Is it right for you to be angry?

Jonah 4:1-4

Recap: Why is Jonah angry?

What are a few things that tend to make you angry?

1. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
3. ____________________________

When things happen, do you ever get angry at God?

Is it ok to be angry at God? (This is a question that raises lots of different opinions. People can have lots of opinions but that doesn’t help us out. We want to know what the Bible says about it. Here is a list of some different verses that talk about anger. Look them up and use them to come up with an answer to this last question… Is it ok to be angry at God?)

Second Chances

God doesn't have to give us a second (or third or fourth) chance at things. 

Can you think of any examples in the Bible where God doesn't not give a second chance?

Uzzah tried to save the Ark of the Covenant from falling on the ground and God struck him dead (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Ananias & Sapphira did some shady business, lying about the amount of money they had given and God struck them dead (Acts 5:1-11). Remember Lot's wife (Luke 17:32)? (The teens came up with many more examples than I did!)

Sin deserves punishment. At any point in time, when we disobey God, he could strike us dead as well. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). That sounds terribly daunting. A pretty high standard. One mistake and you're done.

Jonah's Prayer

Jonah's prayer in chapter 2 always confuses me. Jonah makes these comments about God's mercy and about his own depravity, but doesn't really get it. God offers His mercy to everyone and not just Jonah himself. But even if it's confusing, we can learn from it.

I often picture the great fish like Jaws or the crocodile in Peter Pan--just there waiting, ready to snatch Jonah up soon as he hits the water. However, that's not very accurate. Jonah talks about being wrapped in seaweed, sinking to the heart of the sea, and even seeing the roots of the mountains (Jonah 2:3,5-6). He hit the water and although the storm was calmed (Jonah 1:15), the water was still wild and Jonah sunk down deep. That's just one of those details I never noticed before.