This week, we’ve considered some bad questions people asked in the Old Testament. Let’s finish with one more example.
Nearly everyone knows the story of Jonah. God commanded the prophet to preach to the city of Nineveh, but Jonah tried to run away. After being swallowed by a great fish and spit back up on dry land, Jonah decided to obey God. And his preaching was successful! The city repented, and God’s judgment was averted. But this didn’t sit well with Jonah, and he prayed to God: “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country?”[1]
This question reveals Jonah’s prejudiced and unloving heart. Further, it demonstrates that his desires and God’s desires were different. Do we think we know better than God? Do we believe we are better judges of character than the Lord? Do God’s desires shape our desires and hopes, or are we set in our own ways?
[1] Jonah 4:2