Followim Faith Bilong Olketa

Hem Lane for Showimaot Mercy

JONAH hem garem staka taem for tingting. Gogo bilong hem, hem samting olsem 800 kilometer and maet hem mas wakabaot winim wanfala month. Bifor hem start, hem mas chusim gogo wea sef or gogo wea kwiktaem lelebet, and hem mas isisi wakabaot long staka valley and maunten. Hem mas go raon long drae ples long Syria, akrosim olketa big river olsem Euphrates, and stap witim pipol wea hem no savve long olketa long olketa taon and vilij long Syria, Mesopotamia, and Assyria. Taem Jonah wakabaot, hem ting raonem datfala ples wea hem barava fraetem, Nineveh.

Bat Jonah savve hao hem hard for hem ranawe from disfala waka wea hem kasem. Jonah traem datwan finis. Firstaem wea Jehovah askem hem for warnim disfala big taon long Assyria, hem kwiktaem ranawe long ship go long difren ples. So Jehovah mekem wanfala big wind and kwiktaem nomoa Jonah luksavve hao nogud samting wea hem duim klosap for killim dae evriwan long ship. So for sevem olketa long datfala ship, God talem olketa for torowem Jonah long sea. Gogo, olketa duim datwan and Jonah tingse hem bae dae nao. Bat Jehovah mekem wanfala big fish for swallowim hem, and bihaen thrifala day, fish hia toroaotem hem long saed sea. Jonah barava sapraes long samting wea kasem hem and datwan mekem hem hambol winim bifor.a​—⁠Jonah, chapter 1, 2.

Taem Jehovah talem Jonah for go moa long Nineveh, datfala profet hem obey and wakabaot go long east. (Jonah 3:​1-3) Bat waswe, discipline wea Jehovah givim barava changem wei bilong Jonah or nomoa? Tingim hao Jehovah showim mercy long hem, sevem hem for no draon, no panisim hem nomata hem bighed and givim hem nara chance for duim disfala waka. Bihaen evri samting hia, waswe, Jonah lane for showimaot mercy long olketa narawan? Iumi olketa man wea born sin, staka taem iumi faendem hem hard for showimaot mercy. Distaem iumi bae storyim wanem nao iumi savve lanem from story bilong Jonah.

Message Abaotem Judgment and Spesol Samting wea Happen

Tingting bilong Jonah abaotem Nineveh hem difren from Jehovah. Bible talem olsem: “Long tingting bilong God, Nineveh hem wanfala barava big taon.” (Jonah 3:⁠3) Jehovah iusim disfala toktok “datfala big taon Nineveh” thrifala taem long buk bilong Jonah. (Jonah 1:2; 3:2; 4:​11) Why nao disfala taon hem big or important long Jehovah?

Nineveh hem barava oldfala taon and hem wanfala long olketa first wan wea Nimrod wakem bihaen long Flood. Hem wanfala big ples wea maet garem staka nara taon insaed and man mas wakabaot for thrifala day for kasem nara saed long hem. (Genesis 10:11; Jonah 3:⁠3) Olketa temple, bigfala wall, and olketa nara building mekem Nineveh luk spesol. Bat Jehovah God no tingim datfala taon hem important from olketa samting hia. Staka pipol nao stap long datfala taon. And pipol nao important long Jehovah. Nomata olketa duim staka rabis samting, Jehovah tingim olketa. Hem tinghae long evriwan and laekem olketa for repent and lane for duim stretfala samting.

Taem Jonah kasem Nineveh, maet hem fraet go moa bikos winim 120,000 pipol nao stap long datfala ples.b Hem wakabaot long datfala taon for wanfala day and lukaotem ples wea fitim hem for talemaot message bilong hem. Hao nao bae hem story long pipol hia? Waswe, hem lanem finis Assyrian languis or waswe, Jehovah duim mirakol mekem Jonah toktok long datfala languis? Iumi no savve. Maet Jonah talemaot warning bilong hem long Hebrew and iusim wanfala man for transleitim for olketa long Nineveh. Nomata wanem, message bilong hem isi for pipol minim bat bae no mekem olketa hapi long hem wea sei: “Foti day nomoa stap, and Nineveh bae finis nao.” (Jonah 3:⁠4) Jonah no fraet and hem gohed for talemaot moa. Taem hem duim olsem, hem showimaot strongfala faith and wei for strong. Olketa Christian distaem tu mas showimaot olketa wei olsem.

Jonah mekem pipol long Nineveh for herem message bilong hem. Maet hem tingse pipol bae raf and killim hem. Batawea, barava difren samting nao happen. Olketa pipol herem wanem hem talem! Kwiktaem nomoa evriwan followim nao. No longtaem nomoa, evriwan long datfala taon storyim warning profesi bilong Jonah. Bible buk Jonah talem iumi olsem: “Olketa long Nineveh start for showimaot faith long God, and olketa markem taem for no kaikai and werem kaleko wea showimaot olketa sorre, olketa bigman go kasem olketa man nating.” (Jonah 3:⁠5) Pipol wea rich and poor, strong and wik, young and old, evriwan nao repent. No longtaem bihaen king herem nius hao pipol start for repent.

King tu hem fraet long God and repent. Hem standap from throne bilong hem and aotem naes kaleko wea hem werem and hem werem oldfala kaleko olsem olketa pipol, and hem tu “sidaon long asis.” Hem and olketa “bigman” mekem disfala wei wea pipol no kaikai for kamap wanfala law. Hem talem evriwan for mas werem oldfala kaleko, nomata olketa animal tu.c Hem hambol and talemaot hao olketa pipol bilong hem duim olketa nogud samting. Hem bilivim tu hao trufala God bae showimaot mercy taem hem lukim olketa repent taem hem sei: “God bae . . . lusim wei wea hem kros long iumi, and iumi bae no dae.”​—⁠Jonah 3:​6-9.

Samfala pipol tingse olketa long Nineveh no fit for changem wei bilong olketa kwiktaem olsem. Bat olketa Bible savveman talem hao hem wei bilong pipol long datfala taem wea followim olketa kastom and wea savve change kwiktaem for duim datkaen samting. Nomata wanem, Jesus Christ tu storyim hao olketa long Nineveh repent. (Matthew 12:41) Jesus savve talem olsem bikos hem stap kam long heven and hem lukim samting wea happen long Nineveh. (John 8:​57, 58) Bat wanem nao Jehovah duim taem olketa long Nineveh repent?

Wei wea Mercy Bilong God and Man Barava Difren

Bihaen Jonah talem olsem: “Datfala tru God hem lukim samting wea olketa duim, hao olketa lusim nogud wei bilong olketa; and tru God hem feel sorre long wei wea hem talemaot hem bae distroem olketa; and hem no duim datwan nao.”​—⁠Jonah 3:​10.

Waswe, diswan minim wei wea Jehovah disaed for judgem Nineveh hem wanfala mistek? Nomoa. Bible talem olsem abaotem Jehovah: “Evri samting wea God duim hem gud, and evritaem hem duim samting wea stret. Hem God wea faithful, and no enitaem hem duim samting wea no stret.” (Deuteronomy 32:⁠4) Stretfala wei bilong Jehovah for kros againstim Nineveh hem finis nao. And hem luksavve hao olketa change and hem no fit for panisim olketa. Hem stretfala taem for hem showimaot mercy.

Jehovah hem no olsem datfala raf God wea olketa bigman bilong religion storyim. Hem garem gudfala tingting, willing for change, and showimaot mercy. Taem hem disaed for panisim rabis pipol, hem iusim pipol bilong hem for warnim olketa bikos hem barava laekem olketa wea duim rabis samting for repent and change olsem olketa long Nineveh. (Ezekiel 33:11) Jehovah talem profet Jeremiah olsem: “Long datfala taem wea mi tok againstim wanfala kingdom for aotem and daonem and finisim, and datfala kantri lusim rabis wei bilong hem, mi bae feel sorre from bigfala trabol wea mi tingting for duim long hem.”​—⁠Jeremiah 18:​7, 8.

So waswe, profesi bilong Jonah hem no tru? Nomoa, bikos hem givim warning long datfala pipol. Olketa long Nineveh kasem datfala warning bikos long olketa nogud samting wea olketa duim bifor, bat olketa stop nao for duim. Sapos gogo olketa duim moa olketa rabis samting, God bae panisim olketa. Hem nao barava samting wea happen bihaen.​—⁠Zephaniah 2:​13-​15.

Wanem nao Jonah duim taem ples hia no finis long taem wea hem tingse hem bae finis? Bible talem olsem: “Bat Jonah nating hapi long diswan, and hem kros tumas.” (Jonah 4:⁠1) And Jonah talem wanfala prea wea here olsem hem stretem God! Jonah talem hao hem shud stap nomoa long ples bilong hem. Hem sei hem savve finis Jehovah bae no panisim olketa long Nineveh, and hem iusim datwan olsem excuse for talem why nao hem ranawe go long Tarshish. Then hem ask for hem dae and sei hem bae gud sapos hem dae nomoa.​—⁠Jonah 4:​2, 3.

Why nao Jonah feel nogud? Iumi no barava savve long tingting bilong Jonah, bat iumi savve hem talemaot finis long evri pipol long Nineveh hao olketa bae dae. And olketa bilivim hem. Batawea, olketa no dae nomoa. Waswe, hem les for olketa tok spoelem hem or sei hem wanfala laea profet? Iumi no savve, bat samting wea iumi savve nao Jonah nating hapi taem olketa pipol hia repent or long mercy wea Jehovah showimaot. Winim wei for hapi hem start for barava feel nogud go moa and tingim hemseleva nomoa. Nomata olsem, Jehovah gohed for tingim gudfala samting wea Jonah duim. Jehovah no panisim Jonah from hem no showimaot respect, bat hem askem nomoa wanfala kwestin: “Waswe, hem stret for iu barava kros olsem?” (Jonah 4:⁠4) Waswe, Jonah talem eni samting? Bible no talem.

Wanem Jehovah Duim for Lanem Jonah

Jonah no go hom taem hem lusim Nineveh, bat hem go long east saed wea garem staka maunten. Hem wakem wanfala shade and sidaon andanit for lukluk long Nineveh. Maet hem laek for lukim taem datfala taon hem finis. Wanem nao bae Jehovah duim for teachim datfala strong hed man mekem hem savve showimaot mercy?

Jehovah mekem wanfala vine tree for grow long naet. Taem Jonah wekap hem lukim nao olketa naes bigfala leaf wea shade gud winim datwan wea hemseleva wakem. Hem start for hapi nao. Datfala plant mekem “Jonah barava hapi tumas.” Maet hem tingse hem wanfala saen wea showaot Jehovah hapi long hem and blessim hem. Jehovah no laek for protectim Jonah nomoa, bat hem laek for stretem tingting bilong Jonah. So God mekem wanfala worm for spoelem datfala plant. Then hem mekem “east wind for blow wea barava hot” go kasem taem Jonah “wik fogud.” Jonah feel nogud moa and hem askem God for hem dae nomoa.​—⁠Jonah 4:​6-8.

From wanfala plant hem dae, Jehovah askem Jonah moa sapos hem stret for hem kros abaotem datwan. Jonah no laek for repent and hem talem excuse olsem: “Hem stret for mi kros, and mi laek dae nomoa.” Jehovah redi nao for lanem Jonah wanfala samting.​—⁠Jonah 4:⁠9.

God askem Jonah why nao hem sorre long wanfala plant wea hem nating plantim or mekem grow. Then God talem olsem: “Waswe, iu tingse hem no fitim for mi feel sorre for Nineveh datfala big taon, wea garem staka animal and winim 120,000 pipol nao stap, wea olketa nating savve wanem hem stret and wanem hem no stret?”​—⁠Jonah 4:​10, 11.d

Waswe, iu lukim bigfala samting wea Jehovah laekem Jonah for lanem? Jonah nating duim eni samting for lukaftarem datfala plant. Bat Jehovah nao givim laef long evriwan wea stap long Nineveh and lukaftarem olketa olsem hem duim for evri samting wea hem wakem. Why nao Jonah tinghae long wanfala plant winim 120,000 pipol witim evri animal bilong olketa? Waswe, Jonah start for tingim hemseleva nomoa? Tru nao, hem sorre long datfala plant bikos hem kasem gud samting for hemseleva. And hem kros long Nineveh bikos hem tingim hemseleva nomoa.

Datwan hem barava big samting! Bat waswe, Jonah lanem eni samting from datwan? Bible buk Jonah hem end witim kwestin wea Jehovah askem. Samfala maet sei Jonah nating ansarem nomoa. Bat for tok stret hem ansarem. Datfala buk nao ansa bilong hem, bikos pruv showimaot hao Jonah nao raetem datfala buk. Tingim taem profet hia stap sef long hom bilong hem and raetem disfala story. Jonah hem olo winim bifor, hem garem savve, hem hambol and hem feel sorre taem hem raetem evri mistek bilong hem, hao hem bighed, and no laek for showimaot mercy. Tru tumas, Jonah lanem bigfala samting from Jehovah. Hem lane for showimaot mercy. Waswe long iumi?

[Olketa Footnote]

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God hem laek for lukim rabis pipol repent and changem wei bilong olketa, olsem pipol long Nineveh duim

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God iusim vine tree for lanem Jonah for showimaot mercy