Jonah tells the story of the prophet who ran from obedience to God. There are many lessons here to help us understand how God does His work through man and how He deals with His servants when they rebel against Him.
This psalm closes as it begins with the declaration: “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” This statement sets the theme for the entire psalm. God establishes His excellence by His working with and blessings to mankind. Much of this psalm looks back to creation and to man’s original place there.
God never promised to remove all trials or to give us heaven on earth. However, He has promised that the man who separates himself from the world and gives himself over to the Lord will be blessed.
God’s purpose for this age is not to create an earthly utopia, as taught by the Reconstructionists and other Amillennialists. However, that does not mean that our outlook is pessimistic. It is pessimistic only if we keep our eyes on the world.
