The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-27

this sermon the preacher gives
- new Interpretation to the rebellion
of Jonah, the prophet, and shows that
when our own hearts are out of tune
with God and nature life is full of dis
cord and dissatisfaction. The text is
Jonah iv, 9, 'Doest thou well to be an
gry?'
Sometimes I am inclined to think that
Jonah is the most famous character of
the Bible next to Jesus Christ There are
many people who know nothing about
Abraham or Samuel or David or Isaiah
who know all about the wonderful story
of Jonah and the whale. That one Incl
dent in his career has made him the
most famous of the prophets. His fame
is due not so much to the disciples Of
Christ as to the enemies of Jesus. No
sooner does a man brought up in a
Christian home begin to listen to the en-
emies of the Bible and get ready to cut
adrft from all past Christian associa-
lions than he hunts up the book Of Jonah
and sets out to prove that the Bible is
a pack of absurdities by holding up the
story of this recreant prophet to ridicule.
1t Is very easy to ridicule this story.
Very shallow men devoid of logic or the
power of analysis can do that. 1t serves
as a handle of attack on the Bible,
which can be used by any man who hates
the Bible for Its uncompromising attitude
against sin and dislikes 1t for demanding
of every man repentance and faith. Per-
haps if Jonah had told the people of
Nineveh what had happened to him they
would have laughed at that instead of
putting on sackcloth. Do not let us be
led aside into such foolishness or in any
way to lay stress on this incident. Per-
haps If we knew more about the story
and the man who wrote 1t and Jonah
himself we might find that there was no
difficulty at all in 1t. 1t is waste of
time to dwell upon 1t when the moral OF
what the writer wants to teach is so
obvious-that when God calls man to
a work it is useless to evade the duty,
and If he does try to evade 1t he will be
brought back to 1t by some means, or
binary or extraordinary.
Having spoken these few words in the
way of introduction, 1 want to dwell on
one of the most remarkable characters
tics of that OBSTINATE and hayward
prophets mind. After Jonah had gone
to NIneveh and told the people of Nine
veh that unless they repented and turned
from their sins they would all be de-
stroyed the Ninevites put on sackcloth
and ashes and repented. Then God mer-
cifully noting that repentance, said that
he would not destroy them. Then Jonah
petulantly flew off into a violent rage.
"There," he said, my work of prophecy
Is all gone for naught. Thou, God,
hast mado a laughingstock of me. I told
the Ninevites they would perish within
forty days. Now thou sayest they can
live. Who will listen to my warnings in
future?" So angry Jonah goes off upon
the hillside overlooking the city of Nine
veh and there sulks and sulks and pouts
and pouts. He said: IT knew it. I knew
God would not destroy them. And now
my business of prophc sying is ruined for
ever. No one will believe me-" Then
God speaks to Jonah the words of my
text. .'Doest thou well y be angry?' So
! ask you today the same words, "Doest
thou well to be angry?'
Remarkable Question.
Now. why did God sa-' unto Jonah.
sDOeSt thou wen 10 pe dh6iS- O''
Won answer, "that is very simple. You
have not quoted the whole O. the passage.
Tho bible says Doest thou well to be an
erv for the gourd?' While Jonah was
,non that hillside overlooking the city
no sat unde the shadow of broad leaf
which spread itself out as an umbrella
over his head This leaf had mushroom
erovth 1t grew up in a night. 1t grew
so ranidly that you could almost see it
prow If you watched it. But, like all
ouiclx growing fungi it withered away
oven more quickly than it grew. While
the nrophet sat upon the hillside this
,eafv umbrella suddenly shrank and fell.
Tban the hot Assyrian sun beat down
mon his unprotected head. and he was
o,.arcon,e bv the heat. He had sun
stroke. He tainted dead away. When ne
came To he was mad. de practically
said. % God, feel so misei able wish l
,vare dead And 1 do not blame him.
with marched lips and overheated brow
and excruciating pains chasing them
selves I'D and down his anatomy he
might better be dead There is no sun
hotter on the earth than the Assyrian
sun. The old site of Min lies today
In the midst of desert. Jonah was sim
DIV physically sick from the heat, and
that, of course, made him mentally and
sniritually sick also