Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
Jonah 1-4
As we pulled into the gas station, I only had one thing on my mind — my large Diet Dew.
The car was barely parked before my door was opened. My feet barely touched the ground as I was flying towards the entrance. The crazy automatic doors were way too slow and I nearly smashed my face into them.
It wasn’t until I was about to open the car door with my new treasure in hand that I noticed two young women right in front of the store struggling to change a flat tire.
Embarrassed, I put my drink in the car and went over and put on their spare tire.
Jonah had a hard time with the assignment God had given him. He wanted justice for the Assyrians not mercy.
God, however, prefers mercy over judgement.
So, when the Assyrians humbled themselves and turned to God, he withheld his planned destruction of the city.
Jonah was ticked.
“Kill me now God!”
God seized the moment.
Class was now in session. God sent a plant that provided shade for Jonah, but it soon wilted.
He was “angry enough to die!” He didn’t care about 120,000 people, but he sure loved that plant.
We can be so easily distracted. The next big business deal. The latest widget to make life easier. A to-do list that eats the average person for lunch. Winning an argument. Getting what we want when we want it the way we want it.
It doesn’t take very long before people drift into the background noise.
Their need for Jesus and his mercy doesn’t even cross our minds.
But should our a/c go out on a 90-degree day, we’ll move heaven and earth to get it back up and running.
Too often, I look more like Jonah than I care to admit.
Sparked
When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord had sent, the people feared the Lord.
Haggai 1-2
Recently, a rather extensive home improvement project has been occupying the nooks and crannies of my schedule.
My son-in-law knows how to build things. I am a highly trained “go-for.”
If I have to figure something out for myself, it takes a long, long, long time and several trips to YouTube.
Typically, I measure five times and cut four times and then I start over. My sweet wife can see the frustration building and she comes in to tell me how great it’s going and how proud she is of me.
Like magic, my enthusiasm is sparked and I’m ready to build cathedrals!
The people of Israel needed a spark, too.
They were in the promised land, but everything was still a wreck from the time they were conquered by the Babylonians.
They tried to plant crops, but the yields were awful.
While down and discouraged, God sent Haggai with a message. They had built themselves new homes but had done nothing to rebuild the Lord’s temple, the focus of worship for the people of Israel.
When they heard, they obeyed.
This obedience was the demonstration of their love for God.
In response, God sparked their enthusiasm.
I love this story! One of God’s prophets actually witnessed a revival. The people repented of their sins. They did what God told them to do to make things right.
The governor of the area was so responsive to God that God told him he would make him like a signet ring on his finger!
What a great reminder of what God desires for us. He wants us to do right, to love mercy and to walk humbly with him.
And like Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the whole remnant of God’s people, he will spark our enthusiasm and give us the power to do exactly that! Thank you Lord!
Wiles is senior minister of Fall Creek Christian Church in Pendleton. He can be reached at 765-778-3166.