Jonah Chapter Four (Hebrew keywords and phrases in capital letters).

Jonah 4:1 |But this was evil to Jonah, a GREAT EVIL! He BURNED WITH ANGER.

• The conjunction but shows contrast with the previous chapter.

• In Hebrew, authors use the verb plus its cognate noun for emphasis. For example, he dreamed a dream emphasizes the act of dreaming.

• The verb was evil, its cognate noun EVIL, and the adjective GREAT all emphasize that Jonah thinks God's merciful act to Nineveh is exceedingly EVIL.

• The structure of Jonah 4:1 replicates Nehemiah 2:10. "It was evil to them, a GREAT EVIL."

• In Nehemiah 2:10, Sanballat and Tobiah are upset that Nehemiah intercedes for the Israelite's welfare. Here Jonah the Israelite has ANGER about pleading the case of the Ninevites.

Jonah 4:2 |He prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, was not this MY word when I was in MY country? Therefore, I fled previously to Tarshish, for I knew You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in kindness, one who REPENTS concerning EVIL (disaster).

• Jonah 4:2 compares to Jonah 2:1 where he prayed to the LORD.

• Even though Jonah the prophet dialogued with God about His message of judgment (Jonah 1:1), he doesn't record much of the conversation.

• Here Jonah basically tells God, "Back in My country, this was MY word. I told You so!"

• He fled to Tarshish, so that the Ninevites would remain under God's judgment. He knew that God REPENTS concerning EVIL (disaster).

• In Joel 2:13, Joel describes God as a gracious and compassionate God slow to anger and abundant in kindness whenever he pleads with Israel to REPENT.

• Jonah uses this prophet's words to question the goodness of God's mercy upon Nineveh. He calls God's compassionate act EVIL in the previous verse (Jonah 4:1).

Jonah 4:3 |Now O' LORD, please take MY life from ME for death is better to ME than life.

• Full of selfishness and self PITY, Jonah's emotions race everywhere. He remained happy until he found out that the Ninevites REPENTED.

• Perhaps, Jonah had suicidal tendencies in Chapter One. He WENT DOWN into the guts of the ship and fell into a deep sleep while the sea raged (Jonah 1:5).

• He probably wanted the ship to sink to bring about his death rather than having to preach to the Ninevites.

• He asked the Pagan Sailors to HURL him overboard into the deadly waters. They knew that the sea could take his life (innocent blood, Jonah 1:14-15).

• The Ninevites had actually REPENTED. Now Jonah explicitly states that he wants to die. In fact, he probably spoke these same words inside the city as he watched them REPENT earlier.

Jonah 4:4 |The LORD said, "Is your ANGER good?"

• Jonah doesn't like to answer questions. He refuses to answer the Ship Captain's question (Jonah 1:6), and only partially answers the Pagan Sailors' questions (Jonah 1:8).

• The prophet BURNS WITH ANGER, because Nineveh didn't literally burn. He doesn't answer the LORD with words but just responds by walking out of the city ANGRY.

Jonah 4:5 |Then Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of it. He made a shelter there and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would come of the city.

• This verse begins and ends with city.

• Jonah sits under a shelter in the shade, while the King sits in an ash heap REPENTING of his sins down in the city (Jonah 3:6).

• Jonah seems to be restless. He sits down, gets up to make a shelter, and sits down again.

• With a bad attitude, the prophet probably thinks, "Fine, we got them to REPENT! Let's wait and see what they ultimately do!"

• Jonah might think that the Pagan Citizens will quickly RETURN to their EVIL ways. He waits and watches.

Jonah 4:6 |Now the LORD APPOINTED a plant and caused it to rise above Jonah to provide shade over his head to rescue him from his EVIL (discomfort). Jonah was very happy about the plant.

• This verse begins and ends with plant.

• The LORD APPOINTED this plant to show Jonah mercy; whereas previously He had APPOINTED the GREAT fish to judge Jonah (Jonah 1:17).

• The Hebrew verb caused it to rise is significant. The Ninevites' EVIL rises in Jonah 1:2, Yahweh rises (brings up) Jonah from the pit in Jonah 2:6, and now a plant rises above him.

• The plant has two purposes to provide shade and to rescue Jonah from discomfort. The word discomfort literally translates as EVIL.

• Is the LORD rescuing Jonah from physical discomfort or emotional EVIL? He might be trying to calm the prophet's emotional EVIL by providing the physical comfort of shade.

• Jonah reacted with happiness when God blessed him with undeserved mercy, but he didn't like God's mercy toward the Ninevites.

Jonah 4:7 |But God APPOINTED a worm when dawn rose up the next day. It SMOTE the plant, so that it dried up.

• The conjunction but shows contrast. While the APPOINTED plant demonstrated undeserved mercy, here God APPOINTED the worm for judgment.

• The Hebrew verb rise up has appeared elsewhere in the book (Jonah 4:6).

• The worm SMOTE the plant before sunrise. The heat of the day would bear down upon Jonah. Instead of destroying Nineveh, God SMOTE the prophet's only source of happiness, the plant.

• Consult multiple translations to decide which type of plant translators consider.

Jonah 4:8 |When the sun came up, God APPOINTED a scorching east wind. The sun SMOTE Jonah's head. He was faint and asked with his soul to die. He said, "It is better for me to die than live."

• In Jonah 1:4, the LORD HURLED a GREAT wind. Here God APPOINTS an east wind for judgment also.

• In the previous verse, the worm SMOTE the plant, Now the scorching wind SMOTE Jonah's head.

• The sun and wind sap the strength from the prophet to the point of fainting.

• He has already asked God to take his life (Jonah 4:3). Now he prays again that God will bring about his death.

Jonah 4:9 |But God said to Jonah, "Is it good for you TO BURN WITH ANGER about the plant?" Then he replied, "It is good for me TO BURN WITH ANGER, even unto death!

• God has already asked Jonah this exact question (Jonah 4:4).

• If Jonah answers "no," to the question, he must also admit that his ANGER about Nineveh is not good either.

• If he answers "yes," he exposes his position as one of pure self-interest. Jonah does answer an affirmative YES!

• The prophet makes it clear that his ANGER will not relent even if he dies. "It is good for me TO BURN WITH ANGER, even unto death!"

• His attitude contrasts with God's attitude in Jonah 3:9-10. The King hopes that Yahweh will relent of His ANGER. God does relent, but Jonah refuses to do the same concerning Nineveh.

Jonah 4:10 |But the LORD said, "You had PITY on the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, for it came up in a night. It also PERISHED in a night.

• Jonah didn't till the ground to nourish the plant. He had nothing invested in its growth, yet he had PITY on it. He felt sorry that the plant died.

• The LORD made Nineveh GREAT and has worked on their hearts to prepare them for His message.

• The prophet Jonah is full of self-PITY. What business is it of Jonah if the LORD wants to exercise PITY on His creatures?

• How can Jonah PITY the plant and the LORD not PITY these people?

• The keyword PERISHED appeared earlier. The Ship Captain, the Pagan Sailors, & the Ninevite King, none of them wanted to PERISH (Jonah 1:6, 14; 3:9).

• In a night emphasizes how quickly the plant PERISHED.

Jonah 4:11 |Should I not PITY Nineveh, the GREAT city where there are more than 120,000 people who do not know [the difference] between their right hand and their left and many animals.

• Here the narrator emphasizes that the term GREAT describes Nineveh's populous size.

• The clause who don't know their right hand from their left may point to the following: innocent children, or 2) adults ignorant of sin.

• The Ninevites didn't know they stood in the LORD's judgment. This doesn't excuse them from their sins.

• "Perhaps, God will not let us PERISH," spoken by the Ship Captain, the Pagan Sailors, and the Ninevite King all suggest ignorance.

• Why end with the mention of animals? 1) Contrast: One plant verses many people & animals; 2) Link to Chapter Three: Both people and animals participated in repentance, both receive PITY; 3) Comparison: These humans are morally ignorant like the animals.

• The Story of Jonah leaves Jonah's fate a mystery to the reader.

Jonah 4:1-11

Jonah, the Furious Prophet

Jonah 4 Sermon

Intro: The prophet Jonah travels an interesting road up to this point. His story climaxes here in Chapter Four. He runs from God in Jonah 1, tries to manipulate God in Jonah 2, partially obeys God in Jonah 3, and finally exhibits intense rage at God in Jonah 4. This final chapter clearly demonstrates how far even a prophet of God may sink if he continues in rebellion against Him. As Christians we should not call God’s plan evil unless we want to experience two forms of emotional chaos: 1) We will fill up with intense anger at God, and 2) We will sulk in self-pity for our life situation.

Let’s consider the first form of emotional chaos arising when we call God’s plan evil:

I. We fill up with intense anger directed at God (Jonah 4:1-4).

1. Outside of God’s plan, we invite the stronghold of anger into our life.

   • The prophet Jonah emphasizes how he thinks God’s act of compassion on Nineveh epitomizes evil. “But this was evil to Jonah, a great evil. He burned with anger” (Jonah 4:1). The verb was evil, its cognate noun evil, and the adjective great all emphasize the intensity of Jonah’s anger.

   • Jonah 4:1 nearly quotes the biblical text of Nehemiah 2:10, “It was evil to them, a great evil.” Ironically, Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite are upset that the prophet Nehemiah pleads for the welfare of Israel; here Jonah the Israelite expresses anger towards the actual repentance of Nineveh.

   • The prophet Jonah then basically tells the LORD, “Back in MY country, this was MY word. I told you so” (Jonah 4:2)! Jonah fills with anger when he meditates on Joel 2:13. Joel describes God as compassionate toward sinful Israel. Jonah knows the LORD has a measure of compassion for Nineveh just as He does for Israel. Jonah thinks God’s attitude typifies evil.

   • Anger will overwhelm us whenever we turn our backs on God’s plan. We should carefully guard our mouths in heated moments. If we become so angry at God’s purposes that we question His character, we will walk right into a chaotic world of rage. God doesn’t want us to go there, and many times He tries everything He can to reorder our lives. Unlike Jonah, we need to listen to God’s voice.

2. Outside of God’s plan, our anger might intensify into suicidal tendencies.

   • Jonah’s has a history of suicidal tendencies. In Jonah 1 the prophet sleeps deeply inside the ship during a great storm. He probably wanted the ship to sink rather than have to preach to Nineveh. Then he asks the Sailors to throw him into the raging sea. In his rebellion, Jonah welcomes death. His anger climaxes in Jonah 4 where he finally vocalizes that he wants to die (Jonah 4:3, 8-9).

   • Repeatedly the prophet tells God that His actions are evil. Now God turns the question back on Jonah, “Is your anger good?” The prophet doesn’t like to answer questions. He refuses to answer the Captain’s question (Jonah 1:6), and only partially answers the Sailors’ questions (Jonah 1:8). He doesn’t reply at all to God’s question. He simply walks away with his anger escalating into self-pity.

   • God understands all the dynamics of the created order. Sometimes what God allows in our lives leads us to question Him. God will not strike us down if we question Him in our struggles, but He will not tolerate slander against His character. Nor will God bend if we try to manipulate Him by suicidal threats which could ultimately hurt God. If we hold on to anger, we aren’t far from wallowing in self-pity. Let’s consider the second form of emotional chaos arising when we call God’s plan evil:

Let’s consider the second form of emotional chaos arising when we call God’s plan evil:

II. We sulk in self-pity for our life situation (Jonah 4:5-11).

1. Outside of God’s plan, we invite the stronghold of self-pity into our life (Jonah 4:5).

   • Jonah makes a shelter east of Nineveh and watches to find out what would happen to the foreigners. He sits there under a shelter in the shade sulking at God (Jonah 4:5). Meanwhile, the Pagan King sits in an ash heap repenting of his sins down in Nineveh (Jonah 3:6). The King proactively does what the LORD demands of him, but Jonah doesn’t, and his anger increases each minute.

   • The prophet wanders around restlessly in Jonah 4:5. He sits down, gets up to make a shelter, and sits down again. With a bad attitude Jonah probably mumbles, “Fine, we got them to repent! Let’s wait and see what they ultimately do!” Jonah might think that the Pagan Citizens will quickly return to their evil ways. He waits and watches.

   • Our self-pity only leads to a world of restlessness. As a result, we will walk in loneliness, in a world that revolves around our wants and needs. When God doesn’t meet our demands, we sit around thinking about what we want. We wander around restlessly failing in all our attempts to exercise our agenda. Unless we step out of self-pity, we will continue to walk in circles.

2. God pleads with us change our minds about our attitude towards His plan (Jonah 4:6-11).

   • God teaches the prophet Jonah about His mercy with an object lesson. Out of mercy, God appoints a plant to provide Jonah with shade (Jonah 4:6). The plant rescues Jonah from his evil discomfort). The next day God appoints a worm to smite the plant (Jonah 4:7). Then He appoints a dry wind to blow on the prophet. Then Jonah entertains suicidal thoughts once more (Jonah 4:8).

   • God questions Jonah a second time (Jonah 4:9). “Is it good for you to burn with anger about the plant?” If Jonah answers “no,” he must admit that his anger toward Nineveh isn’t good. If he answers “yes,” he exposes his position that he only wants to hoard God’s mercy for himself. The prophet makes it clear that his anger will not relent even if he dies.

   • God educates Jonah about His work (Jonah 4:10-11). Jonah did nothing for the plant, yet he expresses pity for its death. The LORD, however, made Nineveh great and has worked upon their hearts to prepare them for the message. God doesn’t want an entire populous of over 120,000 to perish in their sins.

In conclusion, we should not call God’s plan evil unless we want to experience two forms of emotional chaos: 1) We will fill up with intense anger at God, and 2) We will sulk in self-pity for our life situation. God will not strike us down if we question Him in our circumstances. Jesus asked God why He had forsaken Him on the cross. We take ourselves into a restless world of anger and self-pity, however, if we don’t reorder ourselves with God’s plan. We may not survive long in this world without God’s blessing. He doesn’t want us to perish in our rebellion. Instead, His heart beats for us, and His eyes shed tears for us in our ignorance of the bigger picture. We should bend our knee in submission to God for His plan will bless us.