"Burst Into Jubilant Song" Cornelis Monsma 2002The economy of the earth bis based on scarcity. The less there is of something the greater its value. As some wit has put it the world also has a golden rule, "Those who have the gold make the rules!" We learn early to sing the litany of scarcity, "There's not enough! There's not enough, There's not enugh!" The game, deadly serious, but a game nevertheless is to get ahead -- to accumulate in order to be somebody -- a player even. We must or we will finsh our course with nothing and therefore be nothing.
Not so with the economy of God. The economy of God is based, not on scarcity, but rather on abundance, even super abundance, as it is written, “give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back." (Luke 6.38)
There is a persistent theme in the Gospels where Jesus says to his listeners that if you being evil (imperfect - fallible) know how to give good things to your children how much more will your heavenly father give you the Holy Spirit if you ask Him?"
How much more is the too good to be true words of the Kingdom. You are this and that. And if you can manage to pull yourself together and do this how much more will God do because He is God -- The Hesed (loving kindness) of God is made new every morning. This is the God that called Jonah. This is the God who Jonah had a sinking feeling that given the slightest opportunity would forgive the folks at Nineveh.
"Just as the Assyrians had a reputation for outrageous cruelty, causing Yonah to want to see them destroyed, the author presents YHVH as having a reputation for outlandish mercy, which w0uld result in grace being shown even to Nineveh: "...for I know that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing." (4:2) Introduction to Hebrew Bible: A Guided Tour of Israel's Sacred Library -- James E. Bowley
Not so with the economy of God. The economy of God is based, not on scarcity, but rather on abundance, even super abundance, as it is written, “give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back." (Luke 6.38)
There is a persistent theme in the Gospels where Jesus says to his listeners that if you being evil (imperfect - fallible) know how to give good things to your children how much more will your heavenly father give you the Holy Spirit if you ask Him?"
How much more is the too good to be true words of the Kingdom. You are this and that. And if you can manage to pull yourself together and do this how much more will God do because He is God -- The Hesed (loving kindness) of God is made new every morning. This is the God that called Jonah. This is the God who Jonah had a sinking feeling that given the slightest opportunity would forgive the folks at Nineveh.
"Just as the Assyrians had a reputation for outrageous cruelty, causing Yonah to want to see them destroyed, the author presents YHVH as having a reputation for outlandish mercy, which w0uld result in grace being shown even to Nineveh: "...for I know that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing." (4:2) Introduction to Hebrew Bible: A Guided Tour of Israel's Sacred Library -- James E. Bowley
No wonder Jonah ran away. He didn't want to be a party to such reckless forgiveness.
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