Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Great Mercy 12-14-23

Read: Jonah 1:1-4:11; Revelation 5:1-14: Palm 133:1-3; Proverbs 29:26-27 Jonah means a dove and his father’s name, Amittai means veracious; truthful and honest. So, Jonah was to be a messenger of truth. God chose him to go to the city of Nineveh and announce judgment against it because of their wickedness. *** Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire and was located on the shore of the Tigris River. It was huge, populous and wealthy. It was a place to be feared if you were called to go and tell it God’s judgement was coming. *** Jonah ran from God and went the opposite direction. He hopped a boat going to Tarshish. God sent a violent storm to stop him in his tracks. It was so violent the sailors had to throw their cargo overboard and were calling out to their gods for help. They knew that Jonah had a god because he had told them he was running from him. The captain went down to find Jonah to tell him to pray also and found him asleep in the midst of the terrible storm. *** This is the condition of Jonah - totally disconnected to what was going on. He needed a wake up call both physically and spiritually. The Lord is doing the same thing right now. There is a storm going on and we are being forced to wake up and pay attention and see what the Lord wants us to do. *** Jonah knew exactly what brought the storm and how to fix it. He was the problem and they needed to throw him into the storm. They tried their best not to have to do that but when it became obvious they would all die if they didn’t, they threw him into the storm. He was giving his life for theirs. As soon as his body hit the water, the storm stilled. The men were in awe and worshipped the Lord. *** God had prepared a fish for Jonah and he was swallowed by it for three days. He died and resurrected in that fish and repented. The fish threw him up on the banks of Nineveh and he began to preach that they would be destroyed in 40 days. Miraculously, they repented. They even dressed their animals in burlap. *** Jonah was mad because now what he said wound’t happen and he would look like a fool and their enemies would live. Jonah pouted and sat in the wilderness. God provided the shade of a vine with big leaves, then he killed the plant and sent a hot wind. When Jonah was about to expire, God spoke to him about his attitude toward the plant and Nineveh. Jonah was sorry the plant had died and yet wanted 120,000 people to die. God felt sorry for the people. Wasn’t that more justified? *** In Revelation John saw a scroll in the hand of God. There was writing on the inside and the outside and it was sealed with seven seals. The question was asked, Who was worthy to open it and read it. John wept because he thought there was no one worthy to do this but one of the elders told him to stop crying because the Lion of the tribe of Judah won the victory and he is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals. *** When John looked he was Jesus as a Lamb that had been slaughtered. He had seven horns and seven eyes which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God. He stepped forward and took the scroll from the Lord and when he did all heaven began to worship him. *** We say, Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to you O Lord and to our savior Jesus Christ forever and ever.