Is It Right? Jonah 4

I. Jonah’s bitter spirit

    A. He became angry

Jonah 4:1

 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.

    B. He prayed to the LORD

Jonah 4:2-3

2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

    C. The LORD’s question goes unanswered

Jonah 4:4

4 Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

II. Jonah’s pity party

     A. He goes and sets watch over Nineveh

Jonah 4:5

5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

     B. He set up a shelter

     C. The LORD gave him bettershade

Jonah 4:6

6 And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

     D. The LORD took the shade away

Jonah 4:7-8

7 But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. 8 And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

     E. The LORD’s question is answered

Jonah 4:9

9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”

III. The LORD draws a comparison

Jonah 4:10-11

10 But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

What caused Jonah's anger according to Jonah 4:1?

How can we cultivate a spirit that seeks compassion instead of bitterness toward those we deem undeserving?

What lessons can we learn from Jonah's pity party about our own responses to disappointment or discomfort?

How might understanding God's concern for Nineveh change the way we view people we struggle to accept?

What are the contrasting emotions Jonah experiences regarding the plant and Nineveh?

In what way does God’s question to Jonah challenge our own attitudes toward forgiveness and mercy?