The Compassion of God
Jonah 4:1-11
1. Jonah’s Anger (4:1)
What we must see
to get this passage right is that what pleased
the Lord, greatly displeased Jonah.
Originally the
Ninevites were characterized as a people of
great evil. The evil that formerly
characterized the Ninevites now describes
Jonah.
2. Jonah’s Prayer (4:2-4)
A. Jonah shows his self-centeredness
God, I told you
so…
I told you that if
I preached this would happen.
Jesus told a
parable that captured the attitude that Jonah
was exhibiting (Matthew 18:23-35).
B. Jonah shows his knowledge of God
I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,
and relenting from disaster
(Exodus 34:1-6).
3. The Lord’s Compassion (4:5-11)
A. Jonah’s Box Seat (4:5)
40 days had passed
and the Ninevites’ repentance was proven
genuine. God relented of His judgment.
Jonah was hoping
for another Sodom and Gomorrah.
Maybe Jonah thought the Ninevites were so
wicked a people that
surely after 40 days they would be back to their
old ways. But to Jonah’s disappointment, their
repentance was sincere.
B.
The Lord
Appointed Discipline (4:6-8)
-The
Lord Appointed a Plant (4:6)
Here is the same
word used when the Lord appointed or provided
the great fish. Again it is the word
manna.
The Lord appointed a supernatural vine to grow
and cover Jonah’s small shelter to provide shade
and comfort for him.
Things seemed good
for Jonah right now and he was happy.
The Lord is
setting Jonah up for a very crucial object
lesson. This is one that Jonah will not soon
forget.
-The
Lord Appointed a Worm (4:7)
Right in front of
Jonah, his
vine of favor was withering away and
along with it his happiness. Again God is
showing His sovereignty over creation.
-The Lord Appointed a Wind (4:8)
It was one thing
for Jonah to loose his shade; it’s another thing
all together for this very hot wind to start
blowing in his face. Jonah was miserable.
C.
The Lord’s
Rebuke (4:9)
We see God the
great teacher.
The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love
and faithfulness.
We see a covenant
keeping God.
In stark contrast,
we see an angry self-focused prophet who cared
more for his comfort than for a city of people.
D.
The Lord’s Mercy
(4:10-11)
God’s object
lesson is accomplishing His purpose in His
prophet. God is showing His reluctant pupil
that he had more pity for a wild vine than he
had for a city full of people.
Jonah did not
deserve shade and the Ninevites did not deserve
grace and yet God is the One who determines who
to save and who to comfort.
God shows His
mercy toward those made in His image. He pities
Nineveh, that great city because
as the Lord says,
there are more than 120,000 persons who do not
know their right hand from their left, and also
much cattle.
Hebrew language
suggests that this
knowing right hand from the left
is not speaking of religion but of age. Here in
Nineveh were 120,000 children who
would have been killed along with everyone else
should the great city be destroyed.
Jonah was grieving
over a plant when thousands of innocent children
would have been destroyed along with their
repentant parents.
This adds a new
light on the importance of the repentance in
Nineveh, that great city.
These 120,000
innocent children and their parents were loved
by God. The Bible does call small children
innocent. These did not have the ability to
distinguish right from wrong.
In contrast to
Jonah’s response to the repentance of
Nineveh we see the response of our Lord
Jesus Christ Matthew 9:35-38.
What about you?
Are you moved with compassion over lost folks,
our Lord is? When you go to a large city or the
mall and you see multitudes are you move with
compassion? Do you see beyond just the
surface? Do you see those in need of Christ?
Are there things
in you life you love more than souls of men?
Like Jonah do we show more passion for material
things than for men and women boys and girls
made in the image of God?
