But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city? - Jonah 4:11
It's interesting, sometimes comical, what you notice in a familiar passage after reading it afresh. As I've spent the week preparing to close a sermon series in the book of Jonah, my mind has latched onto a tiny detail in the last verse of the last chapter of the book. I have not been able to keep from wondering, why did God think it was necessary to mention the cows in addition to the 120,000 people that Jonah held in disregard?
I know not every detail is meant to be scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb. I certainly don't plan on preaching a sermon solely about Ninevite cows. But you have to admit, from a modern perspective, it is funny, almost whimsical, that the Lord would attach that little tidbit to the big final question of the book, which is intended to challenge the reader with the implied answer. Should God not care for that many people, regardless of their race, traditions, or beliefs? Of course he should. And if 120,000 people is not enough to convince you of this, they had a lot of cows too!
I know not every detail is meant to be scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb. I certainly don't plan on preaching a sermon solely about Ninevite cows. But you have to admit, from a modern perspective, it is funny, almost whimsical, that the Lord would attach that little tidbit to the big final question of the book, which is intended to challenge the reader with the implied answer. Should God not care for that many people, regardless of their race, traditions, or beliefs? Of course he should. And if 120,000 people is not enough to convince you of this, they had a lot of cows too!
If I were to put out an "animal lovers" edition of the Bible with commentary directly relating to animal rights (hey, it seems they have one for everything else), I would be tempted to take this verse out of context and make a case about how God cared just as much about the cows as he did about the people. Therefore, we should treat animals like people and all be vegetarians. Come to think of it, there could be quite a bit of money in producing something like this. Maybe I will sell out if the price is right!
But for the time being, I just think its interesting to note that God thought this tidbit was important enough to include in Scripture. It sounds as if God is saying: "If not for the people, do it for the cows, Jonah!" Another interesting interpretation, but I don't think that is the main idea of this detail's inclusion either. Mentioning the cattle the people owned would have forced Jonah to relate to them in a way that he probably had not up to this point. After all, he was very different than them. He served a different God, lived in a different place, and had different view about what was important in life than these people. Why should he not be excited about God wiping out these evil pagans from the earth?
Because when it came down to it, the Ninevites were still people. They owned animals, had families, and worked jobs just like he did. God isn't saying "do it for the cows," regardless of how much this makes me chuckle when I think about it. He is saying "do it because they are not as different from you as you think."
So, my fellow meat-eating friends, no worries. You can still eat a hamburger without violating God's will. That's not what this last verse is expressing a concern about. Unfortunately, it is expressing a concern for those who serve Jonah's God to do something even harder than that: to look beyond differences big and small and see people for people. Democrats and Republicans, Christians and Muslims, even vegetarians and carnivores, all have humanity in common. That's why God cared about the Ninevites, and that is why Jonah's God expects his followers to do the same.
But for the time being, I just think its interesting to note that God thought this tidbit was important enough to include in Scripture. It sounds as if God is saying: "If not for the people, do it for the cows, Jonah!" Another interesting interpretation, but I don't think that is the main idea of this detail's inclusion either. Mentioning the cattle the people owned would have forced Jonah to relate to them in a way that he probably had not up to this point. After all, he was very different than them. He served a different God, lived in a different place, and had different view about what was important in life than these people. Why should he not be excited about God wiping out these evil pagans from the earth?
Because when it came down to it, the Ninevites were still people. They owned animals, had families, and worked jobs just like he did. God isn't saying "do it for the cows," regardless of how much this makes me chuckle when I think about it. He is saying "do it because they are not as different from you as you think."
So, my fellow meat-eating friends, no worries. You can still eat a hamburger without violating God's will. That's not what this last verse is expressing a concern about. Unfortunately, it is expressing a concern for those who serve Jonah's God to do something even harder than that: to look beyond differences big and small and see people for people. Democrats and Republicans, Christians and Muslims, even vegetarians and carnivores, all have humanity in common. That's why God cared about the Ninevites, and that is why Jonah's God expects his followers to do the same.
Who do you struggle being concerned about?
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