Jonah 4: 1 – 11
Temper Tantrum
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah, 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. 3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”4 Then the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 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. 6 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. 7 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.” 9 Then God said to Jonah, "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?”
Why is God’s servant angry? Look again at verse 1, 1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. You might be agreeing with a lot of teacher’s which say, ‘Hey Jonah, God just used you to get thousands upon thousands ‘Saved’. Oh yeah? Let me ask you a personal question, and I do not want to be mean about it. How many people have you led to the Lord. Do you share the ‘Good News’ every day or as often as you can? If you are a minister do you share the ‘Salvation’ message at every opportunity especially each week from the pulpit?. You know what I am going to say, ‘this isn’t happening’.
If you are faithful in zealously preaching the Good News of our Precious Lord’s Forgiveness and Eternal Salvation, you will be both emotionally and physically affected. There is an enormous amount of God’s children who do not share their Christianity. I call them ‘Undercover Christians’. They expect everyone else to do God’s work. They keep their Christianity under wraps. They want to fit in with society. They want to be ‘cool’ and be liked by the world. Shame on you if this fits you. If you are a servant of the Lord in full time paid positions and you are not fulfilling the Great Commission by our Master and Lord Jesus Christ, get out of the ministry and go do something else.
I remember a few years ago going to California for a conference. I took along with me a few guys to show them other fruitful or you might describe ‘successful’ ministries. On a Sunday we had planned to go visit a church which is very similar to ours. We had about an hour to kill before the service. This church that we were visiting has a coffee house located on its property so we decided to hang out there. After we got our coffees we sat down together. This nicely arranged coffee club was showing a recent outdoor Christian concert. We were watching thousands and thousands of young people singing and worshiping as the bands led them. Tears were flowing. Hands were being raised in praise toward Heaven. Lips were moving silent prayers to Almighty God. The longer I watched the angrier I became.
Here were thousands of Christians coming together, why? For self fulfillment is my answer. Our Lord used 12 stinky fishermen to change the world. Here were thousands of believers and what do you think would be the outcome of this gathering? They should evangelize all of California and the surrounding states for Christ Jesus our Lord. I would say rather accurately that this entire assembly would make their ways back to their homes and colleges and life would be the same. Do you see my point? Are you getting angry at my description? Maybe I hit a nerve. Perhaps it is time for us to get off our comfortable couches and start doing what our Master requires of us.
I personally feel the same way as Jonah. I have just did a funeral service where there were about 200 people crowed into a funeral home. Half of the crowd consisted of Christians. I shared the Good News and our Lord touched the hearts of all but three of the unbelievers. There were over a hundred people who prayed with me to ask Jesus into their hearts and lives. My reward was to be criticized and critiqued by the believers. I was left lonely, depressed, angry, exhausted, and seriously examining if I wanted to continue to serve in the ministry. Why did they say these hurtful things to me their brother in Christ who was obeying our Lord’s leading. You expect shots from the world but not from brothers or sisters.
Almost everyone takes pokes at Jonah for being angry. Hey he should be rejoicing over all the Ninevite’s who repented of their sins. We can read about how evil the Assyrians were on paper but if you personally witnessed their brutality how would you feel? Have you ever watched the History Channel and watched some of the crimes against humanity committed by the Nazi’s? The other night I was watching a program called the ‘Nazi hunters’. Here they were covering a war criminal from the country of Latvia who personally was responsible for killing over 30,000 men, women, and children. He escaped to Brazil and for 20 years had a business and family. The Jewish Massad found him and dealt with him. How would you feel at seeing a mass murder live a life of peace? How would you feel at seeing thousands of mass murders have a ‘jail house conversion’?
This is why it is so amazing to me to see the love of our Merciful God. Our desire is to see revenge. In reality, no one deserves His Forgiveness. Our Great Teacher rather instructs us that He Is a God of Love. He can take rotten no good people and transform them to men and women into His Image. This lesson has me frozen in mind and body. What an Awesome God we have.
The Israelites did not want to share God’s message of forgiveness just as they resisted in the New Testament during Paul’s ministry as he tells us in the book of 1 Thessalonians chapter 2,” 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.” They along with us have forgotten our purpose..
Jonah did not want the Ninevite’s forgiven by God, he wanted them to get what was rightfully due to them. We find the reason why he took off to Tarshish in verse 2
2 So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah, 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.
In comparison to our Great and Majestic Sovereign God, Jonah had no compassion toward the Assyrians. Jonah, himself, had just been spared God’s Judgment but he was unable to see our Lord’s Mercy extended to others. If we stop and think about this fact we come to the awareness that we also do not deserve God’s forgiveness. Do you think God did Himself a favor by selecting you to be His child?
You see, our Holy Jehovah Elyon Is the Lord Most High. He Is the best teacher. He Is lets us experience first hand His truth. Please note that Jonah ‘Knew’ by experience the Lords marvelous and gracious Mercy. ‘Lovingkindness’ means ‘loyal love’. Our God Is not just the God of Israel. He Is God of the whole world and He sees and acts on behalf of everyone. He Is Loyal and Faithful. He Is a Wonderful Holy One.
Look at Jonah’s emotional, spiritual, and physical conditions;
3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”
What was going through Jonah’s mind to make him this devastated? Only a few days before Jonah had cried out to God to save his life. Now he is asking God to take his life. How come? For one thing he felt like a failure in his ministry. Why would this be? Remember his prophetic message? He told the Ninevite’s that in 40 days they would be destroyed. By the Ninevites repenting and God having mercy on them, Jonah to a large extent was a ‘False Prophet’ – what he prophesied did not come true. He may have felt that God had let him down. Look at what our Lord said about being a false prophet in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 18, “ 14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” 17 The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” 21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”
This reminds me of what happened to Moses. Remember the burning bush where our Holy Ruler showed up and gave Moses a commission to go back to Egypt and be His spokesperson. He ultimately did as he was told and wound up being embarrassed as a loony who only caused the Israelites more problems. Look at this with me from the words in the book of Exodus chapter 5, “ 1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” 3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!” 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.” 10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’” 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.” 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?” 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ 18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.” 20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, “Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” 22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”
How do you think Moses’ felt? ‘Hey Lord, what’s up? You told me to go and do what You told me to, and look at what happened?’
There is an important lesson for all of us here. Both Moses and Jonah were embarrassed in their service to the Master. Through both examples however, the Lord was Glorified. The question to ask ourselves is this, ‘Are you and I more willing and interested in getting Glory for God then for yourself? The correct answer is humbling.
Our Lord asks Jonah this question and He still is asking the same of us,
4 Then the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
If our Holy Father is doing good through all circumstances, do we have a right to interpret what He does. In the book of Isaiah chapter 55 we read, “3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David. 4 Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. 5 Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.” 6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 8 “ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” He alone is Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord our Righteousness.
5 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.
In his continuing defiance Jonah held out to the possibility that God just might destroy the Ninevites. This is why he went and sat and waited for the result. In Psalm 58 we read similar feelings by king David, “ 1 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men 2 No, in heart you work wickedness; You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth. 3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear, 5 Which will not heed the voice of charmers, charming ever so skillfully. 6 Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD! 7 Let them flow away as waters which run continually; When he bends his bow, let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.8 Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun. 9 Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, as in His living and burning wrath. 10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.11 So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”
Please note that Jonah made himself a shelter. We will concentrate on the gourd that the Lord grows as a shelter for Jonah that we forget that the prophet had attempted to make himself a shelter. How come this man made shelter didn’t work for Jonah and why God had to provide a better shelter from the sun?
I see another great lesson from our Holy God which I will point out after we look at the Lord’s work on behalf of His servant,
6 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. 7 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.” 9 Then God said to Jonah, "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?”
The shelter had clearly failed to protect Jonah as we have read about the ship failing to protect the sailors from the storm or the Ninevite’s phony religion protecting them from Judgment from the only True and Living God. All these actions proved the Amazing Mercy and Grace of our Holy God.
Here our God Is displayed as Jehovah Roi – The Great Shepherd of the whole world. He ministered tenderly to Jonah just as He had done to the sailors and the Assyrians and as He does for us. He could have destroyed Jonah for his irreverent and defiant behavior but instead He taught him a valuable lesson which is meaningful to us today. If we obey God’s Will, He will lead us as a shepherd does his sheep. He reserves His harsh Judgment for those who persistently resist His loving call for our repentance.
So, our Wonderful Holy King did a new thing to get His prophet’s attention. In many cases we are set up the same way by our Great Instructor. He is Great in applying live examples. First, our Lord grants comfort to His servant with the provision of the gourd. It brings a relief to Jonah, that is, for a day. Now it is the time for the lesson. The Lord calls for a worm that gradually eats away at the plant. I can just picture Jonah moving around in order to stay in the depleting shade of the plant. In a short time the prophet is again exposed to the full extent of the sunshine. Then comes part two. Besides the heat, and sun beating down on Jonah the Lord calls upon a strong wind to blast the prophet with the heat and sand. Have you ever been down the sea when the wind is blowing up the sand against you? It stings and gets all over you. That definitely does not make a pleasant day.
Now it is time for the explanation of the lesson. Our Lord asks Jonah, ‘why are you so angry about the plant dying? Are you a tree hugger?’ The word ‘is it right’ refers to ethical behavior. Our Lord Is getting Jonah to stop and get over his pity party and to analyze things correctly. Our Lord was pointing out to His servant that he was more interested in his own interests then the spiritual needs of other people. He had forgotten his call. A prophet was to speak to other people the words of God, not to put his own two cents into God’s work. Do you see the importance here as it applies to all of us?
Our Lord through His great application was showing Jonah that if he could take pity on a plant, which is less important than an animal, it was only proper to understand that the Holy and Everlasting God would take pity on human beings who are made in His Image. Hello America, do we see the same lesson?
We want God’s Justice deployed immediately against wicked people but fail to realize we are talking about ourselves. But for the Grace of God go we. They say you can’t tell the inmates from the staff in a mental institution. This is the same thing going on in our world. May we like the Ninevites cry out for our Holy God to have mercy on us sinners. Amen
