“Lessons from Jonah: God’s Way – Take It or Leave It”

Scripture: Jonah 4

For the past 3 weeks, our brother Jonah has gone through a series of ups and downs, of good news and bad, that most of us would never want to experience. The good news begins with the Lord’s calling him to a mission unlike any in all of history, but the bad news is that Jonah is totally opposed to it, so he tries to run away from Yahweh’s will. The good news is that God is ahead of him at every step of the way. The bad news is that instead of escaping, he runs into a storm at sea that threatens to kill him and all of his ship mates. The good news is that before the ship is destroyed, the crew discovers that it is Jonah who has brought about this calamity, and the next bad news is that they eventually throw him overboard in an attempt to appease God. The good news is that he doesn’t drown, which leads us to the next bad news - he is swallowed up by the largest fish in all of history. But good news prevails once again, and three days’ later, our prophet is deposited on dry land, right in the middle of a pile of “bad news”! This allows him to go to Nineveh and complete the mission that God had given him in the first place, and whether this is good news or bad depends on whether you are the people of Nineveh or Jonah.
Tragedy is avoided, and the entire city experiences God’s forgiveness, much to Jonah’s chagrin!

Now that is far more “good news and bad” than any of us have ever had to go through!

Read Jonah 4:1-3

Jonah isn’t just displeased with God, he is infuriated! A closer and more literal translation of these words of anger could be “It was evil to Jonah, and it burned to him.” He reminds God of what he had predicted before he ever left home, setting his own understanding above that of God. He understands all the attributes of Yahweh – those of graciousness and compassion, that he is slow to anger and filled with love, that God would much rather bless a people, instead of sending disaster on them – but he doesn’t like them being used on such a despicable people.
And he hates this about God. How dare he be such a forgiving God, especially toward people who Jonah detests? “Evil” is probably the very best word to describe Jonah’s heart at this time. He even prefers death over having to remember that he has just brought these brutal people to the heart of God!
He couldn’t escape from God, he wasn’t allowed to drown in the sea, he didn’t die in the stomach of the fish, he wasn’t killed by the people of Nineveh, so now he looks to the Lord to end his miserable life! This prophet of the Most High God decides that the Lord’s mercy would be put to much better use if applied to his murder instead of than Nineveh’s forgiveness.

Jonah would prefer that this city and all its people be destroyed instead of experiencing God’s gracious mercy, and he would prefer that his life be taken from him instead of being reminded of the extent of God’s love for all people. He not only wants to deprive the Ninevites of God’s grace, he refuses to accept it for his own life. How arrogant, how egocentric, how conceited can one person be?

Read Jonah 4:4-8

Isn’t it interesting that the Lord has very little to say regarding Jonah’s outburst? He doesn’t bring up the condemning attitude, or the attempted flight from his will, or his desire to die. Yahweh simply asks the prophet if he has “any right to be angry”. We might even read this as “Do you enjoy the all-consuming fire that’s burning within you?” God doesn’t condemn Jonah, he doesn’t even chastise him for his hatred toward Nineveh and the grace that was shown to them. Jonah is simply invited to reflect on the reasons behind his anger.

Have you ever been angry at God? What did he do, or didn’t do, that went against your desires? If we are honest with ourselves, every one of us should confess that we have been there at some point in our lives. It is never easy to follow God’s will and his ways, and we will never understand him! And when we attempt to justify God in a human context, it never seems to fit – it can’t fit! Isaiah knew this, and in chapter 55:8-9 we read of God’s word on the matter. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Jonah was under the impression that Yahweh should be operating under the same assumptions that he was – that Nineveh was evil and should be destroyed. Period. What Jonah forgot was that our God is a God of forgiveness and salvation and second chances, not a God of destruction and condemnation. John 3:17 – “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” It’s far easier to say “Lord, just wipe evil and all its followers off the face of the earth.” than it is to say “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:32-34)
Jonah’s vine, then, shows us the power of God’s will; the worm shows us the power of God’s will; even the blazing sun responds to God’s will. But Jonah? He prefers to die than to live within that inexplicable will.

Which of these approaches do we prefer?

Read Jonah 4:9-11

Jonah was angry at God. He was angry at the worm. He was angry at the sun. And I truly believe that he was angry at himself. But the Lord cares about the vine, and the worm, and the sun, and the people of Nineveh, and Jonah. Jesus would preach about the Lilies of the field and the birds of the air, and would tell us that as much as God cares for them, and gives them all of their beauty, and provides for all their needs, he cares even more for us. (Matthew 6:25-34) And as much as he cared for Jonah and the people of Israel, he cared for the people of Nineveh just as much.


Lent is nearly here, and the lessons of Jonah are certainly worth applying to our own lives during this time. The Lord calls each of us to be his messengers to the lost and hopeless of this world, and as much as we might think that they don’t deserve to know God’s gracious nature, we must also remember that we don’t either. And no matter how far we run, or how fast we run, or how convoluted a path we take, or how hard we try to hide, the Lord will patiently and lovingly guide us back into his way, even if we don’t like the process. Why does humanity think that they know more than God does? Why do we think that God should only care about us? Why do we think that God’s mercy should be regulated by our will instead of his?

Lent is an opportunity for each of us to examine our lives and our hearts. Our Christian walk is anything but easy, and it requires constant vigilance to ensure that we haven’t veered away from Christ’s path. So during the next few weeks, I want to challenge you to question the life that you are living. Ask yourself:

Does my life reflect the grace and mercy that is in Christ?
Am I living a life that glorifies my Lord Jesus, or am I trying to elevate my own prestige and position?
Do I have a growing relationship with Almighty God, or am I satisfied with the status quo?
Do I constantly strive to draw closer to Jesus, or am I keeping him at arm’s length?

I want you to read, several times if possible, the Gospel of John, then the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke during these weeks leading up to Easter. Set a goal of 5 to 6 chapters each day as your devotional time, and try to see yourself in each story, each parable, each teaching moment. And when you do, ask yourself “Where am I, who am I, in these verses?” You may not be comfortable with the answer, but if you answer honestly, and then work to set your relationship with God in the right perspective, I believe that you will be truly blessed.

Lent is a time of preparation. Don’t let it pass by without preparing.