Kingdoms in Conflict (or, What Matters to God) - Jonah 4:4-11

 

Kingdoms in Conflict (or, What Matters to God)

Jonah 4:4-11

Introduction: You have heard the old story of a Native-American chief who said to a young man,

     “There are two dogs fighting inside of me. One is filled with hate and evil. The other is filled with love, and good. This battle rages inside of you, and all men.”

     The young man asked, “Which one will win?”

     The wise old chief replied, “The one you feed.”

There is a battle raging in the hearts of men and women that does not cease the moment we believe (see Romans 7 if you doubt that!). The good news is that if you know Christ as your personal Savior and Lord you have what you need to choose well… We have the Bible. As surely as God’s Word came to Jonah, it has come to us. We have God’s word, and we also have the promise of His presence. He is with us, and in us. Walk in the Spirit, Paul said, and you will by no means fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

       We’ve been reading this story about Jonah, a man who knew God, who had received God’s Word, who was called to serve, but who still heatedly resisted the will of the Lord, at least with respect to the gentile nation of Assyria. It was as though Jonah wanted God’s grace in his own life but did not want to even think about God extending his grace to “those” people. He certainly did not understand that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He clearly did not embrace the sense of the ­­­­prayer that Jesus would later teach His disciples: “…Your kingdom come, your will be done, one earth as it is in heaven…” The question this scene puts before is this: Who is on the throne of our heart? Do we desire God’s glory, and the expansion of His kingdom? Or, are we serving a kingdom of one, insisting that we know best, that our way is best, our comfort and security is most important of all? The king of Nineveh got off his throne. Will we? Are we willing to seek God’s will and His glory above all?

The BIG Idea: God desires that we get our eyes off ourselves, and have compassion for the lost, showing them the way to Life.

Context: In 3:10-4:4 we saw that Jonah was self-righteous, judgmental, angry with God, and was pursued and exposed by Him… We might think about James 1:19-20, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;  ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.” Jonah needed that, do we? We’ll look at four contrasts in these final verses…

I. The Wonderful Counselor and the hot-headed Prophet (4). Remember that famous verse in Isaiah 9:6, “…and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Here the Wonderful Counselor leads the prodigal prophet with a question. Let’s pick up with God’s reply to Jonah’s temper tantrum, in the form of a question. He asks the prophet… "Do you do well to be angry?" (Jonah 4:4).

       Jonah is not happy with God. No, more than that, he is angry with God. He had run away initially, and now, in chapter 4, we finally know why. When God told him to go and cry out against the Ninevites, he knew what that meant. They were being warned of impending judgment. Implicit in that warning was a call to change their thinking, to turn from their evil ways and to cry out to the Creator God for mercy. And Jonah knew the character of God, he knew what God had said to Moses on the mountain and had revealed through history in his dealing with Israel, that He is “…a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster…” (Jonah 4:2; cf. Exod 34:6).  Basically, he knew there was a chance the Ninevites would repent, and if they did, he was sure God would act in accordance with His nature. He would show mercy. And Jonah did not want mercy for the Ninevites. He wanted judgment! They were the enemy, they were evil, and they should be destroyed. That would be good in Jonah’s eyes. That would be just.

       Remember that Jonah had disobeyed God, had turned his back on God, and had run away. Even, as he slept in the hold of the ship while the storm raged, he was ignoring God. And yet God showed him mercy and saved him from the jaws of death.  After all that, when God said “Go” for the second time, Jonah went… but he still did not see the gentile Ninevites as God did. He still wanted them to be judged, not turned toward God and saved! So, when they repented, and God relented, Jonah fumed, he was angry, literally, “hot,” about God showing them mercy. Now God could have shaken the earth, he could have talked to Jonah out of a whirlwind as He did to Job in Job 38:2-4,

"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  ³ Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.  ⁴ "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding…

After two chapters of that, all Job can say is, "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." (40:4,5). And then he got some more! Paul said it in his discussion of the sovereignty of God in Roman 9:20, “…Who are you O man, to talk back to God?” God could have rebuked Jonah’s attitude with similar language, but he doesn’t. In Amos 1:2 it says God’s voice thundered from Zion… Whether in thunder, or a blast of light like Paul experienced on the Damascus Road, or in a still small voice, as He did with Elijah in I Kings 19:11, God’s word is powerful, and effective, it will accomplish the purpose for which it is sent. And so, God engages the ranting prodigal prophet with a simple question, “Do you do well to be angry?” What was God asking Jonah?

       Remember back in 4:1, God’s relenting from destroying the Ninevites “displeased Jonah exceedingly…” Literally, “It was evil [ra-ah] to Jonah, a big evil [ra-ah].” This was not just, it wasn’t good, and it burned Jonah up. Here in 4:4, God uses the verbal form of the root “good.” The play on words seems pretty direct, “You have accused me of great evil in sparing the Ninevites. Jonah, is your anger good? Is that the way life should be?” God is working on Jonah. What matters to God? Jonah needed to learn that God is interested in people of every race and nation, not just Israel. God desires that we get our eyes off ourselves, and have compassion for the lost, showing them the way to Life. So, the wonderful counsellor confronts the hot-head prophet, and we see…

II. The inwardly-focused Jonah, and the Gentle Shepherd (5-6). 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. 

      In response to God’s question to Jonah in v.4, “Jonah went out of the city…” No verbal response to God’s question by Jonah at this point, and we are not sure how much time had passed.  I don’t know if there is enough in the text to be sure. Somehow, he knew that God had relented from bringing disaster on the Ninevites. Did God tell him, or had 40 days passed? I’m not sure. But Jonah seems to be making himself comfortable, outside of the city, “till he should see what would become of the city.” It seems he is hoping that God would reconsider the wisdom of His actions (or non-actions) and bring the judgement on the city that these people clearly deserved. Rather than another verbal interaction with Jonah, God first employs an object lesson of a sort. Jonah was “hot” with God about sparing the Ninevites. God is going to turn the heat up on Jonah.

       First notice that Jonah went outside the city and built himself a “booth,” This word is most frequently used in the Scriptures to refer to the Feast of Booths, one of the feasts of Israel when the people were instructed to live for a week in these temporary structures, as a reminder of God’s care for the nation during the wilderness wandering.  It was a time to remember God’s faithfulness and to rejoice together in God’s deliverance. Israel had been saved. And Jonah built himself a shelter, a booth, sucah, to sit and watch, hoping that God would send judgement on Nineveh. He needed shade from the mid-eastern sun. Jonah tried to provide shade for himself, he wanted a good seat to see fire and brimstone fall on the Ninevites, he was ready for the fireworks! God had worked in the hearts of the Ninevites, and He was still working on Jonah.

       God had appointed the fish to rescue Jonah, now he “appoints” a plant to grow up over his booth to shade him, and to save him from his discomfort. Again, there is a word play here. God sparing the Ninevites after they believed Him and turned from their evil, in 4:1, “displeased Jonah exceedingly.” It was “ra-ah to Jonah, a big ra-ah.” Here God appoints the plant to save Jonah from his discomfort [Heb. “ra-ah”]. Was God working to ease Jonah’s discomfort, or to save him from the evil in his heart? Both, I think! What matters to God? God is interested in nations, and in every person.

      Here we see Jonah’s inward focus, his concern only for his own comfort and blessing. In v.1 he was “exceedingly displeased and angry” about God not destroying the Ninevites, now He is exceedingly glad because of the plant! He has shade, he is comfortable, life is good! “Finally, something good in my life!” You’ve still got some lessons to learn Jonah, and as we see the ending of the book, I think you’ll agree, so do we. God desires that we get our eyes off ourselves, and have compassion for the lost, showing them the way to Life.

III. What we want, versus what we need (7-8). 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." 

      God was still at work in Jonah, and He knew what the prophet needed. So, this same God who “appointed” a fish to rescue him and a plant to shade Him, appoints a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. The verb “attack,” as in English, is a military term. God didn’t just “allow” the worm to eat the plant, he appointed it to attack it! God is clearly directing this experience to teach Jonah, to turn him from the evil in his heart, as surely as the Ninevites had turned from their evil. It strikes me that Jonah may be a picture of Israel, ready to accept God’s blessing, but somehow unwilling to extend His grace toward others and so be the blessing to the nations that God intended. Ironically, the Assyrians, the nation God is sparing here, would be the one that God would appoint to “attack” and overturn the northern kingdom, to cause it to wither in defeat.

      So, Jonah would be angry, or “hot” with God? God had appointed the fish, and the plant, and the worm, now He “appoints” a scorching east wind to blow on his head. So, if he can’t be comfortable, he asks to die. He says to God, “It is better for me to die than to live.” He was rejoicing over his shady spot a day ago, now, his plant was gone. He might as well be dead! He didn’t see the hand of God in all of this, or if he did, he wasn’t thinking about what God would teach him. Might we keep a teachable spirit as we go through ups and downs of life! God is sovereign, He either appointed or allowed it, for our good, and for His glory. What is God saying, how is He leading? It is easy to say “God is good” when we are comfortable in our “shady spot.” But God IS good, all the time. He is being good to Jonah right here in this scene. Teaching him. God desires that we get our eyes off ourselves, and have compassion for the lost, showing them the way to Life.

IV. Prioritizing my comfort, or compassion for the lost [or, "What I want, versus what matters to God"] (9-11)? 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."  ¹⁰ 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.  ¹¹ 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?"

      These last verses are the “punchline,” so to speak, the point of the whole story. Jonah had been angry about God not destroying the Ninevites, now he is angry about God allowing his plant to die! God himself makes the connection by repeating the question from v.4, “Do you do will to be angry…”, this time, “…for the plant?” Again, the words of James come to mind in James 1:19-21,

…let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;  ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.  ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

That verse 21 could be cited from Jonah 3, that is what the Ninevites did. They turned from their wickedness and received the Word! The first two verses would be a good corrective for Jonah! Do you do well to be angry for the plant…? Do you really think your anger is justified?  So how does the prophet respond? “Yes I do well to be angry, angry enough to die!” There are obviously two aspects to Jonah’s anger, 1) the unresolved anger from 4:1, after the Ninevites repented and God relented from destroying them is the foundation, and 2) Jonah’s comfort being disrupted so quickly with the death of the plant a secondary factor. As noted in v.4, the verb “do well,” is from the same root as the word “good.” It is spoken again by God and repeated back by Jonah. God is asking if Jonah’s anger is justified, is it righteous, is it the way to the “good life” that God desires for his people? Jonah answers God back this time, as though he was crossing his arms in defiance to the LORD! “Yes I do well to be angry! Angry enough to die!”

       God does not answer from a whirlwind, he does not answer with lightning and thunder. Instead, he asks one more question. You pity this plant, it came up in a night and perished in a night, should I not pity this city full of people, along with their animals? Don’t miss the irony here: This is the fourth use of the word “perish.” The pagan Captain, the Phoenician sailors, the Ninevite king, they were all concerned about people perishing. Jonah is upset about his plant. People matter to God, do they matter to us?

What is God saying to me in this passage? God desires that we get our eyes off ourselves, and have compassion for the lost, showing them the way to Life.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Think about how Jesus showed compassion. Think of how he reacted at the tomb of Lazarus, as he saw the grief of Mary and Martha. He was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled… and then, Jesus wept (Jn 11:35). Think about Jesus’ words as he approached Jerusalem that final week, “Oh Jersusalem, Jerusalem…” He wept over the city, knowing their rejection of Him, and the judgement coming in AD 70 (cf. Lk 19:41ff.). Remember when He looked on the mixed multitude in Matt 9:36, “…he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” God sees needy people, and has compassion on them. What matters to God? People do! He sends a prophet to warn them, and they repent!  Do we care enough about our neighbors, and about the nations, to speak the truth in love, to go if God calls us, and to sacrifice some of our comfort and security and to give so that others can go? Jonah had a struggle in his heart, as do we…

      We too are surrounded by people who don’t know their right hand from their left, they have no idea who God is and their desperate need of salvation. I am sure there are those who don’t know or haven’t heard the gospel in an understandable way. Will we have compassion on those around us, will we care enough to share?  What matters to God? People matter to God. He has given us a mission. All of us.

       There are missionaries ready to go to unreached people, will we pray and give? The fields are white with the harvest, will we pray that the Lord of the harvest will send forth workers? We are part of God’s plan, He will use us, and He will continue to teach us and to grow our faith. I hope we don’t need a storm, or a big fish, before we say, Father, your will be done, in me, in our church, and in the world. To God be the glory.  AMEN.