Tim Keller | September 16, 1990
Jonah believes in love in general. But he doesn’t understand how God’s love actually operates.
If it’s possible that you stand where Jonah stood, then chapter 4 is critical because God gives Jonah an answer. And his answer shows that God’s love, like God, is a fire. The strange thing about fire is that, on the one hand, it’s life-giving and warming, but on the other hand, it’s dangerous, consuming, and purifying.
This text shows us two things: 1) God’s love is refining fire, and 2) God’s love is a seeking fire.
This Month's Featured Book
Deep down we all know something isn’t right with the world when we see the violence and injustice all around us. Like anything that needs to be fixed, the problem must first be identified. That problem is clearly identified in the Bible: it’s sin. And the remedy is just as clear: Jesus Christ.