Old Testament: Jon 2.9

To read the Bible in a year, read Jonah on December 18, In the year of our Lord Christ 2022

By Don Ruhl 

The Lord told Jonah to go and preach to the city of Nineveh, the capital of Israel’s enemy, Assyria. However, he did not want to preach to these people, lest they repent and be saved. Therefore, he fled in the opposite direction. 

As you know, the ship he boarded ran into a storm, and the sailors threw him overboard that the Lord might stop the storm. Then the Lord had a great fish swallow Jonah, and after three days, he finally turned to the Lord and prayed. The end of his prayer went like this: 

“But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay what I have vowed.
Salvation is of the LORD.”

– Jonah 2.9 

This is what the Lord wanted to hear. However, that did not relieve Jonah of what the Lord had wanted him to do originally. Therefore, the Lord told him to go and preach to Nineveh, and he did, but he was not happy that they repented. His later attitude did not seem to match his prayer to God. 

Questions: 

• Are you willing to do good things for your enemies? 
• Does your living match your praying? 

To subscribe go to EmailDevotionals.com and click “Follow”