Why Yonah Ran (Jonah 4:1-11) Series

Let's start today by simply rereading Jonah 3. We need to get sucked back into our story, and there's no easier way to do it, than to just read it (NRSV updated):

3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. 8 Humans and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.

This chapter ends with something that maybe shocks us. When Yahweh saw the Assyrians' repentance, He changed his mind. He turned from being angry, to not being not angry. He turned, from planning judgment, and death, to letting them live.

But even though we were maybe surprised God is willing to do this, if you were one of the book's original readers, the shock wouldn't be that God changed his mind. You would know, from your own Israelite history, that God doesn't enjoy bringing evil on people. He prefers to bless; he prefers to show grace and mercy. And God looks for reasons not to judge (Ezekiel 18:23). Or to stop judging (Deuteronomy 30:1-6).

So the fact that God changed his mind about bringing evil wouldn't shock you. That's just good OT theology.

What would shock YOU, is that God changed his mind about Ninevah. You would never have expected the king of Ninevah to repent. Your own people hardly ever repented-- why would Assyria be any better, when they know nothing about Yahweh-- when they don't have the shared history, the promises, the covenant, the Torah? Israel had advantages in every way, and yet so often did nothing with them. What are the odds that idol-worshipping Gentiles would repent, and turn to Yahweh?

So that's how chapter 3 ended. But our story still has this enormous loose thread we would love to see wrapped up.

What is it that we still don't know?

We still don't know why Yonah ran. We've seen God's mercy toward people this entire book when they call upon him and repent. Yahweh was merciful toward the sailors in chapter 1. He was merciful toward Yonah in chapter 2. And we saw last week, that Yahweh was merciful toward the Assyrians in chapter 3.

Why would Yonah run from the Elohim of the heavens, Maker of sea and land, when He has proven to be so

merciful when people cry out to Him?

We are very quickly running out of Jonah to read, so if we are going to get our answer, it's going to have to be here.

Our story continues this week, Jonah chapter 4, verse 1:

(1) And it was displeasing to Yonah a great evil,

and it was hot for him,

When Yahweh changed his mind and actions toward Ninevah, Yonah's immediate reaction is anger. He's furious about this.

Verse 2:

(2) and he prayed to Yahweh,

and he said,

"Please, Yahweh! Was this not my word while being in my homeland?

That is why I first fled to Tarshish,

because I knew that you a God of grace/kindness and compassion,

long of anger and great of loyalty,

and One who Changes the Mind concerning evil,

The author of Jonah kept this hidden from us the entire book, so we find ourselves shocked again. Why did Yonah run? Yonah ran from Yahweh because he knew God. He knew that Yahweh doesn't enjoy bringing evil on people for their disobedience. He knew that Yahweh always looks for reasons not to do this (Ezekiel 18:23). And the last thing Yonah wanted, was for the Assyrians to be saved from the evil.