Jonah Chapter 4

  • Barry Keldie
  • Jul 21, 2008
  • Series: Jonah

        One of the most confusing things about the story of Jonah is how it ends. By chapter 3 we have Jonah repenting of his selfishness, preaching to the great city of Nineveh and seeing God save all of them! That would be a great story, but that’s not the whole story. It continues in order to show us how Jonah, the changed prophet, reacts to God saving this great enemy of Israel. Because it continues, we get to see the point of the story, not just the story itself. The fourth chapter of Jonah shows us the true heart of Jonah and the true heart of God. 
     
        Jonah saw that God was merciful to Nineveh and was “exceedingly displeased.” (Jonah 4:1) After all he has been through and seen God do, Jonah is still angry with God. If we stop in chapter 3 we have Jonah as an imperfect, but conquering, hero. Instead we get him bitter and childish again. The story loses is luster by giving us this information, so why is it given?

        Jonah’s story is great, not because Jonah is great, but because he is not. The fact is Jonah’s story is much more like our own than we might like to admit. We don’t reach places in life where we no longer struggle and sin.  We don’t learn our lesson once and for all, so why would Jonah? Our lives and spirituality don’t resolve here on this earth, so why would Jonah’s? His story continues after the miracle, and so will yours.

        What we see in Jonah is that his obedience doesn’t necessarily mean he understands why God sent him. Yes, he obeys (after some convincing) but it is now clear he didn’t understand why God would want to save these people. This shows us that outward obedience doesn’t always mean inward transformation. We see God proclaim that changed actions are not enough and he begins to work on Jonah’s heart.

        Now, in chapter 4 we see the motivation behind Jonah running from God initially. Jonah yells at God saying, “That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love…” (Jonah 4:2) Jonah reveals that he did not want to preach to the Assyrians because he knew God would give them grace and relent from disaster. Jonah was a racist – a hyper-nationalist – and he thought only Israel deserved grace and mercy from God. He considered the people of God the only ones worthy of a second or third chance. In some form Jonah didn’t believe in free grace. He thought grace had to be earned, at least in part. He celebrated grace when it was issued to him in the belly of a whale, but mourned grace when it was given to the enemies of God and his people.

        Jonah’s response to God’s mercy was to go outside the city and sulk. And there, God teaches Jonah a lesson. God made a plant grow up over Jonah’s head to give him shade and Jonah was “exceedingly glad.” The next day God appointed a worm to devour the plant and caused the sun to burn hot on Jonah’s head. Jonah was faint and again asked God to take his life. And God responds to Jonah with a question, “do you do well to be angry for the plant?” (Jonah 4:9a) Jonah responds with great passion, “yes angry enough to die.” (Jonah 4:9b) And with that response God gives Jonah the punch line and the lesson of the book. God said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.  Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left.” (Jonah 4:10-11) God declares his right to show mercy to the people he created and the city he built. Jonah loved the shade tree because it benefited him, and he thought God’s love was like his. God loves people because he created them, not because we benefit him. Grace isn’t just for those who work hard but can’t quite make it. Grace is what raises the dead to life, turns the old creation into the new, and makes enemies of God’s beloved children. 

    Questions for Personal Devotion
    1.    Can you recall times you’ve been “displeased” with the will of God?
    2.    How did you handle those emotions? (ignore, deal through counseling, repent, etc…)