Resentful Heart

Attention Getter:

Has God ever used you and the outcome was completely unexpected?

Maybe an outcome that displeased you, because it was the opposite of what you thought should happen?

How did you feel in that moment?

Introduction

If you’re anything like me, at the very least you would have been greatly perplexed. But in some cases we get angry right?

We even find ourselves mumbling things to God. We’re complaining about how that’s not what was supposed to happen.

Why would You do this to me God? This isn’t what I signed up for.

Transition:

Well, God gives us an example of that behavior. It’s almost like He expected this from us.

Proposition/Response:

These moments are the ones where we are forced to either reflect inward upon ourselves and grow in Christ, or to continue to project negatively toward God and grow further away from Him.

If you have your Bibles and want to follow along open them to Jonah 4.

Jonah chapter four gives us a prime example of how every one of us should become better disciples, because we see three steps God uses to grow all of us.

Our Disobedience

Redemption

Justified Correction

Body

Let’s see how Jonah’s disobedient and how God responds.

Jonah 4 KJV 1900

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. 6 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. 7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. 8 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. 9 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. 10 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: 11 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?

Our Disobedience

There’s something interesting in verse 1.

Jonah 4:1 KJV 1900

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

The Hebrew word used to describe the vile evilness of Nineveh is the same word used here that is translated displeased. The whole phrase “but it displeased Jonah exceedingly” is saying Jonah’s great evil.

The result of Jonah’s evil is that “he was very angry.” the word translated very angry has the connotation of “burn with anger” of “enraged.”

Jonah has come full circle. He went from disobedience by running from God, to praising and thanking God for his salvation, to reluctantly obeying God. And now we are back to disobedience.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we do this all the time. We’re disobedient until God makes us do what He wants. Then, after we reluctantly obey, we find ourselves angry because God didn’t do things exactly the way we wanted.

Sometimes, we actually get excited about doing something God wants, because, we have this preconceived idea about what the outcome will be.

Then, God does something outrageously different than we expected. But instead of glorifying the miraculous results, we get angry because it’s not what we wanted.

Jonah finally says exactly why he ran from God. He even goes to the extent of sarcastically telling God, “see, I told you so.”

Jonah’s even throwing God’s own words back at Him. He’s using the words God spoke to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7.

They tell us more about God’s character. Jonah says, God is a gracious God. The Hebrew word conveys God’s attitude to do the ultimate good for those who don’t deserve it.

He’s a merciful God. This word expresses the understanding and loving compassion a mother has for her child.

God is slow to anger. It conveys how God patiently endures the long lasting offense of our disobedience.

Nineveh, was obviously a recipient of this characteristic. I wonder if Jonah emphasized this one.

God has great kindness. The word used for kindness here actually refers to God’s covenant love, as in redemption from sin. There’s not an English term that adequately defines God’s covenant love. It’s rooted in God, Himself, in God’s being. Jonah qualifies it with “repentest thee of the evil.” Jonah’s saying God’s covenant love relents from sending destruction upon the repentant heart.

What’s crazy is that Jonah isn’t praising God when he says these things. He’s actually using them against God in a diatribe.

How often are we guilty of this? How often do we come before God with at least a little hostility in our hearts?

We call God Father, now, I don’t know about you, but if I spoke to my parents that way.

We have some deep seeded rebellion in our hearts. It’s common place for Christians to murmur against God’s sovereign will. All through history we see Christians standing in opposition to God’s sovereign will and trying to implement their own wishes. Thankfully God’s love is patient, kind, and greater than our disobedience.

Redemption

Now, before you get the idea that I’m bashing Jonah and being too hard on him. I believe that the root cause of Jonah’s anger is in his own people. Israel was at it’s height after the kingdom split.

And just like every time God’s chosen people became prosperous they would start to rely on their own understanding, they would ignore the prophets God sent to turn them back to Him.

Jonah was probably hoping for Nineveh’s destruction so his people the Jews would see God’s wrath and turn back to God.

We have done the same thing as Christians all throughout history. When Christianity prospered we started relying on our own understanding and ignored the voice and promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Jonah is once again facing what he feels is a hopeless situation. The Ninevites have repented while the Israelites were rebelling and ignoring God. God wanted Israel to understand they were supposed to be a nation that showed all nations who He was. Israel should have taken notice, turned back to God, and proclaimed this is what God chose us to do and be.

Jonah especially should have been rejoicing over Nineveh’s repentance. Instead, he would rather die than see this crazy, idiotic, unfathomably horrible plan of God come to fruition.

Look at how he ends his prayer.

Jonah 4:3 ESV

3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

We are so guilty of this. Some of you are thinking, “no, no, I’m not asking God to take my life.” But how often do we say Jesus come back now? Come take us now Lord.

Our problem is the same as Jonah’s problem. We feel like Christianity is rebellious and God needs to make all those other crazy, wild, out in left field denominations and Christians repent. They aren’t listening to the voice of reason. They need to turn back to God. They need God’s redemption.

And society is really going crazy. So crazy in fact that they passed the loony bin years ago. We think if we just elect the right people and legislate society back into submission that it will change how they think. It will resolve everything.

I hope you’ve seen in the last few months, I may mention society and how things are going in the world around us, but I try to refrain from talking politics in the pulpit. But I’m convinced the Holy Spirit has prompted me to say there’s no amount of legislation that will fix or resolve the issues we have in our society.

Don’t get me wrong, I think we have a responsibility to vote for who will lead best according to Scripture. But, if we try to force society to change through legislation alone it will only cause them to rebel more. There’s only one true way for Christians and society to change course, the only hope is Jesus Christ. The only hope is God’s redemption.

So while we get desperate and feel like we’re in a hopelessly lost cause and pray for Jesus to come back now. The same thing Jonah was saying when he was asking God to just kill me now. We’re actually ignoring God’s sovereign will. We’re being sarcastically disobedient to God. We’re ignoring the love God has for all people.

But look at how God responds to Jonah. Jonah 4:4.

Jonah 4:4 KJV 1900

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

Jonah has failed to see God’s love for all people. He’s failed to understand that God loves every human soul He created, not just the Israelites. We tend to do the same thing right? That’s where the rest of society gets the idea that we think we are holier than thou. We have God’s love, We have God’s favor and they don’t.

But just like God’s patience for the Ninevites, He’s patient with Jonah. In 1 Cor 13:4-8 Paul tells us about God’s love for humanity.

English Standard Version 1 Corinthians 13:4–8

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

The Ninevites were a vile wicked society. God had every right to condemn them. But God expressed the patient, kind, enduring, endless love Paul describes.

But Jonah, a prophet of God, who knows the character of God? He has put the endurance of God’s love to the test.

God has every right to rebuke and condemn Jonah. Instead, He just provides a thought provoking question, given in love. God loves Jonah so much that He wants Jonah to reflect on himself and alter his course. To repent, come back to God, and understand His love for all people.

Lovingly Corrects

God doesn’t rebuke Jonah. He doesn’t smite him, and He definitely doesn’t oblige Jonah’s death wish. He lovingly asks the perfect question. A question designed to cause Jonah to reflect inward at his own actions. A question designed to teach Jonah more about his relationship with God.

A question designed to cause Jonah to have a heart that desires God’s heart.

How does Jonah respond to this question? He doesn’t! He does the same thing he did at the call to go to Nineveh.

Jonah 4:5 KJV 1900

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.

He just admitted in his prayer that God did exactly what he didn’t want God to do. This is why he ran from God in the first place, because he didn’t want God to save the Ninevites. Jonah wanted God to destroy the Ninevites.

Now God asks a question, causing Jonah to have some self-reflection about his desire to see the Ninevites destroyed.

Jonah hears the question, he probably already knows the answer, but instead of facing the question and himself, he went East of the city.

Why say the direction Jonah went outside the city? Why not just say Jonah went outside the city? If you notice the direction Jonah went from the city, and recall from the first chapter, Nineveh was East of Israel. Nineveh is East of Jonah’s home, Jonah’s people, the people Jonah thought God should have brought to repentance.

Jonah is so afraid of facing that perfect question posed by God that he goes as far away from any part of his life as he can. He’s trying to shut his world out of his life. He’s trying to hide from reality.

I don’t suppose you know anybody that’s done anything like that do you? Let’s face it, we all do this and have done this at times in our lives. If you’re sitting there trying to deny it, it’s time to stop lying to yourself, because you’re not lying to anyone else.

Think about it! You know without a doubt when anyone else is trying to hide from reality. Well the same is true for you as well. Everyone else knows when you’re trying to hide from reality. The only person you’re fooling is yourself.

Don’t think I’m picking on you. I’m not singling anyone out here. I’m just as guilty of denying it as everyone else. Because that’s what we do right? So did Jonah.

Jonah went and made a booth to sit under so he could watch the show, so he could watch what would become of Nineveh. He’s hiding from reality so much that he’s delusional.

He knows God has already saved the repentant Ninevites, but he’s getting settled in, making himself comfortable, grabbing some popcorn. He’s fully expecting to see the spectacular show of God destroying the Ninevites. Why? Because he just got done telling God that’s what God should do.

Rather than reflecting on himself, Jonah was expecting God to reflect His decision to save the Ninevites.

We do the same thing. God doesn’t do what we want, so we pull back from everyone and everything. We sit in our own pity and sorrow and have the expectation that God should reconsider His actions.

Instead we should be taking time to reflect on our own actions, our own desires, our own hearts.

When we find ourselves in the position of expecting God to reflect on His actions. Well, there’s nothing more abhorrent to us, than our lack of ability to control God. Our destructive anger turns into self-destructive despair, depression, anxiety, and so much more.

In verse one we saw where the same word used to describe the evil wickedness of Nineveh was now describing Jonah. Now, we see the contrast of Jonah’s anger and self-destructive despair, to that of the King of Nineveh fasting in sackcloth and ashes.

Jonah is a good indication as to how far Israel has turned from God. He’s a prophet, the one who is supposed to bring spiritual enlightenment to Israel. And his maturity in God is kindred to a toddler.

Think about it! He’s sulking, throwing a fit, saying “just kill me now.” Doesn’t that remind you of a toddler falling on the floor throwing a temper tantrum because they didn’t get what they wanted?

I think the church in America is in the same place today. Spiritually immature and turning away from God.

Once again God demonstrates to Jonah and for us His sovereignty over all things. And it’s meant to teach a very important lesson.

Jonah’s booth would have deteriorated rather quickly in the harsh desert conditions. God prepared, here’s that word mana again, God prepared a gourd so Jonah might have shade. And Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. Now, for the first time in the entire book of Jonah do we see a word used that actually expresses a joy filled happiness.

Even in chapter 2 when Jonah praised God for saving him, there was no joy filled happiness.

Now comes another mana word, God prepared a worm to destroy the gourd. And another mana word, God prepared a vehement east wind. Jonah fell into such despair that he once again prays for the Lord to take his life.

Jonah has never answered God’s question, so God using His sovereignty of all things brings it back around again. This time in another form to teach the lesson from another angle.

“Doest thou do well to be angry for the gourd?”

Jonah answered, “I do well to be angry, even unto death.”

Jonah’s answer reveals his immaturity and lack of understanding about the love God has regarding creation. It reveals how much the Israelites understanding of God was tied to their social, economical, and political structure. To their nation.

Does that sound familiar? How many of us tend to tie our social, economical, political, and national structure to Christianity?

God’s final lesson left hanging and open for all of us to consider. He says to Jonah, You have pity on a plant that you neither cultivated nor helped grow. Why should I not have pity on Nineveh, a city of 120,000 people. People who unlike you have no direct connection to me and even their cattle.

Jonah’s understanding was so wrapped up in the nation of Israel. Their social, economic, and political structure that he failed to see beyond their borders to anyone else.

God asks Jonah, do you have more moral concern for a plant I provided for you, than you do the people or even the innocent animals of Nineveh?

He’s telling Jonah I even cherish innocent animals over the plants. How much more do I cherish all people, who as you know are made in my image.

The problem is Jonah held a theology devised from his own will. A theology he allowed to get so deeply ingrained that he basically said, “this is what I believe about God and not even God Himself is going to change it.”

We do the same thing. Our Christian theology is ingrained deeply. We think God is only concerned with those American people who are willing to uphold the God ordained America. You know the America God created with Christian political and economic structures that drive the Christian social structure.

Anyone who stand for that, yeah their available to God. But anyone that opposes that? Oh no, their the evil wicked Ninevites that God doesn’t care about. They’re not part of God’s chosen America.

The problem is I don’t see anywhere in Scripture that even hints to God having another chosen nation. Yes, there are biblical principles found in our constitution, but America isn’t God’s chosen nation. Now, we must also face that same question. God wants us to truly examine ourselves and be honest.

God doesn’t want our bad theology to lead us into self-destructive despair. He wants us to learn more about His nature, more about His character, and more about His love. He wants us to become more like Him, to desire what He desires.

Conclusion

God uses our rebellion to teach us more about His character.

God uses redemption to show us more about His love, mercy, and grace for all people. Even some of those other crazy, whacked out, over the top Christians have redemption.

God lovingly corrects us to come in line with His love. God lovingly corrects us so we will not just know more about Him, but that we will desire what He desires.

If we choose to stay in our rebellion, if we choose to not accept God’s redemption of certain people, and/or we choose to not take God’s loving correction. Then we can find ourselves in self-destructive despair. We find ourselves miserable, spiteful, angry, depressed, and anxious.

But if we learn from Jonah and understand how God calls us out of our rebellion. If we accept God’s redemption of certain people. And if we take God’s loving corrections we can find ourselves living joyful lives that are productive for His kingdom.

I know none of us are perfect and none of us will ever be perfect this side of heaven. But Paul tells us in Philippians although we will not get there before death, we are to continue to strive for perfection. A good challenge for this week. Seek the understanding of God, seek lost souls, and embrace anytime God lovingly corrects us, and continue to strive for perfection.

After closing prayer!

Stay in the word daily as we embark out this week and may God bless you.