Jonah 4:9-11

Jonah's unconcern for the city -- Jonah 4:9-11: Jonah was concerned about the gourd vine but was unconcerned about the people of the city. God said to Jonah, "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." Jonah was now faithful to God in his preaching but he still had his same old angry heart. Jonah should have realized that though his gourd vine was gone his God was still there. God's love and care makes up for all of our losses.

Jonah should have been thankful to God for sparing the city of Nineveh. The gourd was small and insignificant. The city Nineveh was a "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?" (Jonah 4:11) This number might have refereed to children but more likely it refereed to the ignorance of the people as to what is right and wrong.

While Jonah wanted Nineveh destroyed, but God wants all men to fear and reverence Him. To become a Christian you must hear the gospel and believe (John 6:44-45), repent of sins (Acts 2:38), confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized into Christ. (Romans 6:3-4) Fear or reverence for the Lord will also keep you in faithful service to God. (Matthew 10:22) Solomon said, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)