Jonah 4:5-9

5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”

It's pretty easy to read this and think Jonah is freaking ridiculous (which he is) and to feel puffed up that I am nothing like him.  Actually, on the most basic level I have been angry enough to die when I am hot and sweaty and stressed- I feel this way during workouts, or when I'm out and about running errands in the Ghettro (part of being ghetto means it comes sans AC) and it's hot and there's traffic (replete with stupid drivers, of course) and I just want to go home and I'm perspiring and I'm SO ANGRY!  ANGRY ENOUGH TO DIE!

I'm also this way spiritually.  I think of how often the Lord is trying to discipline me, gently rebuking me so I can be restored, and I spiritually cross my arms, firmly planted in my stubborn bitterness.  Real classy.  Whenever I don't get my way I refuse to grow, refuse to see God's will as good, and whine that others are receiving God's blessings and I am not.  Again, totally classy.

The Book of Jonah ends with it's namesake's prophet withering away in the sun, with God basically saying, "You are angry enough to die over a plant that did nothing to you, willing to see 120,000 people who are completely and utterly lost perish to hell, and though I am the one they have sinned against I am forgiving them."  Basically-- get over yourself, I am God, you are my prophet, and I am still here, loving you and speaking to you even though I should totally smite you, just like I should have totally smote those Ninevites.  They repented, I restored them, and now you have that same opportunity."

We don't get to see Jonah do the right thing, and we have no idea how long it took him to come around.  But since the book includes details only he could know, and the tone is one that shows how ridiculous he was and how good God was, it's responsible to infer that he did eventually repent and then either write or dictate the Book of Jonah.

This encourages me, beccause I really am no diferent.  I have a rebellious heart, intent on getting it's own way, and I'm still in desperate need of Jesus.  Knowing that He forgave not only a city of 120,000 utter sinners but also his own obstinate prophet upon repentance (not to mention the fact that God is the one who even draws our hearts to repentance in the first place!) encourages me to keep following Him.