Unhappy Success Jonah 3 & 4
Well in the way of a quick review, we have been talking about the prophet Jonah. We looked at how he exercised his free will and went in the opposite direction of God’s instruction. We heard about these Sailors that acted more righteous than God’s prophet. Praying, repenting and even worrying about the life one man. I mentioned to you that God will never take away or over ride our freewill. But if we exercise it enough he will stop trying to keep us on the right path. He will wait for us to comeback to him.
Then last week we looked at Jonah’s prayer. How it look in sincere that his spirituality was shallow. It was only skin deep and that God only saved him because of Grace. God un deserved favor.. Which seems to have been given because he does believe in God. His superior attitude for his background and his position placed him in danger, but not out of the reach of God’s grace.
Today we are lumping the two last chapters into one lesson. We don’t know how much time has passed since the fish deposited him on the beach. It may have been long enough for his hair to grow back and to start looking normal after spending 3 days in the stomach of the fish. Or it could be the same day. There is no hint.
The scripture tells us that the Word of the Lord came a second time telling him to go and give the message to the Ninevehites.
As far as we can tell, he has still never repented. But this time he goes to the city. It describes his mission as requiring 3 days. So he walked through the city giving a simple message.
I can’t imagine that he gave much emotion. I picture him walking around in the city like a kid that mom has sent on chores. Not going fast and his voice not that loud. His face probably shows his distaste for being in the city at all along with his displeasure of being sent to this unclean people.
"Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned."
He does not head to the kings place, or any official of the city directly. He is walking through the streets and when he gets to a market or a major intersection. He calls out :
"Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned”
What if Jonah was standing over at the dollar store or Kroger? And saying that phrase to every person that walked in?
What would our reaction be?
If I am honest, I would start by thinking. He’s nuts!! I imagine I would ignore him go in and get my walnuts and peanut butter and be on my way without a second thought.
For the Ninevites, Jonah is a stranger; he is not from around there. His clothes and appearance would give him away. I would bet he talked funny.
The odd thing that our scripture describes is the response of the people when they heard the rambling statement of a mad man.
Nineveh was a city 48 miles across, 1000 watch towers. Later in history they will beat the Babylonian empire and be fierce invaders and even control all of Israel. What could this one strange looking foreigner really know? 40 days, they will be destroyed…..
Ridculas! Crazy, No Way! It just can’t happen.
Destruction is coming. No hope offered… No call for repentance, just the declaration of judgment. Here is a preacher hoping that he will not have a successful ministry.!
What makes the people of Nineveh respond to this less than excited prophet?
What makes any body change? For some people it might be a car accident or a divorce. Perhaps the loss of a job.
Not too long ago, when a young man was more than his folks could handle they sent him into the military to get straightened out. They normally came home changed.
What makes a nation change?
For many people, the change of the year from 1999 to 2000…. They thought and hoped that Jesus was coming back. Do you remember all the preparations?
Are we very different since September 11th 2001? Did the destruction cause our nation to repent or to just get nervous?
It appears that the people of Nineveh just knew what was going to happen. They could see how they were living and must have had a feeling of some kind.
There is no stated reason why this message was accepted and people react. It seems like the word spread like wild fire. Eventually someone gave the message to the king. This revival and mass repentance started at the common man and moved to the top.
So the people were putting on sack cloth and ashes. They started to repent of their evil ways. When the King got the word, he did not need to speak to the prophet to make a decision and he commands that no one should eat or drink. Not even the animals and everyone should where sack cloth.
The interesting point is they responded immediately. They did not wait 39 days. They responded right then. No wait and see attitude.
They hoped that God would see their repentance “who knows” and relent and spare the city. When you are condemned, you don’t wait until the last second to ask for a stay from the governor. You have to work on your case right away.
Can you imagine a complete fast, man and animal. Can you hear the cows and goats crying out to their owners, the echoes in the streets? Fussing to be fed and watered. How about the little children crying because it is past meal time? The animal’s sounds and babies and children crying might seem like calls for mercy. The people all looking warn and uncomfortable as the days go by.
Have we ever been convicted to repent? Have you ever felt that as an individual or as a part of a church that there was a call from God for repentance in your life?
I have. I have responded by going on a full fast for periods of 3 days at a time. The problem is that people never understood why I did it. I was told that I was just making myself sick. But I felt that my disobedience called me to do something. It called to suffer as a sign of repentance, a sign that I wanted to change.
When God places the feeling for the need to repent on your heart and soul, you can ignore it or you can act on it. You have the ability to exercise your free will and ignore the feelings. Your spiritual maturity and lead you to ignore the feeling or to feel it will be alright. There are many ways you may be called to respond. They are personal choices; the important thing is to respond in the way you feel called.
The next level is when a group needs to respond. I have been a part of a group that needed to repent. There was division and anger and fighting. There were several calls for repentance and sometimes it seemed to get better. Then it would all start over again. Unfortunately when true repentance and reconciliation does not happen it is only a matter of time until God’s judgment will actually come to pass.
Personally, I believe when God has a direction and plan, he prepares the person. It might be dreams, or emotions that seem out of control, it could be fear or depression. When God is preparing a person or a group of people to be changed, he sends a person or a situation as a trigger to make it happen. It is only by will power that people can resist.
The people of Nineveh only had a maybe. The they must have had a feeling that they had to change and hoped for a merciful God. They responded immediately to the feeling.
Now Jonah saw this radical change in fashion. He heard the moaning and crying of repentance. He saw that his ministry as a spokesman for God brought this proud city to its knees. And his success made him angry because he actually knew what this kind of radical change meant.
We learn from our scripture what Jonah knew about the Character of God.
He prayed to God, I know hat kind of God you are., That is why I did not want to come here. You are gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. That is why I tried to run.
You are just such a softy that I want to die! And God ask Why is he angry?
He stomps off to a hill side where he can watch the city and waits. Personally he feels like these are horrible people and they deserve judgment. He does not want God to show mercy to these bad people.
Perhaps the people will slip up and he will have a front row seat for the destruction.
God caused a vine to grow and give him shade. It quickly appeared without any nurture or help from Jonah. Jonah was happy for the first time in our scripture.
The next night God sent a little worm to kill the plant and Jonah was right back to being angry, pouting n the hill side.
God sent a hot wind and Jonah stayed alone on a barren hillside and wanted to die. He was not willing to go back into the city or head for home. He just wanted to pout. Over the mercy of god for the City and for the loss of the plant.
God ask him if he had reason to be angry about the plant. He says yes and tat he wanted to die. He sounds like a spoiled child. He sounds like a person that wants every thing done their way and just acts terrible if they don’t get their way.
God shares his view that he had something to do with this great city and the people in it. He talks abut the 120 thousand that don’t know their right from their left. Probably the number of innocent children in the city, and the animals.
God says that he on the other hand has had everything to do with the creation of this great city and people. Should he not care?
Jonah has been angry with God and only submits when he feels forced and is a stubborn an harsh representative. He only serves God at a minimum level and has no joy in his work. He does not really care about what God wants, he wants to control who God will touch an save.
Where are we in the picture of God’s kingdom today? Are we happy to be working in the kingdom? To we appreciate his efforts on our behalf. Do we resent his work in the lives of others?
The story of Jonah is about a reluctant prophet that God uses in spite of his flaws and attitude. God’s work is our work. We are called to look where he is working an joyfully join him there.
All Glory be to God.
