In the Book of Judges, Gideon was called by God through an angel to fight the Midianites; but Gideon protested: "My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am th least in my family>" But God told "Gideon: "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior....I hereby commission you...I will be with you>" [Judges 6: 11-18]. The word "weakest" in our translation is also translated as the "meanest". Judges in this Book does not mean legal decision makers from the bench. Judges meant "warriors". Gideon was a man of attitude. He even asked the angel who appeared to him in behalf of the Lord to prove he was an angel. The angel accommodated Gidion and burned up a sacrificial offering to the Lord of meat and cakes. But this irrascible warrior is whom God picked to fight the Midianites.
God called Jonah to preach to the people of Ninoveh so that they would convert so that God would not have to destroy them. But Jonah did not want the Ninovites to repent. He wanted them to be destroyed by God. So, Jonah took a boat in the opposite direction of Ninoveh. But God sent a violent storm which the pagan sailors knew that the gods were punishing them for something. The sailors tried to ascertain the crime and the criminal. In their investigation, Jonah confessed he was the culprit. They threw himoverboard, and the storm abated. Then God sent a sea-taxi to pick up Jonah. In the belly of this whale, Jonah thought better of his disobedience to the Lord. He repented. The whale spit Jonah up on the shores of Nineveh free of charge. Jonah preached the word of God for three days in the town which was so large that it took three days to walk through it. The great city repented from the king to all its people who wore sackcloth and ashes. Even the animals did so and did not eat or drink. But Jonah finally came to the conclusion" I see that You are a God of mercy and slow to anger." Now, why did Jonah add this line: "slow to anger?" He noted that quality of God because Jonah's predominant fault was unreasonable anger. For example: When Jonah was sleeping under a broom tree in the scalding heat, a worm came and eat that tree root and killed it. Jonah's head was exposed to the heat of the sun. He was angry. God saw this and said to Jonah: "Are you angry, Jonah?" And Jonah replied: "I am angry enought to die." [Jonah gave into his anger.] God said: "You are angry over the plant that you did not plant. You worry about this plant that you did not plant; but you do not care about all the Ninovites who do not know their right hand from the left hand. You wish them all to be destroyed along with their cattle. [God is implying that He planted them.]. ..Jonah...you have no reason to be angry."
What is beautiful about the way God handled Jonah is that He was patient and did not let Jonah's anger spark His own. God does not return anger for anger. Jesus did the same when the temple guard struck Jesus a blow on the face. Jesus answered: "If I spoke the truth, why do you strike me?" But Yahweh and Jesus both have absolute control of their anger. Yes, Jesus overturned tables and used a whip, but that was zeal and anger for His Father's house not for Himself because the vendors were keeping people from praying in His Father's house. God the Father was angry at Miriam and Aaron for speaking against His servant Moses. But the Father was angry over the treatment of Moses not over Himself. Seems that just anger is ok when it is necessary to overcome a correctible evil. God spoke to Jonah like a Father would talk to his child who is angry over toy that is broken. God is totally reasonable and explains that Jonah's anger is not justified. God helps Jonah with his attitude problem; and teaches Jonah how to be loving and compassionate to the extent that Jonah notices God's slowness to anger. Please see my previous blog: "Anger - good and bad".
So, God calls us all - be we mild or angry folk - to do his will and call others to repent and to enter into the kingdom of God. God can use and does people of every personality. He can use you and your personality.
Love, Pio
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