“But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD, ‘Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ But the LORD replied, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live.’ But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?’ ‘It is,’ he said. ‘And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.’ But the LORD said, ‘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, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left -- and also many animals?’” (Jonah 4:1-11, NIRV.)
The in-coming Philippine President once said that when he studied in a university abroad, what he learned was to think.
A Christian book has a sub-heading, "The Importance of Thinking." It goes on to say, "Healthy Christianity clearly appreciates the life of the mind. Love God ‘with all your mind,’ says Jesus (Matt. 22:37). ‘Think over what I say,’ Paul tells Timothy, and us with him (2 Tim. 2:7)... It is a tragedy that in many Christian circles, the life of the mind is not prized, and it is even diminished..." (Thinking. Loving. Doing. by Piper & others).
Let's then realize the importance of thinking. Let's think before we react to any situation.
So, especially before we react to unpleasant things, let us think and think what is right. Let's proceed to explore our topic, THINKING THE SOVEREIGN ACT, while we focus on our text (Jonah 4:1-11).
One of the unpleasant things we experience or feel is when we get angry. When that kind of feeling would come, how should we react? Or, before we display our reaction when we get angry, what should we think first?
Remember Jonah? When God commanded him to go and preach in Nineveh, he disobeyed and went to the opposite direction. God could have restrained him from taking the ship going to Tarshish. But He acted only when the ship was already on the sea.
Could we have an idea why God did it?
It seemed before God would allow Jonah to minister to the people in Nineveh, God had also other thing in His mind. He wanted Jonah to minister first to the Gentile sailors. Notice what Jonah testified to them:
"... I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:9).
They replied in verse 10, "This terrified them and they asked, 'What have you done?' (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)"
Finally, we read in verse 16, "At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.”
God powerfully used Jonah's testimony to them.
In chapter 2, while inside the belly of the big fish, Jonah offered his prayer of repentance. And in chapter 3, the people of Nineveh also repented, when they heard the message of Jonah. So, God relented of the disaster He had said He would do to them.
Now, in our text, as we see the reaction of Jonah, we could also dig out two important things to think about, when the feeling of anger starts to seep in our emotion. What are those? First...
I – GOD CAN EASE OUR DISCOMFORT (vv. 1-6).
We read verses 1-6, “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD, ‘Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ But the LORD replied, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.”
What happened to Nineveh, not only displeased Jonah but he was also became so angry. What he expected to happen did not materialize.
Then, God told him, "Is it right for you to be angry?"
Yet, Jonah still waited that judgement would be executed against Nineveh. So, to see what would become of the city, he made a booth out of the city to shade himself.
Notice what the Sovereign God did (verse 6). He provided (appointed) a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah. He provided a shade for Jonah. He eased his discomfort. And Jonah was very happy about the plant.
People have their own way to make themselves comfortable. They built their own brand of "booth." They wait and wait, expecting that what they want would materialize.
Unfortunately, others would go to the extent of pursuing their comfort regardless of what trouble would happen to others.
Also, like Jonah, they have some ideas about God. They know that He is "gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." But, they failed to acknowledge His Sovereignty.
They insist what they want. Not only they resist and refuse to submit to His commands, but they also neglect or reject to acknowledge what He is doing in their life.
They could not conceive what the Sovereign God could really do. They do not entertain the idea that He could make them comfortable in His Sovereign way. That He is able to ease their discomfort. That He is able to make them happy in the midst of the dessert of difficulties. And they feel that it is right for them to get angry, when they could not get what they desire.
How about us believers or lovers of Christ -- do we think always about the Sovereign act of God? Do we entertain in our mind what He can do, when we are in unfavorable situation?
When what we expect to happen failed to materialize and when anger begins to boil, do we allow it to overflow in words like, "... it is better for me to die than to live"? Do we allow our anger to overflow in destructive action or behavior?
When what we want failed to happen, instead of getting angry, think. God can ease our discomfort. He is more than able. He can appoint a "leafy plan" and make it grow right where we are to ease our discomfort. He can make us happy even in the midst of difficulty.
Remember when Paul and Silas were "stripped and beaten with rods" in Acts 16. In verse 23-24, we read: "After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks."
Did they get angry toward those who had beaten and thrown them into prison? In verse 25, we read partly: They were "praying and singing hymns to God..."
And not only they were released the next day, but before they were released, they were able to share the Word to the jailer, who believed along with his whole household.
So, when any or discomfort pain is inciting you to get angry, don't react at once. But think. Think God can ease your discomfort.
Before we get angry, what else should we think?
II – GOD CAN INFLICT YOU WITH DISCOMFORT (vv. 7-11).
We read verses 7-11, “But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live.’ But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?’ ‘It is,’ he said. ‘And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.’ But the LORD said, ‘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, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left -- and also many animals?’”
Notice what God did in verses 7-8, “But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live.’”
God removed the cause that gave comfort to Jonah. Not only He sent a worm to chew and destroy it, God provided a scorching east wind to intensify the heat that Jonah suffered.
Again, Jonah said: “It would be better for me to die than to live.” He displayed again his anger.
And God once again asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
Be reminded that Jonah had some good ideas about God. But, he failed once again to grasp the Sovereignty of God. Because of his discomfort, he was angry at the plant that provided him the shade.
He failed to realize that the plant was there, because of God. And it was gone, because also of God. When he got angry with the plant, Jonah failed to realize that he was actually aiming his anger to God!
Men get angry toward anything or anyone causing them inconvenience, difficulty, or pain. There is anger, when there is rain. There is also anger when there is no rain and heat is felt.
It is easy to be angry with almost anything.
And many find it difficult to think that the Sovereign God is in the picture of everything.
Many could acknowledge that God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. But they overlook the important fact that He is not only So-Powerful, but He has the Sovereign choice to do what He wants to happen to His creation, including us.
We read in Romans 9:19-22, “One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?’ But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use.”
What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath — prepared for destruction? As finite, erroneous human beings we cannot fully fathom the virtue and wisdom of His action. He has the Sovereign right to execute His wrath. He can inflict us with discomfort.
So, believers or lovers of Jesus, don’t be angry when God will inflict you with discomfort.
He is Sovereign. He knows what He is doing in our life. Whether it is comfortable or not in our sight, we do not have the right to get angry at Him. We do not have the right to get angry at the plant, or anything that He would remove from us to inflict us with discomfort.
Let’s not forget what happened to Job. And let us not forget his initial reaction.
God removed from him the comfort of all his possessions. The comfort of all his children was taken from him. They all died. The comfort of good health left him. His entire body was in pain, because of the boils.
There was no comforting words from his wife. She told him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9.)
While Jonah remarked in his anger, “It would be better for me to die than to live,” on the other hand, Job told his wife: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” So, when you suffer painful discomfort, do not be angry toward anything or anyone. But think. Think that God can inflict you with discomfort.
Paul wrote the Philippians, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29).
The Sovereign One who granted you the faith to be saved is the One who also granted you the suffering of discomfort. You do not have the right to be angry.
CONCLUSION:
The in-coming President, who claimed that he learned to think when he studied abroad, are now suffering not only with various accusations, judgement and condemnation before the court of public opinions. So far, I don’t yet see or hear that he displays his anger against his accusers. Perhaps, he is just thinking. Thinking of what is right.
We need to be better than him. If we have the faith that Jesus died to suffer and pay the penalty of all our sins, the Holy Spirit is also dwelling in us and can powerfully help us to control our anger, when we don’t realize what we expect or when we suffer discomfort.
And we have the power to think. To think that God can ease our discomfort. To think that He has the Sovereign Right to inflict us with discomfort.
