Righteous Indignation?

As we begin looking toward our mission conference next month, I want to share some thoughts with you from the book of Jonah – a prophet who tried to escape from warning a savage nation to repent, because he actually wanted God to judge them!

So he boarded a ship heading the other way, but God sent a storm to intercept him. The mariners threw him overboard, the storm miraculously ceased, and these Gentile sailors became Jonah’s first converts as they worshipped the God Who had spared their lives.

Meanwhile, God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, and miraculously kept him alive for three days and nights until the fish spat him out. Centuries later, Jesus used this to picture His own burial for three days and nights in the tomb.

Jonah finally began moving in the right direction. He entered the city and began delivering his warning.

We left off last week in chapter three where a revival was sweeping the city as the entire population turned in repentance to the God of Israel. All in response to a one-line sermon, Yet 40 days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. And if that sermon seemed a little sparse, we’ll see in a moment why that probably was!

But there’s something really humorous about that message that gets lost in translation. The last word of it says Nineveh will be overthrown, by which Jonah means a catastrophic “Sodom and Gomorrah” type destruction. But that word overthrown can just as easily mean, turned over in the sense of completely converted – totally transformed – abruptly changed. Jonah’s prophecy came true after all – just not in the way he had expected!

You know, it’s a pity the story couldn’t have just ended right there!

But if it had, we’d have missed Jonah’s reaction. And ugly as it is, the Bible is very honest about the flaws of its heroes – which really sets it apart from other religious writings. And it’s honest about them because we are men of like passions.

You see, I couldn’t really picture myself walking into the heart of a hostile metropolis and boldly proclaiming, Yet 40 days and San Francisco will be overthrown!

But getting frustrated at my circumstances? Or impatient with God? Or feeling sorry for myself? Oh, yeah – I could see that! I admire what Jonah did in chapter 3, but I regret to admit that I relate far more to what he does in chapter 4. So, as exciting as Jonah’s great victory is to read, I really need the lessons from his great failure even more!

And the most amazing thing about Jonah is that in his greatest victory he felt his greatest defeat! He very literally couldn’t win for losing. And it was all because of his hateful attitude!

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.

Heavenly Father, I must admit, I can understand Jonah’s rage against the enemies of God’s people. We have plenty of them in our own nation today. And yet, if You had not loved Your enemies, You would have no friends at all!

May we strive to destroy our enemies by making them our friends. May we be earnest in our prayers and our witness to stall Your judgment for another generation. May you burden our hearts for the lost souls throughout our land. May Your Spirit temper our wrath in righteous measure – and may any among us estranged from You flee to Christ from the wrath to come – in Jesus’ name, Amen!

In this passage, all Nineveh repents in the greatest revival the world has ever seen – any other missionary’s “Dream Crusade”! But how does Jonah react?

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

Can you believe this guy? He’s just swept some half a million souls into the kingdom of God in a single day! All of this after experiencing one of the most fantastic miracles found anywhere in the Bible – a man whom Jesus will someday use as an example of His own resurrection.