The last verse of the Book of Jonah should be carefully considered, for it gives us a delightful insight into the heart of God as Creator. His love and compassion for perishing sinners is happily familiar to us. It has reached us in the Gospel message. The cross of Christ tells out, as nothing else could, God's earnest desire for the salvation of men, and His unwillingness that any should perish eternally. But Jonah 4:11 is not quite as John 3:16. In the latter passage we hear the voice of the Son of God speaking on earth; but in the former it is the Creator who is speaking and that in terms of remonstrance with His ungracious servant. “Should not I spare Nineveh that great city, wherein there are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” Thus God in His government of the earth took account of 120,000 helpless children in Nineveh, “and also much cattle”; and it rejoiced Him that the repentance of the King and his people enabled Him to sheathe the sword of judgment, at least for the time being.
It is deplorable when the servants of God are not in sympathy with His dealings. When the Lord Jesus was on earth there were two occasions when the compassion of His heart specially went forth. In Matthew 9:36 He felt for the people's spiritual need. The land was full of religious leaders, but the people were unfed. “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” In Matthew 14 He was concerned about their temporal need. He “saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them.” Thousands of hungry men, women, and children were around Him, with nothing obtainable in the wilderness. But His disciples did not sham the distress of their Lord. Indeed, they urged Him to send the multitudes away, regardless of consequences. The pressure of the people annoyed them, and interfered with their comfort!
A great lesson is here! We live and serve in the midst of a suffering creation and the suffering increases with the growing violence of men; but are our hearts really moved by the serious universal need? God's heart yearns over the masses, young and old, but do our hearts yearn in sympathy with Him? It is terribly possible to become formal and stereotyped in our service, and thus to serve out of harmony with the One who has sent us. Let us seek to keep near the heart of the God of infinite compassion.
One of Jonah's faults was his intense nationalism. He could rejoice in divine forbearance towards his own people, although deeply guilty, but he felt unable to rejoice in God's forbearance towards others. We are reminded of the Apostle's query in Romans 3:29: “Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles?” Note the answer: “Yea, of the Gentiles also, seeing God is one.” “Neither is there respect of persons with Him” (Eph. 6:9).
Paul loved his own nation, and longed for their blessing (Rom. 11:1). At one moment of exceeding fervor he had even wished himself accursed from Christ for his fellow-countrymen (Rom. 9:3). The self-sacrificing prayer of Moses in Exodus 32:32, and the passing wish of Paul in Romans 9:3, were doubtless acceptable to God; but in no circumstances can sinners be saved by the self-sacrifice of preachers.
But Paul did not love Israel only. His heart went out after the uncircumcised to the world's end. He delighted to preach Christ where He had never been named (Rom. 15:20). He could scarcely have told out the largeness of divine grace more explicitly than in Romans 10:12: “There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” But the largeness of the Apostle's heart was bitterly resented by the Jewish people. When he addressed them from the stairs of the Castle in Jerusalem, they listened quietly until he quoted the Lord's words to him, “I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.” Then their fury burst forth, and they cried, “Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live” (Acts 22:21-22). When detailing offenses in 1 Thessalonians 2:16, he solemnly concluded thus, “forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.” National feeling could scarcely go further; even the unwanted Gospel must not be published abroad!
The whole world is ablaze while these lines are being penned. God in His righteous government has let loose the wild beasts of the earth and the havoc that is being wrought is incalculable. But has God ceased to care for His creatures? Is He not still the “King of nations?” (Jer. 10:7). Does He not now, as always, “do according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth?” (Dan. 4:35). His hand has gone forth against the guilty nations of all Continents because of their neglect of His word; yea, because of their ever-increasing contempt for everything that is divine.
The heart of God yearns over men notwithstanding all. His interest is not confined to any one nation, nor to a group of nations. He never was in special relationship with any nation but Israel, and against Israel the “Lo-Ammi” sentence (“not My people”) went forth long years ago, and has not yet been recalled. But the compassionate Creator can never cease to care for the afflictions of His creatures, however wayward, and He would have His saints share His compassion. Isaiah was deeply distressed when obliged to utter judgment against Moab, the bitter enemy of his own people. “My heart shall cry out for Moab” (Isa. 15:5). “My bowels shall sound like a harp for Moab, and my inward part for Kirharesh” (Isa. 16:11). Similarly, when Babylon's doom came before him in prophetic vision, he cried out, “My loins are filled with pain: pangs are taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth” (lsa. 21:4). Jeremiah also howled for Moab, “mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes” (Jer. 48:31-36).
Where do we stand with reference to such sentiments in this day of unparalleled devastation and sorrow? The public Press, and also the “wireless” would fill our minds with national feeling if we were to allow ourselves to come under their influence. Against this, God's saints must be continually on their guard. The house of God (“whose house are we,” Heb. 3:6) was intended to be “a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17; Isa. 56:7); and we are exhorted in 1 Timothy 2 to make supplications, prayers, intercession and giving of thanks for all men, irrespective of nationality, and for kings and for all that are in authority whether friendly or unfriendly. Only as we are able to rise to this shall we be really helpful to men in their calamities. The great distinguishing principle of Christianity should aid us in this. God is at this time (while Christ sits on high and the Holy Spirit is on earth) visiting the nations “to take out of them a people for His name” (Acts 15:14). Consequently, we have brethren in every land, and if all these, conscious of their union with Christ the Head, were to cry to God with one accord, the relief to the nations, amongst whom we all live and serve, would be incalculable.
God's heart is full of compassion towards all; shame on us if we feel otherwise.