This book is fun. We all probably know the story of the guy who got swallowed by the whale. But there’s a whole lot more buried in these 4 short chapters. (When/where does Jonah offer his prayer of thanksgiving? Why does a man of God pout about God’s goodness and forgiveness? Is there any limit to God’s love for us humans – and animals?) It’s a wonderful re-read. Enjoy!

Jonah 4:6-11

⁶ The Lord God appointed a bush and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort, so Jonah was very happy about the bush. ⁷ But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. ⁸ When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah Is Reproved

⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” ¹⁰ Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left and also many animals?”

Prayer

God, let me see myself in the tales from the Bible, so that I might truly know of your steadfast love. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.