Jonah 4

Hey guys, before we get started here, I just want to say something real quick. I was happy with how we paid attention during the sermon last week. Can we do that again? Can we put away cell phones and read the Word either on a physical Bible or on the screens? Again, I don’t think cell phones are healthy for us to use during the message because they can be distracting. Even the most well intentioned of listeners can use their phone for scripture and then get a snapchat and your mind is on that snapchat now.

Something I want to be open with you guys is on is my love and care for you guys. I am the middle school associate here at GSM, so I see you guys as like my flock. Have ya’ll heard of that in the gospels? A flock? Jesus refers to Himself as the good shephard and those that know Him to be sheep. In John 21:15

John 21:15 ESV

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

Jesus asks him this question 2 more times and then finally Peter responds, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. And Jesus responded the same way, “feed my sheep.”

This passage has always stuck out to me because the Lord has placed on my heart a great love for feeding His sheep and caring for His flock. I want to care for you guys and tend to you all, and part of that is preaching. So join me in taking the preaching of God’s Word seriously.

Introduction

Recap:

Remember in chapter 1 Jonah runs from the Lord so he doesn’t have to share repentance with Nineveh, but when he runs away on a ship the Lord brings a great storm against it. Jonah tells the sailors that they have to throw him overboard to his death to make the storm subside. When Jonah is thrown overboard the Lord has a great fish come and swallow him to save him from his death.

In chapter 2 Jonah prays to the Lord thanking him for saving him, and the fish spits him out on dry land.

In chapter 3 Jonah half-heartedly shares judgment with the Ninevites and they respond immediately believing in God’s message.

Last week we looked at Jonah and Nineveh’s response to God’s call, and their actions say a lot about their character, but I think this chapter has a lot to say about God’s character.

*read passage and pray*

Remember last week God saw Nineveh’s repentance and he relented from bringing disaster on the city

Jonah 4 ESV

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? 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, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the Lord 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. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Last week you guys remember we talked about Jonah’s character and Nineveh’s and how it took Jonah being swallowed by a fish to be obedient whereas it took Nineveh 8 words from a man for them to be obedient. I think in this chapter though we really get a look at God’s character through he and Jonah’s conversation.

God is Merciful

We see from how the Lord has delt with both Jonah and Nineveh that the Lord is truly merciful

Jonah:

We see all throughout Jonah’s rebellion the Lord’s mercy

Remember how when the Lord told Jonah to go and preach repentance to an entire city and Jonah just downright rebelled against God because he thought he knew better and instead of letting him die in that ocean God sent a fish to save Jonah? And you remember how the Lord used Jonah’s rebellion to save some Pagan sailors who had never known the Lord before?

And you remember how the Lord saved an entire city through Jonah’s half-hearted obedience?

Jonah could have spent three days sharing the gospel in the city but he spent one day. Jonah could have said more than 8 words to these people so that they would turn from their wickedness and serve the Lord. Jonah also could have preached repentance like he was supposed to but instead preached judgment from the hatefulness of his heart.

Throughout this entire story so far, Jonah has been testing the Lord’s patience, but God never broke.

The Lord could have broke and said, “Jonah, I hope you have arm floaties for that ocean you’re in.”

He never said, “Jonah, you’re out of the game. I’m sending someone else in much more willing.”

He never quoted Mace Windu saying, “take a seat young Skywalker.”

The Lord was merciful towards Jonah

Look to verse 2 where Jonah is praying to God out of anger. He says I fled from you God because, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster.”

NO DIP JONAH!!! You proved that!

Jonah, you thought God was gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, relenting from disaster before? How about now?!

Even in this conversation where Jonah might as well be chewing out God, the Lord doesn’t just reach down from heaven and smack the sass out of him.

The Lord instead, gently asks him, “Is it right for you to be angry?” He asks him this twice and on the second time Jonah replies with, “Yes. I’d rather be dead right now.” And that’s where I say, “You should be, Jonah, after chapter 1, but praise God that He’s merciful and He didn’t just leave you in that ocean.

Nineveh:

Look at the Lord’s mercy shown through Nineveh

The Ninevites were a horribly wicked people slaughtering and torturing the nations in this area of the world for their own gain of power. They worshipped idols and partook of horribly wicked sins.

But the Lord, in all of His compassion and love for His creation, sent a messenger to preach to them repentance. On top of that, He had to perform a miracle to make sure the message got to them.

Application:

I want you guys to reflect on your own lives for a second. Have there been times where you as a Christian have experienced God’s mercy?

Have you been like Jonah and not given the Lord your best or run from Him?

Have you thought that you knew better than God thinking your anger and judgment is the only way?

If you are a born-again Christian I sure would hope you have experienced God’s mercy considering He saved you from your sins

Turn back to the Lord, give Him your best, repent from your sins!

God is Just

Another one of God’s traits we see in this text, especially in chapter 4 is how just God is.

As I pointed out earlier, Jonah thinks he knows better than God on who deserves mercy and who does not.

But the Lord asks him, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

He asks the prophet this question because he’s trying to get Jonah to think about the fact that it doesn’t matter what Jonah thinks is right because the Lord alone sets the standard for what is right and what is not. After all, He created all things why shouldn’t He get say so on what is objectively right?!

Jonah storms out of the city and builds this little superficial hut to stay in as he waits to see if the Lord destroys the city. Maybe he’s waiting to see if their repentance is superficial and God decides to lay waste to the city, but while he’s waiting, the Lord appoints this plant to grow and protect Jonah from the sun.

This plant is more than likely a castor oil plant which is a plant known for growing up to 12 feet in a very short amount of time, but it easily whithers especially if something happens to its stem.

But it covers Jonah and he’s pleased by this, but then the Lord has a worm eat at this plant causing it to die quickly which causes Jonah to get angry to the point of wanting to die again.

God asks His question again, “Is it right for you to be angry?” but this time He asks it about the plant. This is when Jonah throws his tantrum, and he backtalks the Lord. He says, “Yes, it’s right! I’m angry enough to die!”

Then the Lord says in verses 10 and 11

Jonah 4:10–11 ESV

And the Lord 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. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

God’s like, “you cared more for a plant that you didn’t grow and that lasted for only a day more than 120,000 people’s souls. Shouldn’t I who created them be able to have pity on whoever I will have pity on?”

Conclusion

Similarly, God took pity on all of us. He could have not sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us and been totally just in that because we all have fallen short of the glory of God. We have all sinned and proven ourselves worthy of eternity apart from Him.

Psalm 8:3–4 ESV

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

We allowed sin into the world, and we let it rule our lives like fools, but

Praise God He is merciful, and He was merciful enough to come in the flesh to lay Himself down for our sins. He was merciful to redeem us and break the chains of sin and death on us.

Invitation