Jonah Session 5b

Jonah 4:1–9 ESV

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 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. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” 5 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. 6 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. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 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.” 9 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.”

Jonah throws a tantrum (4:1-4)

After God relented from the disaster he had threatened Nineveh with (Jonah 3:10), Jonah was furious. He was displeased with God and the grace he’d shown the Ninevites.

Has there ever been a time when you were displeased with God? Or, even mad at him? Why were you upset?

How did you behave toward God during that time? How did God respond to you?

David said that Jonah’s outburst is even more shocking in the original language. The Hebrew, literally translated, is “it [God’s relenting from destroying Nineveh] was exceedingly evil to Jonah.” It’s not just that he was displeased and angry, he viewed God’s dealing with Nineveh as evil.

Have you ever had a child accuse you of wrongdoing or unfairness when you had done right? How did you react? How would you expect God to respond to Jonah’s accusation?

Is there a connection between being upset with God at what he has done or allowed and accusing God of evil? When we are angry with God for allowing or doing something, we are asserting ourselves as God’s judge and declaring that we know right and wrong, good and evil, better than he does. In God’s eyes, accusing him of unfairness, injustice, or wrongdoing is the same as accusing him of evil.

In the book of Job, Job suffers incredible loss when God allows Satan to afflict him. Satan kills his children, takes his livelihood, turns his friends against him, strikes him with a terrible skin disease, and more. Job suffered. And while he starts off strong in his trials, eventually he caves in the suffering and questions God’s plan and goodness:

Job 3:11–13 ESV

11 “Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire? 12 Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse? 13 For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,

Job 7:11–21 ESV

11 “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12 Am I the sea, or a sea monster, that you set a guard over me? 13 When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,’ 14 then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, 15 so that I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones. 16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. 17 What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, 18 visit him every morning and test him every moment? 19 How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit? 20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you? 21 Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be.”

Job 13:3 ESV

3 But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God.

But, listen to what God says to Job:

Job 40:1–14 ESV

1 And the Lord said to Job: 2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.” 3 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” 6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 7 “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 8 Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? 9 Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? 10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor. 11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him. 12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked where they stand. 13 Hide them all in the dust together; bind their faces in the world below. 14 Then will I also acknowledge to you that your own right hand can save you.

Job also complained against God in the midst of his suffering. How did God explain himself to Job? In short, he didn’t! God offered no explanation of why he had allowed Job’s suffering. Instead, God questioned Job’s right to question his character.

Based on this passage, it could be easy for us to be hard on Jonah. But Jonah’s disdain for Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire came from experiences of real injustice. Israel had received the Assyrians’ cruelty and barbarism and would again.

To what degree is Jonah’s frustration understandable? What do you think about Jonah’s candor with God? Is it commendable that he voiced his frustrations with God, or should he have suppressed them? It is always better to talk to God than to run from him. While we cannot advise irreverence or applaud Jonah’s attitude, his act of speaking to God in the midst of his heartache is commendable.

For a good example of lamenting well, see Lamentations 3:1-33.

There’s a lot that Jonah gets wrong in his attitude. Is there anything that we can commend Jonah for in this passage? 1) Jonah prays; rather than running from God this time, he reaches out to God in prayer. 2) Jonah’s description of God’s character in v. 2 is spot on!

What is missing in Job’s theology of God in v. 2? An acknowledgment that God’s mercy is a good thing; a recognition that he is a beneficiary of God’s mercy as well.

Twice in this passage (vv. 4 & 9) God asks Job, “Do you do well to be angry?” What are the dangers of harboring anger towards God? How can we deal with anger at God when it arises?

What does Jonah’s prayer communicate about his contempt for Nineveh? Have you ever felt contempt for someone? How did your contempt manifest itself?

Jonah Pouts (4:5-7)

What was Jonah hoping for as he sat and watched the city (v. 5)? He was hoping God would change his mind and destroy Nineveh and he would get to watch it burn.

In v. 6, God grows a plant to give Jonah shade. What does this reveal about God’s character? Why do you think God did this? It shows that God is merciful to us even when we have a bad attitude. This occasion serves as a very practical demonstration to Jonah that he is in need of God’s mercy just as much as the Ninevites, and that he has often been a recipient of God’s mercy.

When you struggle with bitterness and frustration at your situation, how can you battle those feelings? Meditate on all of the ways that God has shown you undeserved mercy and grace, even when you were angry with him and attempted to make yourself his judge. “Count your blessings” and focus on all that God has done for you and try to foster an attitude of gratitude.

In verse 6, “God appointed a plant” to grow up and provide shade for him “to rescue him from his trouble.” God gave Jonah comfort, and Jonah was happy. Comforts aren’t bad things, of course, but we can become inordinately reliant on them, as Jonah did.

How are Jonah’s feelings for the plant described in v. 6? “Jonah was exceedingly glad...” How are Jonah’s feelings towards God’s mercy to Nineveh described in v. 1? “It displeased Jonah exceedingly...” What does this tell us about Jonah’s attitude towards the plant versus the Ninevites? versus God? Jonah loved the plant more than the people or God himself.

The grammar in the Hebrew is actually identical in this verses. “It was exceedingly evil to Jonah...” in v. 1, and “It was exceedingly good to Jonah...” in v. 6.

Which of your comforts are you most addicted to? Do they ever keep you from loving people or God? How do you think you’d respond if those comforts were removed?

What can we do in our lives to cultivate a love for God and for people over a love of comforts and possessions?

John Piper argues that Christians need to foster what he calls a “wartime mentality” with respect to the advancement of the gospel. Think of how society functioned differently during WWII vs. now. What is different about the mentality of people who know they’re at war vs. those who believe they’re at peace? How would it affect our lives and gospel efforts if we adopted a ‘wartime mentality’ towards the advance of the gospel today?