Jonah Chapter 4 Part 2   January 23, 2022

Jonah did not answer the LORD's question in verse 4. The LORD often uses questions not to gain knowledge , but to get someone to examine himself and agree with Him. Jonah needed to agree with the LORD that his anger was wrong. And wrongly placed anger can open the door to sin.

V5a Instead of agreeing with the LORD Jonah decided to watch and see what would happen to the city. So he went just to the east side of the city. Jonah did not go far from Nineveh.

·        East is away from God in the Bible. Nineveh was to the east of Jonah's home town. Assyria was away from God.

·        When God sent Jonah east to Ninevh, He sent him away to bring the Ninevites west, to Him

·        We said Nineveh was not just the city proper but also where the cattle grazed. If God would have brought destruction upon the city, Jonah, by going to the east side of the city, may have been in the path of God's judgment. The blast from His nostrils.

V5b I believe the shelter Jonah built was to shade him from the noon sun of the fortieth day. As the sun "moved" to the west the rays from the sun would shine under the shelter and beat down upon Jonah and his shelter would fail to protect him.

***Could this be a challenge to the LORD? Could Jonah be tempting the LORD to do what Jonah wants. Knowing a prophet who falsely prophesies in the name of the LORD should die, could Jonah have thought, 'LORD you did not kill me so I expect my prophesy to come true now destroy the city"

·        When Jonah left Nineveh he knew God had decided to spare the city even though Jonah said the city would be destroyed after 40 days.

·        Jonah waited to see if the LORD would repent of His repentance and submit to Jonah's will for judgment and bring the evil upon the city.

·        Matthew 4:7 Jesus said (to Satan) unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. [Deuteronomy 6:16] The anger of Jonah open the door to the sin of tempting the LORD. See V2:8

V6 The shelter Jonah built failed. So the LORD prepared a gourd that grew quickly to give Jonah complete shade and comfort from the heat of the sun. Jonah was exceeding glad because of the gourd. But he did not cry “O LORD, thank you for the gourd”.

Two lessons for Jonah:

1: When God's man forsakes the known will of the LORD and relies on his own devices (lying vanities) sin does not just lie at the door it will often bust right through it.

·        Pastor Jim stated last Sunday, "God's word reveals God's will." The will of the LORD was revealed directly to Jonah when he was in His presence (V1:1). 

2: When the LORD’s goodness and grace is overlooked chastisement is next.  See Isaiah 5:1-5

V7 The LORD prepared a worm that killed the gourd the next morning.

V8 The LORD prepared a vehement east wind. It blew what was left of the withered gourd and the shelter away and hot sun to beat down upon Jonah’s head.

The heat from the sun was so great Jonah fainted from the heat and again said it would be better to die than suffer this heat.

***Consider the east wind It was an east wind that basted. Jonah did not repent but said, for the second time, he would rather die than go on living.

V9- The LORD ask Jonah about being angry over the gourd not to gain knowledge about Jonah, but to get Jonah to question his feelings. The questions from the mariners in V1:1 caused Jonah to face who he was and the fact that the LORD was over all things. LORD questioned Jonah into submitting to His will. Notice this: Jonah did not admit to being a prophet.

·        Consider Job: He was the man God wanted him to be [Job1:1 - perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil] .  God used him to instruct Satan. Job became so physically miserable he wanted to die. Through the accusations from his "friends" he also became to feel the LORD treated him unjustly and became hardhearted. But when questioned by the LORD Job repented.         See Job 42:5-6

I wonder if Jonah's desire to die was from his physical suffering or the hardheartedness of not wanting to repent? (rather die than repent)

V10-11 Remember Jonah knew of the LORD’s mercy and willingness to turn from his anger when the wicked repents. The LORD’s question was to get Jonah to agree with Him.

·        Deuteronomy 1:39 Why mention the children? They were innocent of all the wicked, evil acts of the adults.

·        Jonah admitted being more concerned over the gourd than the people of Nineveh even the over 120,000 children

·        Why mention the cattle? V3:7 the livestock was really innocent of the sin of the city. The animals were also God’s creation. These are not the beasts spoken of in Chapter 3.

·        Also much cattle: The area around the city would have been reserved for grazing of their flocks and herds. A city of 600,000 or more would have required many sheep, goats and kine for meat, milk and clothing. 

·        Psalms 36:6; 145:9; Romans 8:22

·        Remember what Jonah confessed V2:8. Could the LORD be asking Jonah where is your mercy; where is your fear V1:9

We must not forget, no man is more merciful than God or more gracious, or more kind or more just. These are often used to define God but in reality God define them. Jonah needed to know this so do we.