be the last one from the book of
Jonah. I have to say that this fourth
chapter of Jonah has taught me many different things that I did not know
before, and for that I am grateful. I
also mentioned that in tomorrow’s SD that I will begin to look at the
introduction of the book of Hahum, and I believe we will see that this book
also deals with the Ninevites, but in a far different way. I will begin looking at this book in the same
way that I did with Jonah, and that is to quote what John MacArthur has to say
about it in his introductory comments.
Now back to the fifth point that MacArthur brings out as he ends his
commentary on Jonah.
“Fifth, the scores of animals in
Nineveh made the city more valuable than Jonah’s cherished plant. God point out that the city had many
animals. Animals are obviously of
higher value than plants. While this may
refer to the way the Ninevites included their animals in their display of
repentance (Jonah 3:7-8), the statement ought to be viewed in light of God’s
ordering of creation. In Genesis 1, God
made animals superior to plants (Gen. 1:30).
If Jonah could justify his compassion on a plant, which was lower in the
created order, he could not deny that God was justified in showing compassion
toward creatures who were higher on that order.
And if the Lord was right to have pity on the animals, how much more on
the people of Nineveh.
“In this way, God demonstrated that
His pity for the city was reasonable while Jonah’s pity for the plant was not.
If the prophet appreciated the goodness of God’s grace in providing a temporary
shade bush, then he also had to acknowledge the goodness of God’s grace in
sparing a city full of eternal souls.
“In the face of such an irrefutable
argument, the prophet remained silent.
The Lord’s last words served as a final admonition to His prophet. God’s rhetorical question left Jonah
speechless in light of his flagrant hypocrisy.
Jonah’s rejoiced when divine grace was applied to him, but he resented
that same grace when it was extended to others, even though he was just as undeserving as they were.” Here is a wonderful point that we as
believers need to understand, that none of us are deserving of God’s saving
grace for “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
“Did Jonah ever learn his
lesson? Throughout the book the prophet
often remained silent as his defiant actions spoke louder than his words (Jonah
1:3; 4:5). Though silent once again,
this time he responded differently.
Having been confronted by the Lord and shown his hypocrisy, the prophet
returned to Israel where he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the book
that bears his name, recounting his foolishness and offering his testimony as
an object lesson to all. This book is Jonah’s
repentance. It not only recounts the
great measures God took to draw the Ninevites to Himself but also testifies to
the great work of God to restore His wayward prophet.
“The story of Jonah is a marvelous
revelation of God reaching down in His grace to save sinners, both Jew and
Gentile. All those whom the Lord draws
to Himself will come to Him in repentant faith (cf. John 6:44; 10:11-16; Romans
8:31-39; 11:1-36). In the end, the book
of Jonah displays God’s desire to save sinners who have egregiously
transgressed His Law. In His grace, He
will forgive all who turn from sin and turn to Him (cf. 1 Thess. 1:9). Because of His abundant grace, He offers
forgiveness and eternal life to undeserving sinners through the One who
fulfills the sign of Jonah—The Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead!
Matthew 12:38-41 states:
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered and said to
Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation
eagerly seeks for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the
sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN
THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth. The
men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will
condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold,
something greater than Jonah is here.
Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today: This last section of Jonah that was explained in John
MacArthur’s commentary shows me that I should never give up, for just as I did
not understand that Jonah who is the author of this book came to realize the
grace of God was what saved him, and also the Ninevites, which to me is the
most important part of this book. It took
Jonah a while to get this point, but he got it.
Sometimes it takes me a while, but by God’s grace I surely desire to
learn what the Lord desires to teach me.
Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today: Continue to trust the Lord to teach me the lessons that I need
to learn.
12/2/2025
11:00 AM
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