Studying the Book of Jonah: part #9

Chapter 4

(Part 8 can be found HERE!)

The Ninevites have repented, and God has forgiven them!  Everyone is happy … except Jonah

 

Verse 1:  But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry

Jonah was not happy; in fact, he was ANGRY!

Why?  Remember Jonah’s hatred and prejudice that he held for the Assyrians, it was deep rooted, and he had not let it go!  Jonah did not want God to relent from his anger against the Ninevites, he wanted God to destroy them!

It was not just Jonah that felt this hatred and prejudice for the Assyrians, all Jews did.  Might that be another reason that Jonah didn’t want the Assyrians to repent, would he want to go back home as the one who had saved the Assyrian's life?  Do you think he would have received a warm welcome?

Israel/the Jews still had some ‘wrong’ thinking when it came to their exclusive ‘ownership’ of the God of the universe.

 

Verse 2:  And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country?  That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.

Jonah really has some heart issues!  So steeped in how he felt that he dared to use God’s attributes of Him being gracious, merciful, patient, and overflowing in loving-kindness, against Him simply because God changed His mind from destroying Nineveh.

Notice also that Jonah used these attributes as a reason for fleeing to Tarshish in the first place!   He knew the nature of God … yet he let his feelings rule his decisions anyway!

 

Verse 3:  “Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah is beside himself with discouragement and disdain!  Everything he has known spiritually has come crashing down around him.  He is so distraught that he begs God to take his life.  It seems that he would rather die spiritually and physically than to see God extend His grace and mercy to the Ninevites.

 

Verse 4:  “And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

God doesn’t let Jonah get away with his pity-party but confronts him with a terse question instead!

We have no record of Jonah answering God.

 

Verse 5:  Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there.  He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.

Jonah had a vantage point on the east side of the city where there was a higher elevation plane so that’s where he went.  He made a booth for shade and waited to see what would become of the city.  (Booth – a rough structure made of poles and leaves.)

Might Jonah be holding onto a hope that God would yet destroy the city?  Jonah knew that Nineveh had repented; but there were examples in Israel’s history where God had punished them even after repentance (II Samuel 12:10-14).  Could Jonah be hoping for something like this?

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Until the next installment, 

patsy @ From This Heart Of Mine

(c) 2022 by Patsy Norwood.  All Rights Reserved.