Friday 20 September 2024

Psalm 72

Background
Jonah was sent to Nineveh by God to tell the people their city was going to be overthrown (3:4). He is angry because he has been made to look like a fool. He finally found the courage to tell the evil people of Nineveh that their city was going to be overturned. But then God changed his mind and decided to spare Nineveh, and Jonah’s message is now seen as fake news.

It turns out that the word “overturned” – which Jonah took to mean destroyed (and it is the same word used for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:25) – can also mean 'transformation for good'. The same word is used when the Lord turned Balaam’s curse against Israel into a blessing (Deuteronomy 23:5). Jonah is experiencing the anger and upset that can often flare up when there are different, strongly held opinions about how a particular verse of Scripture should be interpreted.

The prayer Jonah offers to God now is in sharp contrast to the psalm of thanksgiving he prayed from the belly of the fish. Then he was praising the one “who brought up my life from the Pit” (2:6). Now he asks the Lord twice to take his life from him, for “it is better for me to die than to live” (vs 3, 8).

God does not get into an argument about what is better. God is more interested in what is right or good. God’s final question to Job goes unanswered because there can only be one answer. God is right to be concerned about the population of the city of Nineveh – both human and animal.

To Ponder:

• What makes you angry?
• When have you been involved in (or been aware of) an argument about the meaning of a particular verse of passage of Scripture?
• Think about the prayers you have offered to God this week. What have they had in common? Have there been any striking differences?

Prayer
God,
you are gracious and merciful,
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love.
It is because we know this
that we feel able to share our concerns with you,
express our anger to you
and be honest about our desires.
Thank you for hearing our prayers. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Nicola Vidamour
Nicola is the Director of Reflective Pastoral Supervision at Wesley House in Cambridge. She loves travel, tea, theatre and Taizé.