Go ahead and open to the book of Jonah, if you will.
Book of Jonah.
Before we get into our text this morning, there is something that I felt needed to be addressed.
! It might be a little awkward, but I just thought this can't go without being spoken about.
So I just want you all to know, because many of you have asked me, many of you have come to me
throughout this past couple weeks since the last time I preached and have asked me,
did you actually say sweet Moses in the middle of your sermon?
And I just want to clear the air and say that that did come out of my mouth.
That just kind of happened.
So there was that.
I don't know what's going to fly out today, but if you think I said it, I probably said it.
So there you go.
But yeah, Jonah, we're going to be going through the whole book this morning,
which might sound like a lot, but it's actually not that much.
We're going to be starting verse one.
And before we get into the text, I just wanted to set a little bit of the historical backdrop to Jonah,
because it's important to understanding what is going on in this book.
So Jonah lived during the prosperous reign of King Jeroboam II in the northern kingdom.
So Israel during this time was split in two.
There was the northern kingdom, which was called Israel, made up of ten tribes.
And in the south, you had the southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah, made up of two tribes.
So Jonah's in the north.
And for the northern kingdom, this was a time of material, earthly blessing.
They were really rich, really affluent, doing really well.
They boasted in their tall walls and their security, which you can read a lot about that in Amos.
But their sin was rampant.
And if you recall, we went through Daniel recently.
So this is pre-Daniel.
This is pre-exile, pre-punishment for their sin.
And the book of Amos, the prophet Amos, he's preaching in this time,
around the time that Jonah would have lived in the northern kingdom.
And Amos is calling out Israel for its sin.
Amos 4.1 records the word of the Lord, and God says of Israel during this time,
he says,
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,
who are on the mountain of Samaria,
who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
who say to your husbands, bring that we may drink.
The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that, behold,
the days are coming upon you, Israel,
when they, the Babylonians,
shall take you away with hooks,
even the last of you with fish hooks.
And you shall go out through the breaches,
each one straight ahead,
and you shall be cast out into Harmon,
declares the Lord.
So between Amos and many of the other prophets,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and so on,
we know that Israel during this time
could be described as a time of false worship,
a time of debauchery,
a time of licentiousness,
false worship, adultery, drunkenness, pride,
and so on.
And recall as well that God's constant threat
to punish Israel
was initially going to be by the hands of the Assyrians,
not the Babylonians.
And this sets the stage for the book of Jonah
so we can read together,
starting in verse 1, chapter 1.
And I'm going to read this text
and kind of explain it
as we go through the entire book.
So lock in with me here.
But starting in verse 1,
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah,
the son of Amittai, saying,
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,
and call out against it,
for their evil has come up before me.
But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish
from the presence of the Lord.
He went down to Joppa
and found a ship going to Tarshish.
So he paid the fare and went down into it
to go with them to Tarshish,
away from the presence.
of the Lord.
So now the word of the Lord came,
and when did it come?
It came to Jonah
during this time of sin in Israel.
All the pre-exilic prophets
preached to Israel and Judah,
appealing to them to repent
of their sin except Jonah.
Jonah was called to go to Nineveh,
which was the crown jewel city
of the Assyrian Empire,
the very empire
which Jonah's contemporaries
were prophesying
would destroy Israel.
And what was Jonah's response?
Well, he fled,
and not only did he flee,
but he fled in the opposite direction
of Nineveh
by choosing Tarshish
of all places.
And this is especially interesting
because throughout the Old Testament,
it's well-documented
that Israelites were afraid
of the sea.
So Jonah is choosing a route
that he'd have to cross the sea
to get to his destination.
And the reason they feared the sea
was multifaceted.
One was the sea creature Leviathan
mentioned in the book of Job.
Another was that the Philistines
likely attacked Israel from the sea
when they first made contact.
More importantly, though,
the sea was viewed
as a symbol of hell,
a symbol of chaos.
And this is likely due
to the flood in Genesis.
And this is why
throughout the Old Testament,
you'll constantly see writers
refer to the sea
as the abyss.
And the significance of this
is that Jonah chooses
to go through this chaos,
this hell,
this place of taboo,
the abyss,
before he was willing
to obey God.
Now, some have interpreted this
by explaining what a cruel
city Nineveh was
and that Jonah was afraid
of what the Assyrians
might do to him
because they were just
the worst.
But that is not supported
by the text.
Rather, it seems that Jonah
was willing to go through
all this trouble
to avoid the will
of the Lord.
Already, we have seen
the author mention twice
that Jonah fled,
not Nineveh,
but he fled from
the presence of the Lord
in verse 3.
He's fleeing God.
Now, some of you
might be wondering,
doesn't Jonah know
that God is omnipresent,
meaning that God
is everywhere at all times?
You would think as a prophet
he would have this one down.
But apparently,
Jonah has forgotten.
And this is not surprising
during his time.
In his day,
every pagan nation
had this concept
of their gods
being restrained
to their territory.
This is why they always
make reference to battle.
Our gods prevailed this day
because the gods wanted
to gain a new territory.
And Jonah's time,
Israel was infested
with pagan religion,
so it's not a far stretch
to assume that he probably
confused himself,
to say the least,
that he probably thought
in some sense
God was restrained
to physical Israel.
But God does not
let Jonah go
and God is not
constrained by some border.
Picking back up
in verse 4 of chapter 1,
so Jonah's on his way,
he's fleeing the Lord,
and verse 4,
but the Lord hurled
a great wind
upon the sea.
And there was
a mighty tempest
on the sea
so that the ship
threatened to break up.
Then the mariners
were afraid
and each cried out
to his God.
And they hurled
the cargo that was
in the ship
into the sea
to lighten it
for them.
But Jonah had gone
down into the inner
part of the ship
and had laid down
and was fast asleep.
So the captain
came and said to him,
What do you mean,
you sleeper?
Arise,
call out to your God.
Perhaps the God
will give us a thought
that we may not perish.
And they said to one another,
Come,
let us cast lots
that we may know
on whose account
this evil
has come upon us.
And so they cast lots
and the lot fell
on Jonah.
Then they said to him,
Tell us on whose account
this evil
has come upon us.
What is your occupation
and where do you come from?
What is your country?
And of what people
are you?
And he said to them,
I am a Hebrew.
I fear the Lord,
the God of heaven
who made the sea
and the dry land.
Then the men
were exceedingly afraid
and said to him,
What is this
that you have done?
For the men knew
that he was fleeing
from the presence
of the Lord
because he had told them.
Again,
he's not fleeing Nineveh,
he's fleeing God.
In verse 11,
Then they said to him,
What shall we do to you
that the sea may quiet down
for us?
For the sea grew more
and more tempestuous.
And he said to them,
Pick me up
and hurl me
into the sea.
Then the sea
will quiet down for you.
For I know
it is because of me
that this great tempest
has come upon you.
Nevertheless,
the men rode hard
to get back to dry land,
but they could not.
For the sea grew
more and more
tempestuous against them.
Therefore,
they called out to the Lord,
O Lord,
let us not perish
for this man's life
and lay not on us
innocent blood
for you,
O Lord,
have done
as it pleased you.
So they picked up Jonah
and hurled him
into the sea
and the sea ceased
from its raging.
Then the men
feared the Lord
exceedingly
and they offered
a sacrifice
to the Lord
and made vows.
And the Lord
appointed a great fish
to swallow up Jonah
and Jonah was
in the belly
of the fish
three days
and three nights.
Now this section
is chock full
of irony.
So we have
these pagan
Gentile sailors
who were much
afraid of the storm
of God's working
while the Hebrew
Israelite
in the midst
of the storm
chooses to hide
in the inner part
of the ship.
Verse 5,
Jonah is still
ignoring God.
Ironically,
the prophet Jonah
whose job it is
to encourage people
to call out
to God
in repentance
is being commanded
by pagans
to call out
to his God.
Even these pagans
recognize that
this storm
is divine judgment
and that they
will perish.
Verse 6,
Proverbs 16,
33 says,
The lot is cast
into the lap
but its every decision
is from the Lord.
And we saw
that these pagan men
who did not know God,
who did not worship God,
it would seem
that these pagans
were familiar
with Proverbs
or other Old Testament
passages
that speak
on casting lots.
In verse 7,
we see them
cast lots
to determine
on whose account
the storm
has come upon them.
And the lot
fell on Jonah
and the pagans
knew that Jonah
was guilty
and that Jonah
was the reason
for the storm.
So they question him
and his response
is such garbage.
What does he say?
He says,
you know,
they want to know
who are you,
what's your occupation?
He says,
I'm a Hebrew.
That's his first response.
I'm a Hebrew.
He's very proud
of his national heritage,
his identity
as one who
fears the Lord.
And which Lord?
The Lord that is better
than the pagan's God
because this Lord
is the creator
of land and sea
and the God of heaven.
Verse 9.
So that's kind of smack talk.
We might not catch
that in English
but, you know,
pagans had no problem
accepting that Yahweh
was real.
What they had a problem
with was that
he was the only God
and that he was
superior to their God.
So by saying
God of heaven,
Jonah's saying,
my God
is greater than your God.
But his response
is garbage.
I mean,
it's theologically sound,
it's theologically true,
it's biblical.
Jonah clearly has
this understanding
in his head
but not in his heart.
Otherwise,
he would be obeying
the Lord
and not trying
to run from him.
To truly fear
the Lord
is to have wisdom,
Proverbs 1.7.
And if Jonah was wise,
he would obey God.
And here's more irony.
After it becomes
plain who Jonah is,
the pagans become
exceedingly afraid
because they recognize
that Jonah is fleeing
the presence of the Lord.
Verse 10.
And they fear the Lord
more so than
the prophet Jonah.
They have more wisdom
than Jonah.
And in verse 11,
the pagans ask a question.
They want to know
how can they appease God?
They want to know
how to end the storm
and God's wrath.
And Jonah provides
the answer.
He offers himself up
to be thrown
into the sea.
Now,
many have interpreted
this as a typology
of Christ,
a symbol of Christ.
You know,
that he came
and died for many
so that we might
be spared.
And this kind of
sounds like what
Jonah is doing.
But I do not think
this is the case.
So just note that
for now.
We're going to come
back to that
in chapter 4.
But for now,
notice even more
irony in this passage.
Jonah did not
travel to Nineveh
to preach a message
of repentance
as God had instructed.
Clearly,
Jonah did not care
about the Ninevites
enough.
as a Hebrew,
he's supposed to be
a blessing to the nations
and he's not doing that.
He's not fulfilling that.
He doesn't care about them.
Yet in verse 13,
even though Jonah
confessed his guiltiness,
the pagans
rode hard
to try to save him
before throwing him
into the sea.
He offered himself up
and they still,
nonetheless,
tried to save him.
They rode hard.
And the sailors
called Jonah
innocent
in verse 14,
even though he clearly
is not.
And after praying
to the God
of the Hebrews,
the pagans
wisely discern
that the will
of the Lord
is for Jonah
to be cast
into the sea.
They say,
For you,
O Lord,
have done
as it pleased you.
They know
who is in control,
unlike Jonah.
They have more mercy
for a foreigner
than Jonah does.
And the pagans,
not Jonah,
continue to fear
the Lord,
verse 16.
They sacrificed to him
and they made vows to him.
And Jonah was swallowed up
by a great fish
for three days
and three nights
before anything else
happened.
So notice that
up to this point
in the narrative,
Jonah has done
not one single thing
that is righteous,
that is commendable,
that is God-honoring
or obedient.
Everything he has said
and done
has been done
in disobedience.
And yet,
here are Gentiles
who progressively
recognize God
more and more
throughout the narrative.
These Gentiles
seem far more useful
to God
and honoring to God
than this disobedient
prophet named Jonah.
So let's continue
reading chapter 2,
verse 1.
Then Jonah prayed.
So after three days,
after three nights,
Jonah prayed
to the Lord his God
from the belly
of the fish,
saying,
I call out to the Lord
out of my distress
and he answered me.
Out of the belly
of Sheol I cried
and you heard my voice.
For you cast me
into the deep,
into the heart
of the seas
and the flood,
that's judgment language,
the flood
surrounded me.
All your waves
and your billows
passed over me.
Then I said,
I am driven away
from your sight,
yet I shall again
look upon
your holy temple.
The waters
closed in over me
to take my life.
The deep surrounded me.
Weeds were wrapped
about my head
at the roots
of the mountains.
I went down
to the land
whose bars
closed upon me forever,
yet you brought up
my life from the pit.
O Lord,
my God.
When my life
was fainting,
I remembered
the Lord.
So he had forgotten
the Lord.
I remembered
the Lord
and my prayer
came to you
into your holy temple.
Those who pay
regard to vain idols
forsake their hope
of steadfast love.
But I,
with the voice
of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice
to you
what I have vowed
I will pay.
Salvation belongs
to the Lord.
And the Lord
spoke to the fish
and it vomited Jonah
out upon the dry land.
So finally,
after three days
and three nights
of Jonah sitting
and doing nothing
inside the belly
of the great fish,
he finally prays.
He's stubborn.
In verses one
through three,
we see Jonah
recognize
that he is the object
of God's judgment.
Jonah hates
his circumstance.
Again,
more irony.
Jonah wanted to flee
from the presence
of the Lord
and so the Lord's
punishment for Jonah
was that Jonah
was,
verse four,
driven away
from God's sight.
He got what he wanted.
Now this might be
new to you,
but I want to suggest
that this prayer
is not an actual prayer
of true repentance.
Jonah expresses lament
over his circumstances
in verses two through six,
not his sin.
There is no mention
of his wrongdoing
and disobeying God.
There is no mention
of his sin
for not going to Nineveh.
There is no mention
of him expressing
a need for heart change
regarding the Ninevites.
He doesn't say,
God,
soft in my heart
so that I might love
my enemies.
He doesn't even
acknowledge it.
In fact,
there is no mention
of Jonah wishing
things were different
whatsoever
except for his
circumstances.
Jonah's prayer reveals
that he is eager
to return to Israel.
Twice he mentions
the temple,
verse four and verse seven.
Nowhere does he express
a desire to go
to Nineveh.
Rather,
he simply asserts
that he will keep a vow
in verse nine,
which he likely gave
to save his own skin.
In many ways,
this entire prayer
can be summarized
by saying this.
Jonah recognized
God's sovereignty
and realized it was foolish
for him to go against it.
And two,
Jonah recognized
that whether he liked
it or not,
he will submit to it
voluntarily or involuntarily.
And Jonah's prayer
reminds me of Esau.
Hebrews 12,
16 through 17
sheds light on Esau.
The author of Hebrews
says,
like Esau,
who sold his birthright
for a single meal,
for you know that afterward
when he desired
to inherit the blessing,
he was rejected,
for he found no chance
to repent.
Though he sought it
with tears.
The author of Hebrews
is not saying
that Esau genuinely
sought to repent
of his sin.
Rather,
the author of Hebrews
is saying that Esau
wanted to repent
of his circumstance.
Esau wished
he had not given up
his birthright
and he cried
over his inability
to regain it,
to change
his circumstance.
repentance.
And this is just
like Jonah's prayer
which is lacking
many of the elements
of a true
repentant prayer.
In Psalm 51,
we don't have time
to go there,
but that is a great
example of what
genuine repentance
looks like.
Now,
after praying the prayer,
there is no clear
acknowledgement
that God viewed
this as genuine
repentance.
The closest thing
we get to that
acknowledgement
is verse 10
where God spares
Jonah from dying
in the belly of the fish.
And I know that
some of you may not
be convinced
of my interpretation
just yet,
that Jonah did not
actually repent
in his prayer.
But we'll continue
with that theme
as we read,
picking back up
in chapter 3,
verse 1.
And I think you'll see
more clearly
why I'm convinced
of this.
So picking back up
in chapter 3,
verse 1.
Then the word
of the Lord
came to Jonah
the second time,
saying,
Arise,
go to Nineveh,
that great
city,
and call out
against it
the message
that I tell you.
So Jonah arose
and went to Nineveh
according to the
word of the Lord.
Now Nineveh
was an exceedingly
great city,
three days'
journey in breadth.
And Jonah began
to go into the city
going a day's journey,
and he called out,
Yet forty days
and Nineveh
shall be overthrown.
And the people
of Nineveh
believed God.
They called for a fast
and put on sackcloth
from the greatest
of them
to the least
of them.
And the word
reached the king
of Nineveh,
and he arose
from his throne,
removed his robe,
covered himself
with sackcloth,
and sat in ashes.
And he issued
a proclamation
and published
through Nineveh,
by the decree of the king
and his nobles.
By the decree of the king
and his nobles,
let neither man
nor beast,
herd nor flock,
taste anything.
Let them not feed
or drink water,
but let man
and beast
be covered
with sackcloth,
and let them
call out mightily
to God.
And let everyone
turn from his evil way.
Repent
is what he's calling for.
Let everyone
repent.
And from the violence
that is in his hands,
repent.
Verse 9,
Who knows?
God may turn
and relent
and turn from
his fierce anger
so that we may not perish.
And when God
saw what they did,
how they turned
from their evil way,
God relented
of the disaster
that he said
he would do to them,
and he did not
do it.
Now this is
the happiest moment
in the book of Jonah
by far.
The city legitimately
and sincerely
repented
of their sin.
Verse 5,
they believed God
and fasted.
The repentance
in the city
was so great,
so widespread,
it even had
legal and governing
implications
as the king called
from mourning
and fasting.
Verses 7 through 8.
And I love
verse 9,
The king does not
even know
with certainty
if God would
forgive Nineveh
and relent
of their coming doom.
But by faith
he and his city
repented.
Now why
wouldn't the king
know that God
would forgive them
of their sins?
Hadn't Jonah
preached a gospel
message of hope
to Nineveh?
But looking back
at verse 4,
it seems the only
thing Jonah
wanted to say,
the only thing
he could bear
to say to these
pagan Gentiles
was,
yet 40 days
and Nineveh
shall be overthrown.
He probably had
a little smirk
on his face
when he said it.
It strongly indicated
that these were
the only words
in Jonah's
entire message.
He never calls
for repentance.
He never explains
that God
is a forgiving God,
slow to anger,
abounding,
steadfast love.
He never explains
any of that.
He just lets them
know that they're
all going to be
destroyed soon.
And this is why
the king asks,
who knows?
Jonah knows,
but Jonah
hasn't said a word.
Isaiah 55,
verses 10 through 11
says,
for as the rain
and the snow
come down from heaven
and do not return
there,
but water the earth,
making it bring forth
and sprout,
giving seed to the sower
and bread to the eater.
This is God speaking.
He says,
so shall my word be
that goes out
from my mouth.
It shall not return
to me empty,
but it shall accomplish
that which I purpose
and shall succeed
in the thing
for which I sent it.
The word of the Lord
is powerful
and it can save
despite even the worst
of messengers.
God's word is so powerful
in this city
that its authority
triumphs over the hearts
of individuals,
the decrees of kings
and even rebellious
message carriers.
Truly nothing can stop
the will of the Lord
and so far in the story
we have seen miracle
after miracle
of God working
to bring about
his will.
In chapter 1,
verse 4,
God hurled a great wind
upon the sea
to stop Jonah's travels.
In chapter 1,
verse 7,
God made the lot
fall on Jonah
to get him overboard.
In chapter 1,
verse 15,
God stopped the storm.
In verse 17,
he appointed
and controlled
a great fish
to swallow Jonah
yet kept him alive.
In chapter 2,
verse 10,
God made the fish
vomit Jonah out.
In chapter 3,
verse 10,
God made the hearts
of Nineveh repent
and made them
weep over their sin
and mourn.
We will see even more
of God's rule
over nature,
man,
and beast
in chapter 4,
but already
we have ample evidence
to say
and to see clearly
that God is sovereign
over all his creation.
Jonah was right
in verse 9
when he said
salvation belongs
to the Lord.
Verse 9 of chapter 2,
sorry.
And the Lord
will deliver
his people
even in the most
unlikely places
with the most
unlikely people
despite the most
disobedient
and hypocritical
messengers.
Now,
I've said that
Jonah's prayer
was not a prayer
of true repentance
and we have seen
hints of that
throughout the text
thus far.
But this final chapter
I think
is going to really
expose the full
ugliness of Jonah's
sin
and also
his motive.
Some of you
have probably
been wondering
if Jonah isn't
afraid of the Ninevites
then why is he
resistant to preaching
in Nineveh?
What makes him
so bent
on avoiding
Nineveh?
And we'll read
the rest of our text
picking back up
in chapter 4
verse 1.
So Jonah's
responding to the
repentance
that just
occurred in
Nineveh.
So verse 1
chapter 4
But it displeased
Jonah exceedingly
and he was angry
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 for Tarshish
for I knew
that you are
a gracious
God
and merciful
slow to anger
and abounding
in steadfast love
and relenting
from disaster.
Therefore now
O Lord
please take
my life
from me
for it is
better for me
to die
than to live.
And the Lord
said
Do you do
well
to be angry?
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.
And the Lord
God had appointed
a plant
and made it
come up
over Jonah
that it might
be a shade
over his head
to save him
from his discomfort.
So Jonah
was exceedingly
glad because
of the plant
but when dawn
came up
the next day
God appointed
a worm
that attacked
the plant
so that it
withered.
When the sun
rose
God appointed
a scorching
east wind
and the sun
beat down
on the head
of Jonah
so that he
was faint.
And he asked
that he might
die
and said
it is better
for me
to die
than to live.
But God
said to Jonah
do you do
well
to be angry
for the plant?
And he said
yes I do
well to be
angry
angry enough
to die.
And the Lord
said you pity
the plant
for which you
did not
labor
nor did
you make
it grow
which came
into being
in a night
and perished
in a night.
And should
not I
pity Nineveh
that great
city
in which
there are
more than
a hundred
and twenty
thousand
persons
who do
not know
their right
hand
from their
left
and also
much cattle.
Jonah
has got
to be
the worst
missionary
and yet
most successful
missionary
of all time.
He witnessed
to a city
of what
some think
was actually
six hundred
thousand
in number
that's because
they take
that hundred
and twenty
thousand
number
and say
that means
children.
Regardless
it's a big
city
and they all
repent
and yet
he was
exceedingly
displeased
and angry.
I can't
imagine him
at like
a Baptist
mission
board
meeting
where
everybody's
like
oh we
had twenty
baptisms
this week
and him
you know
like
to be
upset
I mean
my goodness
and this
right here
this is
solid
evidence
that his
heart
has not
truly
been
turned
he still
did not
want to
see the
Ninevites
saved
notice this
Jonah did
not flee
the Lord
because he
was afraid
of Nineveh
but rather
he fled
the Lord
because he
knew God
would save
Nineveh
that they
would become
his brothers
and sisters
in Christ
to borrow
from the
New Testament
verse 2
and he
prayed
to the Lord
and said
oh Lord
is not
this what
I said
when I
was yet
in my
country
this is
why I
made haste
to flee
to Tarshish
for I
knew
I knew
that you
were a
gracious
God
and merciful
I've
never heard
of anybody
complain that
God's
gracious
and merciful
so
we
answered
the
question
of why
Jonah
fled
the
presence
of the
Lord
he
did
not
want
to
go
to
Nineveh
and see
them
receive
grace
and so
then we
get
asked the
next question
why
wouldn't
Jonah
want
Nineveh
to be
saved
and many
today would
interpret this
as pure
nationalism
or some
type of
racism
or some
combination
of the
two
that shouldn't
surprise us
we live
in a
day
where
you
can't
buy
syrup
without
people
assuming
racial
prejudice
and
background
but
that's
the
interpretation
many
make
today
but I
think
Jonah's
anger
his
displeasure
is much
deeper
than these
things
though
they
might have
played
a role
possibly
but I
think
ultimately
Jonah
was
questioning
God's
commitment
to keep
his
covenant
with
Israel
so again
recall the
historical
context
and place
yourself
in Jonah's
shoes
is the
only way
I can
be
sympathetic
towards
him
he lives
in a
time
when
Amos
and
Hosea
are
condemning
Israel
and
prophesying
coming
judgment
that
judgment
was
prophesied
to come
by the
hands
of
the
Assyrians
the
Ninevites
and now
your God
has
stubbornly
says
I'm
a
Hebrew
excuse
me
I
misread
now
your God
is
commanding
you
to go
and preach
a salvific
message
to your
enemies
while God
is also
sending
prophets
to condemn
your country
your people
Israel
this is why
Jonah
has a lot
of this
nationalistic
language
as some
interpret it
right
this is why
he says
I'm a
Hebrew
in chapter
one
this is
why
he longs
to return
to the
temple
in chapter
two
this is
why
he constantly
refers
to his
country
in chapter
four
because
Jonah
feels
as though
God
is turning
his back
on Israel
for the
sake
of
another
people
Jonah
is jealous
and he's
consumed
with his
identity
as a son
of Abraham
a son
of Jacob
and a son
of Isaac
his entire
identity
as a Hebrew
is likely
losing its
foundation
in his
mind
he doesn't
like that
God is
about to
judge
Israel
and he
doesn't
like that
God is
about
to save
Gentiles
and so
Jonah expresses
four times
that he would
rather die
verse 3
8
and 9
in chapter
4
four times
I would
rather die
it's better
for me
to die
I'd rather
die
than live
and this
is why
Jonah
wanted to
be tossed
in the
sea
in chapter
one
because
he thought
if he
was dead
then he
would not
see Nineveh
repent
we are
literally
reading him
unravel
and God
rhetorically
asked Jonah
in verse
four
do you
do well
to be
angry
and the
obvious
answer
being no
he does
not do
well
but Jonah
is still
not giving
up hope
he sets
a booth
up outside
Nineveh
hoping to
see
Nineveh
fall into
sin
and as a
result
experience
God's
wrath
verse 5
he's very
hopeful
God still
shows great
mercy and
grace to
Jonah
by trying
to teach
him something
by appointing
a worm
a plant
right
this is a
little lesson
for Jonah
and God
removes that
shade
and asks
Jonah
do you
do well
to be
angry
and this
time
Jonah
responds
yes
I do
well
to be
angry
enough
to die
so Jonah
is exceedingly
glad
over his
shade
for temporal
comfort
while being
exceedingly
distressed
angry
mad
for God
sparing
Nineveh
from
eternal
torment
his mind
is so
warped
his thoughts
and feelings
so imbalanced
his heart
so cold
that he
fails to
value
things
rightly
he values
the plants
so much
that he
pities
it
perishing
yet
has no
care
whatsoever
for Nineveh
and this
is God's
challenge
to Jonah
he essentially
says
do you not
expect me
a gracious
and merciful
God
who created
every person
including
the Ninevites
to pity
that great
city far
more than
you pity
that little
planet
and after
all it is
a city
of 120,000
people who
do not know
their right
hand from
their left
and again
as I said
earlier
some think
that as
children
some think
that is
referring to
people who
lack
moral wisdom
one or the
other I'm
not sure
but the
point
remains
people who
are in
need of
help
and that
is how
the book
ends
so in
closing
application
I'll
explain this
ending a
little bit
God gives
his last
question to
Jonah
and we
never see
the response
and the
intention of
the author
I think
is to leave
us the
readers
attempting to
answer the
question
do we
love our
enemies
enough
that we
would want
to see
God save
them
and keep
in mind
Jonah is
written for
the Israelites
are the ones
reading the
book of
Jonah
this is a
rebuke
against
Israel
and I
don't know
about you
but when I
read that
question I
feel personally
challenged
especially this
week
like many
of you
I've
watched the
news in
Afghanistan
with disbelief
frustration
and frankly
the temptation
to look at
the Taliban
the way
Jonah looked
at Nineveh
and I had
to ask
myself
do I
desire the
salvation
of my
enemies
and I
could go
on and
on we
could all
fill in
that blank
with various
individuals
groups
other
movements
that we
would consider
our enemies
but I
would exhort
you to put
on the mind
of Christ
for all
of them
without
exception
Matthew
11
28
through
29
Jesus
says
come to
me
all
who
labor
and are
heavy
laden
and I
will
give
you
rest
take
my
yoke
upon
you
and
learn
from
me
for
I
am
gentle
and
lowly
in
heart
and
you
will
find
rest
for
your
souls
our
response
when we
encounter
our
Ninevites
or
enemies
should
be one
of
gentleness
and
compassion
Matthew
9
36
records
Jesus
seeing a
crowd
of
sinners
and
Matthew
writes
when
Jesus
saw
the
crowds
he
had
compassion
for
them
for
the
people
the
individuals
because
they were
harassed
and helpless
like sheep
without a
shepherd
or like
120,000
who do
not know
their right
hand
from their
left
and
this
is
the
gospel
that
Jesus
Christ
came
to
die
and
to
save
his
enemies
we
all
at
one
point
were
dead
in
the
trespasses
and
sins
in which
we
once
walked
following
Satan
and
yet
God
showed
his
love
for
us
and
that
while
we
were
yet
sinners
Christ
died
for
us
so
we
should
not
neglect
to
share
the
gospel
with
anyone
regardless
of
their
background
here's
another
simple
application
dare
to
not
be
a
Jonah
doesn't
rhyme
it's
not
easy
to
memorize
but
very
helpful
Jonah
sounds
like
a
righteous
man
who
fears
the
Lord
as he
put
it
in
chapter
1
verse
9
but
clearly
his
actions
display
otherwise
much
like
the
Pharisees
whose
self
righteousness
blinded
them
from
the
reality
of
sin
Jonah
did
not
truly
deal
with
his
sin
by
way
of
repentance
we
do
not
want
to
be
like
the
hypocrites
who
outwardly
wear
sheep's
clothing
but
inwardly
are
ravenous
wolves
our
words
should
match
our
actions
so
what
does
that
look
like
well
for
starters
let
your
yeses
be
your
yeses
and
your
nos
be
your
nose
keep
your
word
and
do
as
you
will
say
you
will
do
according
to
God's
word
and
when
you
receive
a
commandment
from
the
Lord
which
only
happens
through
his
written
word
by
the
way
obey
it
don't
flee
as
Jonah
did
and
inevitably
we
will
flee
again
at
some
point
we
are
sinners
that's
what
fleeing
is
but
it
is
never
too
late
to
repent
only
repent
as
God
would
have
you
expressing
!
turn
away
from
practicing
sin
and
as
a
final
closing
remark
I
want
to
encourage
you
all
to
walk
into
your
places
of
work
tomorrow
into
your
classrooms
into
your
restaurants
wherever
it is
you
go
wherever
your
sphere
of
life
would
have
you
on
a
Monday
and
a
Tuesday
and
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
wherever
those
places
are
go
to
them
and
look
at
the
people
around
you
who
you
aren't
believers
and
see
them
as
God
would
have
you
see
them
they
are
image
bearers
they
are
helpless
and
naked
before
the
Lord
they
do
not
know
their
right
hand
from
their
left
they
are
sheep
without
a
shepherd
they
are
dead
in
their
sin
following
Satan
and
their
only
hope
is
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
and
we
would
be
far
worse
than
Jonah
to
say
nothing
at
all
he
at
least
had
five
words
for
the
Ninevites
he
at
least
said
something
and
it
would
be
to
our
shame
to
not
plead
with
our
neighbors
to
repent
and
believe
in
Jesus
Christ
and
if
you
find
that
you
struggle
to
do
this
regularly
struggle
to
share
the
word
to
preach
the
word
to
dying
souls
I
would
suggest
it's
because
you're
not
living
in
reality
you're
not
looking
at
them
as
they
are
slaves
to
sin
bondage
to
death
already
dead
but
we
have
great
hope
we
have
the
gospel
we
have
Christ
who's
gentle
and
lowly
in
heart
a
great
high
priest
who
sympathizes
with
us
and
we
have
every
reason
to
go
to
them
with
a
word
of
hope
so
to
that
end
let's
pray