We’ve all heard the story of the prophet Jonah, whose story addresses remarkable experiences with storms at sea, being eaten by a fish and plants that miraculously grew and died all in the same day. Jonah was the earliest of the prophets not too far behind Elisha in his place in the Old Testament. When God repented of the evil He said He would do the Ninevites, it displeased Jonah and he was angry. Possibly the reason for this was because Assyria was a continual threat to Israel’s existence and the prophet hoped that this threat would disappear in their destruction. This is seen in Jonah’s words, “Therefore now O Lord, take, I pray thee, my life from me for it is better for me to die than to live” (Jonah 4:3). The truth is, Jonah could have rejoiced in the forgiveness extended to the Ninevites, but his self-pity blinded his eyes to the mercy of God and the job to be seen in forgiveness. While the story of Jonah is told in just 48 verses, we can learn a great deal from his life. Here are five lessons from Jonah on God’s mercy.
