Obedience

Jonah 3:1-10

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah's attitude has totally changed from being disobeyed to being obeyed. Obedience is a negative word, so most of them do not like it and do not want to do obey to anyone or anything. We humans have sinful nature, so we do not want to do anything we will have to do for others. In a word, we are born with selfish genes, according to a book called 'Selfish gene'. And Freud also said that we humans have the instinct of even killing others.

Genesis in the bible tells us about how we have got these selfish genes, and that's from Adams' ones, so I understand Jonah's behaviors. He wasn't eager to do what he didn't want to do for the people of Nineveh, which must be enemies to the Israelites. What about me? If I were heard to do that, what should I do? Obeying or disobeying the commands of God. Historically, there are many missionaries who have done these kinds of good acts for other countries, and we are the beneficiary for that. 

The result of Jonah's obedience ended up a happy ending through the Ninevites' confessing and returning from their sins, as soon as they were heard from Jonah, which Jonah might or might not expect.  Our generous God's love to humans is limitless, so we should not make it limited with our thoughts and minds. If He says to me, love your enemies, and I should do even try to love them. Because I have faith in Him who is righteous and generous and I trust in Him, I would be obedient regardless of the result: good or bad.  

What should I do today, my Lord?