Sunday, May 28, 2017 Lesson: Jonah 4:1-11; Time of Action: around 780 B.C.; Place of Action: Nineveh and the surrounding vicinity Golden Text: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? (Jonah 4:11). I. INTRODUCTION. Jonah finally proclaimed God s message to Nineveh, and the city repented from its evil. What takes place next is a remarkable study in the human heart, as God acts and Jonah reacts. Even though the wicked Ninevites repented of their sins and enjoyed the Lord s mercy, the Prophet Jonah was not happy. He hoped to see God s wrath poured out on Nineveh, revealing that his heart was a long way from God s heart in this matter. This week s lesson reminds us that it s possible for a person to dutifully do God s will and still not share His mind and heart. Jonah needed to learn that God s love is all-embracing meaning it leaves no one out. God s love even extends to the animal kingdom as we shall see in this week s lesson.
II. LESSON BACKGROUND. After finally declaring the message that God gave Jonah (see Jonah 3:4), the Ninevites responded favorably to his preaching (see Jonah 3:5-9). The evidence of their sincerity was seen in their outward signs of sorrow as well as changes in their behavior. God, indeed did take note for He saw their works that they turned from their evil way (see Jonah 3:10). There is much debate as to whether this was a full-scale conversion to Israel s God. It should be noted that in Jonah 3:10, He is called God (Elohim), not the Lord (Yahweh) or Jehovah which was His covenant name with Israel. In addition, we don t have any biblical or historical proof that masses of people turned to worship the God of Israel. It seems that the Ninevites turning from evil merely showed their sensitivity to God s word, and their willingness to take it seriously. This was enough to elicit a favorable response from the Lord. Whatever was in their hearts, these people did resolve to change their outward works. To God, this was proof that they still had a moral conscience and were not yet ripe for destruction (see I Kings 21:28-29). Our Lord is more longsuffering to sinners than we could ever be. As a result in Jonah 3:10, the last verse of chapter 3, we are told that God repented (or withheld) of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. This is where our lesson begins.
III. JONAH S SURPRISING REACTION (Jonah 4:1-3) A. Jonah shows great displeasure (Jonah 4:1). Our first verse says But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. The word But marks the drastic contrast between the heart of God and the heart of His prophet. We might expect this successful preacher to rejoice in the Ninevites positive response to his message. But instead, it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. The word it refers to God s act of turning away His wrath from Nineveh and showing them mercy. In the Hebrew this phrase literally reads But it was evil to Jonah with great evil. Jonah was vexed and highly irritated that God did not destroy the Ninevites as He had promised (see Jonah 3:4). Forty days had passed and gone. Not only was Jonah displeased or not happy, he was also very angry which can be translated hot. Note: Some may explain Jonah s anger by implying that he was a false prophet since the judgment he foretold didn t come to pass (see Deuteronomy 18:21-22). But surely, Jonah understood as other prophets did, that when men changed their attitudes, God had the prerogative to postpone or even cancel prophesied events (see I Kings 21:27-29; II Kings 20:1-6; Jeremiah 18:1-11). In such cases, the prophets involved were never accused of being false prophets. So this was surely not the reason for Jonah s anger. In the next verse, we learn the real reason for his anger.
B. Jonah s accusatory prayer (Jonah 4:2-3). 1. (vs. 2). This verse says 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. In his state of anger, Jonah prayed unto the Lord. We realize the magnitude of Jonah s anger when we recognize that the situation seemed evil to him. Although he prayed respectfully, saying I pray thee, O Lord, his prayer was really a complaint against God. What follows shows that Jonah thought he had acted correctly by disobeying the God who had called him. In fact, Jonah recalled his own words, with total disregard for the fact that God had called him to go to Nineveh. Jonah referred to what he said to God when he was first called when he said was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish. Jonah s country was Israel. In essence, Jonah complained to the Lord saying This is exactly what I thought you d do Lord, when I was there in my own country and you first told me to come here. That s why I ran away to Tarshish. Jonah then said that the reason why he fled before unto Tarshish was because I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. In other words, Jonah knew what God was like, and he knew what the outcome would be if he went to Nineveh. Jonah listed some
of God s attributes, thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil implying that these were really flaws in God s character that led Him to be lenient with the Ninevites. Jonah s audacity before God was incredible! He dared to criticize the Lord for the kind of God He was, assuming that he knew better what God should be like. Jonah didn t want to see the people of Nineveh repent. He wanted to see them destroyed! Jonah s indictment of God included several charges. First, God is gracious extending His favor to the undeserving, even those who were outside of His covenants. Second, He is merciful or compassionate. He had the kind of tender affection a mother would have for her child. Third, God is slow to anger meaning that He is never in a hurry to punish sinners (see Exodus 34:6; Joel 2:13). Fourth, the Lord is of great kindness. The Hebrew word used for kindness refers to unfailing love and covenant loyalty. Because of these attributes, Jonah said that God repentest thee of the evil meaning that He did not bring His prophesied judgment upon the Ninevites. Jonah needed to understand that the Lord was not only the God of Israel, but He was also the God of the entire world. Note: All of this made Jonah furious. It s ironic that Jonah never considered these characteristics of God to be flaws when He demonstrated them to sinful Israel. Neither did Jonah object to these characteristics when God extended them to him, the runaway prophet. But it seemed wrong to him when God was gracious to a Gentile enemy. Amazingly, Jonah had constructed an image of what God should be like when dealing with Israel and another image of what He should be like
when dealing with the wicked Ninevites of Assyria. When Jonah was confronted with what God was really like, he became angry. However, the basic problem was not the nature of God, but the deep-seated nationalistic prejudice of Jonah. He would have loved to see the Assyrians destroyed even after they had turned from their sins. He wanted a God who would belong to Israel only, and thus limit His mercy to only them. He hated the Assyrians for their current reputation and for what he knew they would someday do to Israel (see II Kings 15:29; Isaiah 36:1). Extermination of the Assyrians was the only fate that Jonah could accept. However, when God showed mercy to Israel s wicked enemies, this was too much for Jonah to handle. He was seething with rage. Unfortunately, many of God s people still have difficulty overcoming their prejudices. Due to international rivalries and wars, they harbor deepseated hatred for their nation s enemies. We must remember that our own sinful nation is as deserving of judgment and in need of grace as any other nation. We need to pray not only for other nations, but also for our own people s repentance. 2. (vs. 3). This verse says Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. The word Therefore shows where Jonah s prayer in anger had brought him. Still refusing to admit that he was wrong, he could only sulk. Instead of seeking the Lord and His strength in faith, Jonah was caught up in discouragement and depression. The prophet was so distressed that he begged the Lord saying
O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. It appears that Jonah could not bear to live with the humiliation of having helped Israel s enemies. Moses had desired death because of overwork (see Numbers 11:14-15). Job desired death because of suffering (see Job 6:8-10), and Elijah sought death because he felt spiritually ineffective (see I Kings 19:1-4). However, Jonah wanted to die simply because his personal and national pride had been hurt. Note: There is one thing that we can give Jonah credit for. He knew that he could freely express his feelings to God. Unfortunately, many believers attempt to hide their feelings instead of talking to God about them. Trust me, He understands. When we express our feelings to God, we should not be surprised when He responds in some way. He might bring another person across our path with a particular message for us. He might speak to us through a sermon or a Bible study. He might create a situation that becomes uncomfortable, but teachable. If we sincerely want to hear from God when we are in distress, we should be open and watchful for what He might do in response. If we want to grow spiritually, He will gladly help us. It s also hard to accept that a prophet of God could be so hardhearted as to demand the destruction of an entire city and its suburbs. But when hatred dominates a person, he or she no longer sees those that they hate as real human beings, whose lives have no value to them. That s why John declared that anyone who hates is a murderer (see I John 3:15). But before we condemn Jonah for his obvious sin, let us examine our own attitudes toward others. Having been forgiven, do we withhold
forgiveness from others? Do we regard some groups or persons as being beyond God s grace? Are we bothered by the thought of sinful people dying and going to hell? Do we ever display prejudices by setting limits on those the Lord should save? Are we exclusive and narrow-minded regarding whom we accept into the fellowship of our local churches? Do we deliberately avoid evangelizing certain ethic groups because we don t want them to be one with us? Are we really in tune with the character of the God we say we worship? IV. JONAH S NECESSARY INTROSPECTION (Jonah 4:4-9) A. God s first question to Jonah (Jonah 4:4-5). 1. (vs. 4). This verse says Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? At this point God could have severely disciplined this stubborn, narrow-minded prophet. Instead, He demonstrated grace and asked him a question designed to make Jonah think about his attitude. The Lord asked Jonah Doest thou well to be angry? In other words, God was asking Jonah if it was right for him to be angry about what God had done. He wanted Jonah to consider if his anger was justified in light of the great good that had come to Nineveh. Were his values distorted? God s brief question here was meant to make the prophet examine
himself and his feelings. Jonah needed to back away from his raw emotions and consider sanely why he felt the way he did. It is a testimony to God s grace that He dealt this gently with this misguided, petulant man. Note: The Bible contains many similar questions designed to expose human nature (see Genesis 3:9, 11, 13; 4:9; I Kings 19:9; Luke 22:48; John 21:15-17; Acts 9:4). Such simple questions are important for us to answer as well. If we would consider why we think or act as we do, we might conclude that our values, like Jonah s need to be brought into line with God s Word. We too, would be well advised to consider God s question to Jonah Doest thou well to be angry? In our relationships, emotions will sometimes take over and cloud our thinking. We should never make a decision in the heat of anger or the depth of depression. Sleeping on it is always good, along with seeking God s will in prayer. But in addition, we need to saturate ourselves with God s Word so that we can know the true mind of God. 2. (vs. 5). This verse goes on to say 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. There s no evidence that Jonah answered God s question about his anger. Instead, he went out of the city on the east side and built a booth or shelter for himself. The related Hebrew word for booth means to weave together, so he likely built a tent-like structure made of interlaced limbs and branches (see Leviticus 23:34, 40-42).
Jonah then sat under it in the shadow to protect himself from the sun. Jonah was determined to sit there in the shade of that booth for only one purpose: till he might see what would become of the city. Despite witnessing the revival and being aware of God s decision to show mercy to the Ninevites (see Jonah 3:5-10), the prophet refused to believe that God would not in some way chastise these Gentiles. Note: This angry prophet left the city, found a place on its east side where he had a good view of the city and was going to stay there until God carried our His judgment. But this only demonstrated Jonah s immaturity. He still had much to learn about love for humanity and submission to the Lord. B. Jonah s fleeting gratitude (Jonah 4:6-7). 1. (vs. 6). This verse says And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. Just as God had previously prepared a fish to teach Jonah one lesson, so now He prepared a gourd to teach him another lesson. The plant translated gourd cannot be identified with certainty. Some have believed it to be a castor oil plant, which grows quickly to a height of ten to twelve feet. Others are content to call it simply a vine with broad leaves. Regardless, God miraculously provided this plant to grow up quickly over Jonah s booth in a single night (see Jonah 4:10). God caused it to come up over Jonah,
that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. The word grief here refers to the discomfort Jonah was experiencing from the heat. Considering the fact that temperatures in Mesopotamia often rise above a hundred degrees Fahrenheit, it is understandable that Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. This means that Jonah was extremely happy about the protection from the heat provided by the plant. For the moment, Jonah s attitude was positive, but that didn t last long because God wasn t through teaching him as we shall see in the next verse. 2. (vs. 7). This verse continues to say But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. In order to get Jonah to evaluate what was most important to him, God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. The word translated worm refers to an extremely small creature. Yet, working its way into the tender stalk of the large leafy plant covering Jonah, it destroyed the plant completely. Note: This was a reminder to Jonah of how fragile and temporary the comforts of life can be. Demonstrating His sovereignty and absolute control over Jonah s life, the Lord had already provided a storm at sea, a special fish, and a plant to give him some comfort. Now God prepared a worm which immediately devoured the plant. It s true that God still provides ups and downs in the lives of His children in order to get our attention and teach us.
C. God s second question to Jonah (Jonah 4:8-9). 1. (vs. 8). This verse says And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. Now that Jonah s shade was gone, his situation deteriorated rapidly, for it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind. The word vehement refers to the intensity of the heat produced by the east wind. Because of the scorching heat from this east wind the sun beat upon the head of Jonah. The east wind accompanied by the hot sun was so overwhelming that Jonah fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. The word fainted is better understood as grew faint since it does not appear that Jonah passed out. This situation seemed to be so unbearable that Jonah wanted to die and not live any longer. He experienced one calamity piled on top of another. 2. (vs. 9). This verse says And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Here God repeated the question that Jonah had refused to answer earlier: Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? The plant had been pleasing and useful to Jonah. Now that it was gone, he was grieved and angry. Again, with the
words Doest thou well to be angry the Lord was asking Jonah if his anger was justified. The prophet answered furiously, I do well to be angry, even unto death. He believed that it was legitimate for him to be angry enough to die. By now, Jonah was thoroughly disgusted with the Lord and with life. God had not only spared those wicked Ninevites, He had also deprived Jonah of his comfort as he vainly waited for the city s demise. As far as he was concerned, death would be a welcome relief! Note: The prophet felt justified in being angry both that Nineveh had been spared and that his shade plant had been destroyed. He valued a plant and his own comfort more than the lives of these Assyrians. Earlier, Jonah had wanted to die because God withheld judgment from Nineveh (see Jonah 4:3). This time he wanted to die because of his personal circumstances: his discomfort. Sometimes God s children continue to move further away from Him instead of toward Him until He takes even more drastic actions to get our attention. God loves us and He will not give up on us easily. We should be extremely grateful that He is so merciful, gracious, kind, and loving! V. GOD S CONVICTING ARGUMENT (Jonah 4:10-11) A. God s lesson on mercy (Jonah 4:10). This verse says Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the
gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night. Without rebuking Jonah directly, the Lord showed him how messed up his perspective was. God did this by comparing Jonah s concern for the plant with His own concern for the Ninevites. The Lord said Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night. In other words, Jonah had done nothing to produce the plant or to sustain it. It was fragile and had limited value, since it was temporary; yet it meant so much to Jonah, that he grieved when it perished or died. In effect, God was saying to the Prophet Jonah, You saw that the gourd was useful to you, and you were concerned about it. I saw the people of Nineveh as useful to Me; so I did not destroy them. B. Nineveh s value to God (Jonah 4:11). In our final verse God says And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand (120,000) persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? Here God set the stage for the contrast between Him and Jonah by asking the prophet: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city? Jonah had neither created nor sustained the gourd, but God had done both for the Ninevites. The gourd was only one plant, but Nineveh was a great city wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their
right hand and their left hand. The gourd only lasted one day, but the souls of the Ninevites were eternal. Surely the Lord was justified in sparing them. Since God described the sixscore thousand as persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand, some take this to refer to only the children in Nineveh. If this view is correct, the total population may have been about 600,000. However, it is more likely that God used the expression sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand to refer to all the Ninevites, who had no spiritual discernment or understanding. In either case, the population was significant, impressing on Jonah the many needy souls in the city. Nineveh s value to God was also enhanced because there was much cattle in the city. It is noteworthy that animals are important to God (see Psalms 36:6; 104:10-14, 25-27). He holds human beings responsible for how animals are treated, and they were one of His reasons for sparing Nineveh. Note: For sure Jonah knew much about God (see Jonah 4:2), but he did not know God very well. Jonah s theology was correct, but he knew very little about compassion. A person may be totally right about God intellectually, and totally wrong about values. Knowing about God is no substitute for being like Him in character. The book of Jonah ends without recording Jonah s reaction to God s declaration that He was demonstrating His all-embracing love for the Ninevites. However, it leaves the reader with a lasting rebuke whenever we value our material comforts or ethnic identities more than the lives and souls of people.
VI. Conclusion. This week s lesson highlighted the love, mercy and forgiveness of God. It should cause us to examine our own attitudes about forgiveness and ask the question, How should I react toward my enemies? The apostle Paul answered that question in Romans 12:17-24. In terms that are impossible to misunderstand, he made it clear that God wants His children to practice mercy even toward those who are enemies. When we pursue mercy, we are acting in godly fashion. We are like Jonah in that we too find it difficult to forgive our enemies. Nineveh was a very wicked city and was the enemy of Israel. This partly explains Jonah s reluctance to go there and his anger when God did not destroy Nineveh. Mercy is an attribute of God and a quality that He wants to instill in each of us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus declared that the merciful are blessed and He promised mercy to those who show mercy (see Matthew 5:7). As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should continually express our thanks to God for embracing us with His love. ***The Bible Expositor and Illuminator, Union Gospel Press***