“Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”
for it is better for me to die than to live!
Jonah was sulking here. Jonah earlier prayed that he might live (2:2). He was concerned about himself, not about Nineveh.
PRINCIPLE:
Sulking is not a good system of communication.
APPLICATION:
Sulking is never a good mode of operation for dealing with life. It is amazing how many people feel that this is a good system of communication.
Jonah was not the first to want to die. Moses prayed that God would kill him (Ex 32:30f). If people get too discouraged, they want to die. Elijah wanted to die. He was afraid of Jezebel (1 Kg 19:1). He ran clear across Israel to get away from her. God still has not answered his prayer, yet God took him to heaven without dying!
In one sense, it is better to die than to live (Php 1:21-23). Most of us do not believe this but it is true anyhow. Heaven is better than earth. The reason God keeps us alive is to do His purpose on earth.
