Shalom! May the great name of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed. Welcome to study the Word of God. Many times, when our God wants to give us a message or to send someone a message, He speaks to us through parables or symbols. These help us better understand His feelings toward us or a specific matter. For example, when David left the many women in his kingdom and took Uriah’s wife, before God punished him, He first gave him a parable to help him understand the depth of God’s displeasure over what he had done. Let us read 2 Samuel 12:1–12 1 The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.4 Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in His eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’11 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes, I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’” In many other parts of Scripture—both the Old and New Testaments—we find God using parables or illustrations to convey His messages and His feelings toward His people. But God also uses examples and images to reveal His feelings when we repent and turn back to Him. Many of us do not truly understand how God feels toward us—especially when we turn from our wicked ways. Some believe God holds grudges and never forgets our past mistakes. Take a moment to meditate on the parable of the Prodigal Son that Jesus shared in Luke 15:11–32. It reveals the great mercy of God toward us when we repent. Luke 15:20–24 20 “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” In addition to parables, God also uses signs. Read Ezekiel chapters 4 and 5, and Isaiah 20:3, where God speaks through symbolic acts. Now let us consider another important sign that helps us understand God’s feelings when we turn to Him in repentance. If you’re a student of the Bible, you’re familiar with the story of Prophet Jonah—how he fled from God’s voice and ended up in the belly of a great fish for three days. Eventually, Jonah obeyed God’s command and preached to the people of Nineveh. The Bible says the people repented and turned from their evil ways, and God forgave them and chose not to destroy them. However, Jonah was not pleased with this. He reflected on the suffering he had gone through—being swallowed, sitting in the belly of a fish—and now God did not even destroy the people? He had hoped Nineveh would be judged. But God’s feelings were different. He had compassion on the people. Jonah did not yet understand the depth of God’s mercy, so the Lord spoke to him again—this time through the sign of the gourd (vine). As Jonah sat outside the city to watch its destruction, God caused a gourd plant to grow up overnight to provide shade for Jonah, who was burning with anger and exhaustion. Jonah was glad for the shade—and possibly the fruit. The vine refreshed him and made him forget his troubles. But the next day, God appointed a worm to destroy the plant, and the sun beat down hard on Jonah. He became angry again. The gourd had been his comfort—and now it was gone. Then God gave Jonah a lesson: “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh…?”— Jonah 4:10–11 Just as the gourd had given Jonah rest and relief from his anger and discomfort, so also the repentance of Nineveh had become like a vine before God. Where there had once been anger and judgment planned, their repentance produced shade for God’s heart, calming His wrath. So, every day that we turn from our wicked ways, it is as if branches grow before God, covering us and bringing joy to His heart. And when we continue in purity—even bearing fruit—we cause God to rejoice and forget all the evil we had done. Ezekiel 33:11“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.’” However, when we increase in evil, it is as if we cut off our own branches, and our sins rise up again before God and provoke His anger. Our God loves us and has compassion on us. There is a deep connection between our actions and God’s emotions. Therefore, let us strive to please His heart, that we may enjoy His goodness. Let us cleanse ourselves daily. Perhaps you no longer curse—but you still struggle with arguments, gossip, or bitterness. Cleanse yourself of those too. This is how we avoid God’s wrath. 2 Corinthians 7:1“Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” Our God loves us. Our God has compassion on us. And we still have a great opportunity in Him. God bless you. If you would like us to send these teachings to your email or WhatsApp, send us a message using the comment box below or call this number:📞 +255 789001312 Join our WhatsApp channel by clicking here >> [WHATSAPP]