The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1908-07-03

luC ScIy jaws VI Qedtu anu 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 EVIL.
dent signs of repentance, It had the
contrary effect. In the seething heat
OF his bitter bigotry all impulses Of
mercy and love we're 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 1t was that as the end of the 40
days drew near 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 still deeper resent.
ment How could God hear such a
people? Would God spare? Impos.
sible! Were 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 it 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 l have proved false
to them? Surely there will be naught
but condemnation that l should have
gone and preached to those who are
our enemies and saved them from de-
struction. Oh, woe is me; woe is
me! Better that had died than to
have come thither."
Thus, in bitterness of heart, Jonah
waited. but notwithstanding his disap.
pointment he obediently went hither
and thither delivering his message,
and hoping against hope that God
would yet punish the great city for all
its wickedness.
So the days were fulfilled when the
city was to be destroyed
From his vantage point on the east
side of the city Jonah watched and
waited. Would God send fire from
heaven to burn it up as he did Sodom
and Gomorrah, or would the ground
open and swallow 1t up? All through
the night he watched and waited, no
sleep coming to his anxious eyes and
troubled heart, and with the first
CLEAN of the morning light he was
straining his eyes towards the city.
Yea, it is just as l feared. Why
should l. a Jew, live longer when
mercy is thus shown to these misera-
Bile, despised Gentiles? Oh, Lord" he
cried, lifting his eyes toward heaven,
take my life"
And as he waited thus with his face
above, saying:
'Doest thou we'll to be angry"
Jonah made no reply, but sank upon
the ground, and as the sun came up
he became conscious of the shade of
the gourd which God had caused to
grow up during the night and which
gave him cooling protection all
through the day.
But that night God sent a worm
which cut the vine off and caused it
to wither, SO that the next morning
the full rays of the hot eastern sun
beat relentlessly upon the head of
Jonah, so that he cried in his misery
and anguish:
"It is better for me to die than to
live"
And the voice of God sounded out of
the heaven saying:
'Doest thou well to be angry for the
gourd?"
yet, l do we'll to be angry even
unto DEATH impatiently cried the
prophet.
Again came the voice from heaven
saying:
Thou hast had pity on the gourd,
for the which thou hast not labored.
neither madest it to grow; which
came up in night and which per
ished in night; and should / not
spare Nineveh, that great city, where
in are more than 10000 little ones who
are unable to discern between their
right hand and their left?"
The voice ceased and Jonah was
left to heart-searching meditation.
"Ah,' he thought, as he took up the
long journey homeward, who can
measure the fathomless depths Of
Gods mercy. or know the power Of
| His loye?"