Jonah 4:1

Jonah 4:1 says, But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.  We would think that Jonah would be very happy that his obeying God and proclaiming His word had been used by God to save Nineveh, but Jonah was displeased with what God had done.  He was more than upset.  He was angry.  I believe he was angry with the people for repenting and being saved, at God for forgiven them and even at himself for his part in it.  We today need to guard against resenting anyone being saved.  No matter how we may personally feel about them, we need to realize that everyone is saved by the same grace of God, and the only way anyone is saved is by the grace of God.  We should rejoice anytime this happens.  Verse two adds, 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.  Jonah was in effect telling God I told you so.  Even before Jonah tried to run away to Tarshish, he knew that God's mercy would be extended to the people of Nineveh if they repented and turned to Him.  Jonah, I believe, would have willing gone to Nineveh if he thought the people were actually going to be destroyed.  As followers of Christ, we need to be careful that we are not looking for the vengeance of God to fall on anyone, but for His mercy to be displayed.  I do not believe that we can ever have the attitude that we are waiting for God to give those that we don't like, even those that we hate, what they deserve.  Instead, we need to pray that God will save them through His mercy, just as He did us.  Verse three continues, Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.  Jonah was so successful as an evangelist that he wanted God to take his life.  That is a powerful hate for a group of people.  I believe too often today we hate groups of people instead of wanting to reach them with God's love.  A person who dies without knowing Christ as their personal Savior is forever separated from God, and we should mourn anytime that happens.