It's not fair!

The standard response in my house was not, “Oh sweetie, I understand and you’re right it’s not fair and we’ll fix it for you.”

“Life’s not fair, and the sooner you learn that, the better.”

What we witness today, is Jonah having him a big ole pity party.

But before we judge Jonah too harshly, or should I say, before we focus too much on the speck in his eye, let’s not forget about the log that’s in our own.

Jonah provides a very concise picture of salvation.

Jonah 1 A - Separation from God.

Jonah 1 B - Salvation by God

Jonah 2 - Fruit of the Sprit

Worship and Submission

Jonah 3 - Obedience

Jonah 4 - Sanctification

Jonah 4 NASB95

1 But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. 3 “Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” 4 The Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?” 5 Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. 7 But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8 When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.” 9 Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” 10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. 11 “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

Jonah’s Anger

2 Kings 14:25 NASB95

25 He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.

Why?

Exodus 34:6 NASB95

6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;

Numbers 14:18 NASB95

18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’

Jonah is angry because the God of Israel chooses to forgive the enemies of Israel.

Jonah fails to take into account is who is God and who isn’t.

Jonah’s assertion is that God is being unreasonable by forgiving Ninevah.

So his answer is to plead for death.

God asks Jonah a question:

Do you have good reason to be angry?

He is asking for Jonah’s Justification for being angry at Himself.

Jonah’s Lesson

Jonah makes a shelter to watch Ninevah.

Probably hoping that God would change his mind.

Or the City’s repentance would turn out to be false.

Side Note: There are people that are watching you to see if your faith is real, hoping for your destruction.

You be Salt and Light and let the Lord deal with them.

His shelter was more like Danny’s lean to, rather than my tent.

Hebrew: Anger = Hot

God sent the plant.

Gourd, Caster oil plant.

Hebrew: Ease his Discomfort.

Also: Deliver from his evil.

“Jonah was extremely happy about the plant.”

He was rejoicing at the unexpected favor of the Lord.

The Worm and the Wind

Jonah 4:7–8 NASB95

7 But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8 When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.”

The plant carries a couple different meanings.

The plant represents God’s provision and protection of Israel.

Worn: God’s removal of that protection.

He removed Jonah’s protection so that he might repent of his anger. (The worm is just a worm)

In light of Israel : The worm is the tool that God uses to solicit the repentance of Israel.

The Assyrians

And here’s the kicker: Johan gets it, and he’s pissed about it.

Jonah 4:9 NASB95

9 Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.”

Jonah was first angry about God’s choice to not destroy, but now is angry about God’s choice to destroy.

The Plant

Jonah had compassion on the Plant.

Didn’t work for it, didn’t create it, didn’t cause it to grow.

120,000: He created, loved and knew each one of them.

many animals.

Unfair Parable

It’s in Matthew 20 and it is about the Owner of a Vineyard that Hires people at different times of the day, and they each do different amounts of work, but the Owner pays each of them the same wage.

You are going to witness the wicked prosper

You will witness the good suffer

Lord, where are you and and why have you not come yet?

It’s not fair

All Things:

Romans 8:28 NASB95

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:18 NASB95

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

He loves you. He sent His Son to take the punishment that you deserve.