The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-07-11

selves up to mourning When they /
were not listening TO the strange /
preachers message they we're re.
hearsng % one another The things /
which he said
And that they believed his message I
was certain, for they confessed one to |
another that there we're no gods Of |
the people Of Nineveh Ike unto the /
great God who had spoken the words |
Of Judgment against their city And |
believing this, al the gross and gor-
geOus worship Of the many gods Of
Nineveh was stopped, and instead |
there was a turning in thought to the
great unknown God who was able to
destroy and was able to make alive
They knew this last must be true,
indeed, for had not the great God
snatched this strange preacher from
the very jaws Of death and preserved
his life when the sea had opened to
swallow him up, forever?
Jonah was not insensible to the
change which had come over the city,
but instead of softening his heart
towards the people who gave such evi-
dent signs of repentance, it had the
contrary effect. In the seething heat
Of his bitter bigotry all impulses of
mercy and love were burned up, SO
that with increasing vehemence he
preached the certain destruction Of
the city. And with increasing fervor
the people sought after this great
God. saying over and over to each
other,
Who can tell II God will turn and
repent, and turn away from his fierce
anger that we perish not?"
SO It was that as the end Of the 40
days drew near a very great cry went
up from the city to the God OF
heaven that he would spare them.
Jonah, hearing the cry, and behold
ing the great distress OF the people,
was moved with sdll deeper resent
ment How could God hear such
people? Would God spare? Impos-
sible! We're these people not outside
the covenant blessing Of God? What
right had they to claim or expect
mercy from the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob? And how could God
show kindness TO Israel and spare SO
powerful an enemy? Had not God
said that the coast Of Israel was to
be restored and how could this be
brought about if Nineveh were spared?
Yea" exclaimed Jonah, bitterly,
How can God shew mercy to Nine
veh to the hurt Of his chosen people? ?
And yet-and yet" He did not fin
: ish the sentence, save with half Sob
half angry cry, but 1t was plain that
the prophet feared that God would
show mercy instead OF executing judg
ment as he had declared he would.
If Nineveh is spared, what will
ever my nation say Of me? Can they
not well say that / have proved false
to them? Surely there will be naughi
{ but condemnation that | should have
gone and preached to those who arG
Z our enemies and saved them from de
& struction. Oh, woe is me; woe II
3 me- Better that had died than t
B hive come thither"
B Thus, in bitterness of heart, Jonal
& waited, but Notwithstanding his disaT
6 pointment he obediently went hithe
3 and thither delivering his message
3 and hoping against hope that Co
& would yet punish the great city for a
& its wickedness.
Z SO the days we're fulfilled when tn
s city was to be destroyed.
Il From his vantage point on the eas
3 side of the city Jonah watched an
4 waited Would God send fire fror
8 heaven to burn it up as he did Sodor
y and Gomorrah, or would the groun
H open and swallow 1t up? All throug
& the night he watched and waited, n
& sleep coming to his anxious eyes an
3 troubled heart, and with the fir'
q gleam Of the morning light he wa
& straining his eyes towards the city.
8 Yea, # is Just as / feared WI
3 should ], a Jew, live longer whe
4 mercy is thus shown to these miser
s Bile. despised Gentiles? Oh, Lord
= cried, lifting his eyes toward heaye
take my life"
And as he waited thus with his faC
lifted upward there came a voice fro
- above, saying:
"Doest thou well to be angry?'
- Jonah made no reply, but sank upC
the ground, and as the sun came !
y he became conscious of the shade
81 the gourd which God had caused
" grow up during the night and Whit
=, ~ gave hira cooling protection
:, through the day.
u =, But that night God sent a wor
ne which cut the vine of and caused
=" to wither, so that the next morni
the full rays of the hot eastern s.
ler beat relentlessly upon the head
ro- Jonah, so that he cried in his mise
'u' and anguish:
70 1T is better for me to die than
ast i've
no And the voice Of God sounded out
eo the heaven saying:
ns "Doest thou well to be angry for
lut rourd9n