Contemplative Bible Reading

Jonah 4:7 (New Living Translation)

7 But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away.

The story of Jonah is famous for??? The great fish or whale that swallowed Jonah. The fish was so great that Jonah lived inside it until it spit Jonah out on the shore. Wow! That fish was certainly big.

Now consider the little worm at the end of the story of Jonah. It was a worm, you know, one of those little things. This little worm bit the stalk of a leafy plant that was providing Jonah shade from the blistering sun.

Without the shade of the leafy plant, “the sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die.”

Okay, let’s back up a moment. Jonah was inside a great fish and prayed to God to be saved. Now Jonah wishes to die. Which creature sent by God caused Jonah to wish to die? The worm. The little worm. Uh, okay, makes sense, right?

Wrong. None of this story of Jonah makes any sense. Jonah the prophet goes in the opposite direction God told him to go. Jonah asked to be thrown into a stormy sea to a certain death. A great fish saves the life of Jonah. Jonah goes to an enemy city. The enemy city repents and turns to God. Jonah is mad that folks are worshiping God. Jonah wants to die because of a worm.

Enough contradictions and turning to the opposite path? The story isn’t believable.

But consider the worm. The lowest and lowliest of God’s creatures. It is the final straw that causes the prophet of God to wish to die. Consider the worm. Please God, don’t let a worm cause me to wish to die. Always help me to look on the glory of your creation and creatures and your grace.