“Returning to God”
“The Pouting Prophet”
Jonah 4:1-11
Judith Viorst wrote a popular children’s book called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It’s about a little boy whose day starts out bad and goes downhill from there. He gets gum in his hair and gets his sweater wet in the sink and he trips over his skateboard and doesn’t get a prize in his cereal box and that’s all before breakfast! He could tell right away that it was going to be a TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY. Then he goes to school and his teacher doesn’t like his drawing of an invisible castle, he doesn’t get a dessert in his lunch bag and his best friend doesn’t want to be his best friend anymore. And after school his mom buys him plain white sneakers instead of the ones with red and blue racing stripes, his dentist finds a cavity in his tooth, there are lima beans for dinner, and he gets soap in his eyes when he takes his evening bath. In frustration, he finally says, "I think I’ll move to Australia." If you’re like me you can relate to this story because we all have had days like Alexander, days when people treat us unfairly and nothing works out the way we want it to and by the time we fight our way home through bumper to bumper traffic we’re just plain mad. Well, chapter four of today’s text begins with Jonah thinking he has just experienced one of those days and Jonah was angry, but not at things or even people. No, he was mad at God.
If you are our guest this morning, you should know that this is the final segment of a series of sermons on the life and ministry of the prophet Jonah. When we last left Jonah he had just delivered God’s message to the Ninevites. They responded by repenting of their wicked lifestyle and by putting their faith in God in what was the greatest revival in the history of the world and if the story had ended here, Jonah would have gone down in history as one of the world’s greatest prophets. I mean to preach and have hundreds of thousands turn to God is no small accomplishment. But this account of the life and ministry of Jonah the prophet DOESN’T stop here because this is not just a story about God’s love for the wicked Assyrians. It is also a story of His grace, driven love for an angry, pouting prophet a very immature Hebrew preacher who thought he was having a TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD day.
You know when you look back at the story from this perspective you can see that in chapter one of this little book Jonah acted like the prodigal son but here in the fourth chapter he is now acting more like the pouting elder brother. Jonah is not at all happy that the Ninevites have repented and come home to God. The story is not over because God’s work was not complete. The Ninevites were doing fine at this point, but not Jonah. He still needed work. You see, God is not satisfied with mere compliance to His will, which is apparently what He got from Jonah in chapter 3. What God wanted was for Jonah to value what He valued and God knew this had not happened yet. Take your Bibles and you’ll see what I mean as we look at Jonah 4:1-11.
Have you ever witnessed a child throwing a temper-tantrum in the middle of a department store (hopefully it was not your own). The child may do any number of things: He or she may pound on the floor with their hands and feet. They may lie on the floor and scream at the top of their lungs. They may throw things or sling their arms about. Or they may be very creative and do all of these things at the same time. But in all of this the child has a purpose - he is demanding that he get his own way. In today’s text we see Jonah throwing a temper tantrum with God. For our study today the reason for Jonah’s anger is not as important as the object of his anger. Jonah was angry with God!
In verse one of chapter four we read, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.” Jonah is angry. He had finally obeyed God. He was doing what God wanted done but God had not done what Jonah wanted. Jonah has just preached the most successful revival in history as a result the whole city of Nineveh from the King on down have repented. But because they have repented God spared the entire city and this in not what Jonah wanted to see or hear. He felt betrayed. Now church, before we look down upon Jonah we need to remember that none of us is immune to the spirit of resentment that ate at Jonah and the truth is we too can give in to that resentment. But as a Christian the one thing we need to recognize is that resentment affects us in several damaging ways.
I. Resentment will destroy our Peace. (vv.1-2)
Verse one stated that Jonah was “exceedingly displeased and became “angry”. The word translated “angry” means to burn. Jonah was literally fuming. You can feel Jonah’s anger at the beginning of this chapter. He WAS steamed, not at his enemies the Ninevites, but at God Himself. To catch this you really need to back up and read the last verse of chapter 3 and then the first verse of chapter 4. Listen to the way the New Living Translation puts it, “When God saw that the Ninevites had put a stop to their evil ways, He had mercy on them and didn’t carry out the destruction He had threatened. This change of plans upset Jonah and he became very angry.” Jonah is not happy and one of the first things that resentment does in the life of a believer is it robs us of our peace and happiness. And it’s at that point that everything in life is seen through the lenses of our anger and resentment.
In verse two Jonah’s attitude and anger is revealed even further when he says, “And he prayed to the Lord and said, Oh, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.” How many times have you heard someone say, “I knew this would happen? I just knew it!” That is what Jonah is saying verse two, “I knew this is what would happen. This is why I didn’t want to go to Nineveh in the first place.”
Did you catch it church? He’s blaming God for his own rebellious flight to Tarshish. He even threw scripture in God’s face quoting Exodus 34:6-7 but instead of using this familiar text to praise God, Jonah angrily uses it to complain and accuse God. He says in essence, I left home because I knew you would do this, Lord! I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people!
So, we see that Jonah tried to justify his attitude of resentment. The fact is that we all do what Jonah did. When it gets tough to do the right thing, we seek to justify our disobedience. We even go to the word of God seeking grounds to justify doing what we want to do. But when we find ourselves reading the Bible in order to find verses and passages that justify our behavior we are not only wrong we are in danger. Jonah is blaming God and in the process his resentment is destroying his peace.
II. Resentment will distract us from our purpose. (vv. 3-4)
“Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!" Jonah became so depressed and despondent over God’s course of action that he thought the only solution was that God just take his life. The prophet Elijah once had that problem as well. It is interesting that Elijah’s depression also came right after a great victory. Immediately after defeating the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, the Bible records: “And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. (4) But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" [1 Kings 19:3-4] (NKJV)
Like Jonah, Elijah went out and sat down. Elijah sat under a juniper tree not a vine, but like Jonah Elijah requested to die. I would imagine if the truth be known a lot of Christians have had this problem from time to time. R. T Kendall said he knew a man who prayed daily for twenty years that he might die. He was well into his eighty’s when he died. I suppose that God does not pay a lot of attention to our pity parties. Speaking for myself I have never gotten to the place that I asked God to let me die, I suppose I’m afraid he just might answer my prayer.
Notice how the Lord responded to Jonah with a simple question in verse four, “Then the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?" In other words God says, “Jonah do you think you have a right to be angry with me?” The question is a challenge to Jonah to really stop and think whether an angry prophet or the sovereign God of the Universe is right.
Jonah’s problem was the thought that he had been made to look like a fool. He had prophesied that disaster would come in forty days and now God has decided not to destroy the city. How is this going to look, how will the people view him? As far as he is concerned his reputation as a prophet of God is ruined. But Jonah did not confess his error instead he became even angrier and left the city. Jonah’s anger distracted him from fulfilling God’s purpose.
III. Resentment makes us less productive. (v. 5)
If you’ve ever seen two small boy’s playing baseball and one gets mad, what always happens? The one that gets mad takes his ball and glove and goes home. Figuratively speaking that’s what Jonah was doing. He was mad at God and so he just wasn’t going to play anymore.
It is hard to be productive when we figuratively take our ball and glove and go home. Remember, the word here that God uses for angry literally means to burn so what God really said, was, Jonah, do you have any valid reason to be so HOT UNDER THE COLLAR? Well, Jonah’s only response at that point was to stomp off up into the hills where he could have a clear view of the city of Nineveh. Verse five says, “So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.” So what do you do when you get angry with the way God is doing things? You start your own little church. Understand, this is the second time Jonah has fled his area of ministry. He fled to Tarshish in chapter one rather than do what God wanted him to do and now he headed for the hills when he should have been helping the newly repentant Ninevites to learn more about the God Who had so lovingly spared their city.
When Jonah reached an elevation where he was high enough to see all of Nineveh he built himself a little shelter using some leafy branches, something to shield himself from the severe desert heat, which was pretty much a necessity because the average temperature in that region was between 110 and 120 degrees. In other words, it was not a good place to allow yourself to get hot under the collar!
Well, Jonah got as comfortable as he could and then he proceeded to sit there and look down on the Ninevites, thinking, just watch God! They are going to go back to their wicked ways, You’ll see! You can never trust a Ninevite. Once a Ninevite, always a Ninevite. I’m going to sit here until they slip and then force You to admit that You were wrong about these pagans! You’ll see that I am justified in my anger at what You have done! In other words Jonah trained his eyes on the Ninevites when he should have been examining himself. Like many of us, he was more concerned with the splinter in his neighbor’s eye than he was about the two by four in his own eye! Jonah’s resentment made him less productive and it will do the same to us.
IV. Resentment will warp our perspective. (v. 6-11)
Well as the day dragged on it’s apparent that this shelter that Jonah built wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping Jonah comfortable and because of this Jonah began to get very hot. Perhaps adding to his discomfort were the sounds of the Ninevites in the city below continuing to mourn and pray to God in repentance!
At this point verse 6 says that God caused a vine to grow up and provide shade for Jonah, to ease his discomfort. “And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.” Now, the Hebrew here literally says, to deliver him from his evil which means that even this vine was just a tool in God’s hands to free Jonah from his sinful attitude. Jonah was angry with God and how does God respond to him? Instead of sending a burden into his life God sent a blessing. God responded to his anger by allowing a plant to grow over him to provide for his comfort.
Although Jonah was in a place he had no business of being and was filled with anger he could not justify, God still cared about him. Jonah was his child, and he was hot and tired and hurting, so God provided what he needed. So, Jonah was very happy about the appearance of this vine. In fact it is the only time in the entire book that this grumpy prophet is happy about anything. Jonah is finally grateful. Why? The answer is clear, Jonah is pleased because at last, after all the things God had done for other people God is at last doing something for Jonah. Isn’t that incredibly selfish? Of course it is.
But Jonah’s happiness was short lived because in verse seven we read, “But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. (8) And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, "It is better for me to die than to live." God was not done yet. He interceded once more and performed another miracle. This time instead of summoning a big fish, He called forth a tiny worm to eat the root of the vine, causing it to wilt and ruin Jonah’s shelter. Then He threw another storm at Jonah. This time it was a desert windstorm known a Sirocco. Now, when these winds blow the temperature will rise dramatically and the humidity will drop quickly. It’s like being inside a convection oven. The Septuagint accurately translates this sudden wind as a scorcher. It is almost as if God says, Okay, Jonah if you’re so up on being hot under the collar, here’s a little help.
It is when we become angry and resentful that we lose our sense of perspective and begin to pick at the little things. We see it all the time in the business world, within are own families and even in the Church. Jonah is no different. In verse nine God again reasons with Jonah saying, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!" (10) But the LORD said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. (11) And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left--and much livestock?"
So, as Jonah’s frustration builds, God said, do you have a right to be angry about the vine? Jonah angrily retorted, Yes, I do, even angry enough to die!
At this point God has Jonah where He wants him. God has used this vine and worm and wind as tools to show Jonah the absurdity of his demeanor to help him understand his own confused heart, to help Jonah realize that he is so full of self-pity that he has no pity left over for the repentant Ninevites. In other words, God was saying you are angry about this plant that is pretty much here today and gone tomorrow but Nineveh has more than 120,000 children. If you can be concerned about something as trivial as a plant, should I not be allowed to be concerned about something as important as these people-not to mention their livestock? Jonah’s resentment had distorted his perspective and it will do the same to us.
This part of the story reminds me of a statement made by Tony Campolo at a pastor’s conference in Maryland a few years ago. As part of his message he angrily said, “Yesterday 30,000 children around the world starved to death and you don’t give a ’blankety blank about it.” And the pastors that were there admitted that they were thinking, “Oh Tony, you shouldn’t have said that. You’re only going to get us mad at you.” And many of the pastors admitted that they were indeed angry at his cursing. But then just as all of them moved up to the edge of their seats in sort of a defensive posture Campolo said, “The sad thing is you pastors are more upset that I said ’blankety blank’ than you are about 30,000 children who starved to death yesterday.” Silence descended over the room and they said that almost in unison all of the pastor’s slunk back into their seats thinking, He’s right! O God, how did our priorities get so mixed up? When did we become so calloused to human need?
Well, it is in the same awkward silence that the book of Jonah ends. God had the first word in this story and now He has the last word as well. Jonah doesn’t reply. He couldn’t because like a lot of us, he was too busy taking his foot out of his mouth. By now even he could now see how off base he had been. So, God got through to old Jonah in the end. On what do I base that conclusion? On the fact that it is Jonah that records this whole story and he kept nothing back not even his own disgraceful behavior. In fact I believe he wrote this no-holes-barred autobiographical book and ended this way to show his repentance.
So as we come to the end of the book of Jonah I believe that if we were honest with ourselves we’d have to admit that there is a little bit Jonah in all of us. As Jimmy Draper has said, “Our concern should not be whether a man can live inside a fish, but whether the spirit of Jonah lives inside of us.” You see, at one time or other in our life each of us has rebelled against God just like Jonah did. We have refused to do things God has told us to do. We have done things He told us not to do. We have also had our own priorities mixed up. Like Jonah we have frequently been more concerned about our own physical comfort than about God’s purposes. And, as Jonah did in this last chapter, many of us have also willfully fanned the flames of anger, even anger that is directed at God Himself. And if we don’t deal with that resentment or anger then it will destroy our peace, distract us from God’s purpose, it will make us less productive and warp our perspective.
The truth is that life is full of things that can cause us to feel frustrated, angry and make us become resentful towards God, but the wonderful news of the Gospel is that God stands ready to tenderly equip us to deal with these tough times. All we have to do is ask and this morning you may need to do just that. You may even want to come to the altar here and pray and be honest with God. If you’re angry with God today come to these altars and be honest with Him. Deal with the resentment before it makes your life even more miserable. God may be leading you to join our church so that you can have other Christians to help you understand and bear life’s burdens. Maybe you’re a Christian but you have fallen away from God. God is inviting you to come back and in the same way He gave Jonah and Nineveh a second chance He will give you a second chance and use you for his purpose again if you will just return to Him. If you are here today and are not a Christian then I want you to know that you have been coping with life all on your own, if that is true then I encourage you to commit today to becoming a follower of Jesus. Repent of your sin and ask Him to come into your heart and life. I encourage you to make any of these decisions public by walking the aisle this morning.
“Returning to God”
“The Pouting Prophet”
Jonah 4:1-11
I. Resentment will destroy our _____________. (v. 1-2)
II. Resentment will distract us from our ____________. (v. 3-4)
III. Resentment makes us less ________________. (v. 5)
IV. Resentment will warp our ____________. (v. 6-11)
