Do We Have Any Right to be Angry?

Background Information

Good evening everyone and welcome back!

If you would like, start turning in your Bibles to .

If you are familiar with the book of Jonah you will know that chapter 4 is the last chapter before the Bible moves on to Micah.

And you will also already be somewhat familiar with Jonah’s story.

Jonah was a prophet of God and like many prophets had the difficult task of delivering bad news to people on many occasions.

Jonah was kind of like the IRS.

Everybody knows they are there but when they see them coming they know it is nothing but bad news.

And that was because the people had not been following God and God would send prophets to warn them that if they did not change their ways, destruction was to follow.

And of course many times the people did not listen and the last message a prophet gave to a nation was of their impending destruction.

It was always the last message because God always followed through in short order.

And Jonah’s situation was no different.

God had been warning Nineveh for generations to change their ways and repent or destruction was coming.

They never repented so Jonah had the task of delivering the bad news that God’s destruction was upon them.

Now, if this wasn’t bad enough, what made it worse was that the Ninevites did not like the Israelites very much.

It is sort of like the relationship between the Israelites and the Muslims today.

There is no love loss there.

And Jonah’s job could be compared to a Jew going into Iran and telling the people that Mohammed was a fraud and a fake and God was going to destroy them for their beliefs.

So, on top of the normal anxiety that anyone would feel about having to be the bearer of bad news, Jonah had a real fear for his life.

And because of this fear, Jonah ran.

In fact he ran in the opposite direction and got on a boat headed toward Tarshish.

And we know the story, God sends a violent storm and they start throwing stuff overboard but soon discern that somebody on the boat is responsible for their calamity.

They cast lots that of course fall on Jonah and after some back and forth they end up throwing him overboard at his request.

He figured he was a dead man anyway, why take others with him.

But we know God had other plans and a great fish swallowed him up and for 3 days, while in the belly of the fish, Jonah had some time to think.

This is also why you always carry a knife with you. Never know when a fish is going to swallow you.

And after some time to reflect on his situation, Jonah repented and the fish vomited him onto dry land.

And after this, God gives Jonah a second chance . . .

Jonah 3:1–2 NIV - Anglicised

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

Jonah

And this time, Jonah made a better choice than the first time.

Jonah 3:3-

Jonah 3:3–4 NIV - Anglicised

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.”

And even though Jonah was afraid of these Ninevites and thought that they might kill him, deep down inside he was happy that God was going to finally judge these people who had been giving the Hebrews trouble for years and years.

He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he was just giddy that God was going to destroy them.

And I will also tell you that before we start condemning Jonah too much, we need to look at our own attitude sometimes as well.

Now, I am not saying that we secretly wish death on people, or at least I hope we don’t.

But, how often do we secretly rejoice when somebody “gets what they deserve?”

You know the type I’m talking about.

That one who is always running their mouth, always bragging, always running somebody down, always thinking their way is the only way.

And when things don’t go their way, outwardly you look at them and say, “Oh I’m sorry,” but inwardly you are so giddy you can’t stand it.

Kind of like when Kentucky beats Louisville.

You give the impression to your Louisville fan friends that you feel bad for them, but on the inside you are thinking, Ha, ha, ha!

I’m going to show you a short video that explains exactly what I’m talking about here.

PLAY FACEBOOK VIDEO

Now, this is exactly what Jonah felt like.

He actually wanted God to carry out his plan.

Not very loving, was it?

In fact, actually instructs us of the opposite . . .

But, to Jonah’s surprise, things did not turn out quite the way he had thought they would . . .

Proverbs 24:17–18 NIV - Anglicised

17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, 18 or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.

Apparently Jonah forgot that passage. Oh, and it doesn’t apply to basketball.

But, to Jonah’s surprise, things did not turn out quite the way he had thought they would . . .

Jonah 3:4–9 NIV - Anglicised

4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

Jonah 3:4-

So, the people actually repented and turned back to God.

So, Jonah’s preaching worked, even though Jonah didn’t really want it to.

And the reason it worked was because it wasn’t Jonah’s message, it was God’s.

Jonah was just the reluctantly willing mouthpiece, but it was God’s word, to which Isaiah tells us . . .

Isaiah 55:11 NIV - Anglicised

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:11

And that is honestly something we need to remember because we tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves.

God’s word is going to accomplish its task.

We are just the mouthpiece and all God asks of us is to be obedient.

God will take care of the rest.

And actually if we allow God to lead, God will even take care of the speaking part.

So, much to Jonah’s dismay and surprise, the people repent and turn back to God.

And because they repented and turned back to God . . .

Jonah 3:10 NIV - Anglicised

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

Because the people repented, God changed direction.

I wonder how many times God has had this nation slated for destruction but because people repented, God has held off destruction.

Because the reality is, we are not that much different from the Ninevites.

And if our people continue down the path they are going, God’s destruction is going to come.

But in this instance, God gives them another chance, which brings us to our passage for tonight . . .

Scripture Focus

Jonah 4:1-

Jonah 4:1–4 NIV - Anglicised

1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 But the Lord replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”

Poor Old Jonah

Man o’ Man, Jonah was mad!

Again, verse one says . . .

Jonah 4:1 NIV - Anglicised

1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry.

He was all ready for God to destroy these people and end their ways once and for all.

After all these years of them tormenting the Hebrews, they were now going to get exactly what they deserved.

Not only had Jonah been fretting over delivering the message, but he also had been looking forward to watching the show.

Wondering if it was going to be fire and brimstone, a great flood, a plague.

Boy, it was going to be big and Jonah had a front row seat!

And now, here at the last minute these people had repented and God had changed his direction.

It’s just not fair!

Kind of reminds me of Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard from . . .

Matthew 20:1-

Matthew 20:1 NIV - Anglicised

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.

We know the story, the man wanted to hire some workers so he went out and hired people at the beginning of the day and then he need more and went out in the 3rd hour and then again in the 6th and 9th and then in the 11th hour, the last hour of the workday, he went out and hired some more.

Then at the end of the day it became time to pay them . . .

Matthew 20:8-

Matthew 20:8–16 NIV - Anglicised

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9 “The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 13 “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

See, the ones hired first thought it was unfair because even though they had agreed to work for a denarius, they didn’t think it was right for those who only worked an hour to get the same benefit.

However, what they failed to realize was that God’s mercy and grace is God’s alone and God determines it, not our flawed human system of morality.

Romans 9:15–16 NIV - Anglicised

15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

Romans 9:15-

And we should also rejoice in God’s mercy because none of us are getting what we truly deserve.

But Jonah was angry and he was going to let God know about it too . . .

Jonah 4:2-

Jonah 4:2 NIV - Anglicised

2 He prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

Boy, isn’t he a sight.

“Lord, I knew this was going to happen.”

“You were going to have me come all this way, risk my life and give these people this message of destruction”

“And I knew that you wouldn’t do it. I knew that you would forgive them”

“And, what do I have to show for it?”

Me, me, me . . . Jonah has that “its all about me,” attitude.

Never mind the fact that an entire nation repented and returned to God.

Never mind the fact that multitudes of people’s lives have been spared.

NO, let’s focus on Jonah’s pity party instead!

And here it is . . .

Jonah 4:3 NIV - Anglicised

3 Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

J

Are you kidding me?

Honestly Jonah, what is your problem?

He would basically rather die than be happy that God had delivered somebody.

His attitude was that God’s mercy and grace was for Israel and Israel alone.

Who cares about the rest of humanity.

So, God puts him in his place . . .

Jonah 4:4 NIV - Anglicised

4 But the Lord replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”

Altar Call

And it is the same message for us.

We sometimes forget that God’s salvation and deliverance is for all people.

We get locked into this works mentality that unless we’ve worked for God for 50 years, that we haven’t “earned” God’s mercy.

That those who come in later or don’t do as good a job as we do, shouldn’t get the same benefits we get.

Almost the attitude that they need to suffer a little because they have waited.

Folks, that’s the wrong attitude.

We should rejoice when others come to Christ, regardless of when they come.

Yes, we need to come as soon as we hear the Word, but sometimes that doesn’t happen.

But instead of harboring bitterness toward that person mad because God is blessing them, we need to be helping them learn as much as they can.

After all, have we any right to be angry?

Because if it was not for God’s mercy and grace, none of us would stand a chance.

And I guarantee that heaven is big enough for us all and God’s riches are great enough for us all.

These attitudes of bitterness and jealously are nothing more than a sign that our heart is not where it needs to be with God.

And if we are feeling like that tonight, then we need to come and repent.

And I am going to give you that chance.

Michelle is going to put on some music and you can come and pray or pray in seat, but I would encourage you to pray.