Jonah 4:1-3

GOD'S MESSENGER RUNNING AHEAD OF GODTHE DISPLEASURE OF JONAH

TEXT: Jonah 4:1-3

1

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

2

And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

3

Therefore now, O Jehovah, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

QUERIES

a.

Why would Jonah be displeased that thousands of people were saved?

b.

Why would the graciousness of God lead him to flee to Tarshish?

c.

Why did he think it better to die than to live?

PARAPHRASE

But God's withholding of His wrath against Nineveh was very displeasing to Jonah. Jonah was grieved and vexed and prayed, saying, Lord! isn-'t this what I said back in Palestine before I ever came to Nineveh? This is exactly why I ran off toward TarshishI knew that You are gracious, merciful, longsuffering, overflowing in Your lovingkindness and that you would forgive and withhold Your punishment. On account of this, O Lord, I beg You, take my life. Because my mission is a failure, I would rather be dead than alive.

SUMMARY

Jonah feels his mission is a failure when Nineveh is not destroyed, He cannot go back and preach to his wicked countrymen with any forcefulness because God is merciful, Jonah would rather be dead.

COMMENT

Jonah 4:1-3. IT DISPLEASED JONAH EXCEEDINGLY. THEREFORE. TAKE. MY LIFE FROM ME. There are about as many different opinions as to the cause of Jonah's anger as there are commentators. We prefer Professor Fairbairn's evaluation. We just cannot bring ourselves to characterize Jonah as a man so full of hate that his primary vexation is due to a cold-blooded desire to see hundreds of thousands of heathen slain. Fairbairn says, Jonah was disconcerted and downcast because the example of severity had been withheld, which he thought would operate so beneficially upon the minds of his countrymen and without which he seemed to have no means of attaining the great end and object of his life. Hugh Martin, in The Prophet Jonah, says, In Jonah's judgment the sparing of Nineveh would eclipse the honor of God, destroy the credit of his ministry, and harden the hearts of his countrymen.

The people of Israel in Jonah's day were in a state of terrible degeneracy and profligacy. All the efforts of God, sending them prophets, had thus far failed to bring them to their senses and repentance. So the Lord, before abandoning them finally to their fate, sought once more to move them from their downward plunge, by working upon them through feelings of jealousy and shame while at the same time giving them an example of His mercy and loving-kindness when repentance is shown. For this purpose God did with Nineveh what He did not usually do with other heathen nations. Living in the age of ease, comfort, luxury, during national ascendency of Jeroboam II when the people were almost totally libertine, Jonah preached in vain month after month, year after year. All the while his own countrymen and neighbors despised everything he was attempting to do on their behalf. It is no wonder Jonah, like Elijah of old, after waiting month after month for some fearful, sudden, decisive turning-point to come in the form of wrath from the Lord, would feel discouraged by the thought of the Lord's mercy. When he thought of this at his first call it would cause him to despair of any thing effectual being accomplished toward bringing his own countrymen to their senses. Then after his own experience in the sea monster's belly, he might stand in the midst of Nineveh and imagine that in forty days he would at last obtain the very example of the wrath of God upon sin that he hoped would come and that he could take back to Israel and persuade them to turn from their sin.
It requires no stretch of the imagination, then, to see what a disappointment it was for him to see Nineveh spared, and the very weapon snatched from his hand by which he hoped to prevail against the sin of his countrymen. Jonah was not so much concerned with his own reputation nor so full of hate and vengeance that he would have taken some fiendish delight in the slaying of thousands of people; but he loved his own people so intensely, and was so firmly persuaded that an act of severity was required to shake them from their false security he was grieved and frustrated. Instead of having the vantage point of a tremendous illustration of God's wrath upon sin he felt his whole purpose in life had been defeated and there was nothing left for him but to die.
Neither Jonah nor Elijah were right. Both of them were out of harmony with God's will. Both of them misunderstood God's plan and had only a partial view of His purposes and therefore made hasty, carnal judgments as to how God should govern. The lesson for us is that God's way is still the best; for He sees the end from the beginning, and directs all with infinite skill and unerring wisdom. If we could alter the plan of God it would not be for the better but for the worse. We must take the attitude of Habakkuk who, when he could not understand why God would use a heathen nation to punish the covenant people, said, I will take my stand to watch, and station myself on the tower, and look forth to see what he will say to me. behold. the righteous shall live by faith.

QUIZ

1.

Why do you think Jonah was displeased with God's mercy on Nineveh?

2.

What other prophet had the same concept of how God should govern?

3.

What lesson should we learn from this?