JONAH 4

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JONAH 4
Jonah 3:10: When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

-God’s mercy!

Chapter 4

-now Jonah is waiting for destruction of the city

Jonah 4:2: He prayed to the Lord, "O Lord is this not what I said when I was still at home That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."

-when he sees people turned from wickedness – Jonah is not praising God here

-Jonah has a beef with God

-All Jonah said was – "40 days – you’re dead" – there was no good news, no hope of repentance

**Ninevah’s response: this isn’t good! Let’s turn from our wicked ways, be extra good and maybe God will be merciful – but they didn’t know for sure.

they bad was NOT erased because of the good
Jonah thinks God is being a big "softy" to have mercy
Jonah says "I wish I would just die"

*this is based on Deuteronomy 19:20-22: "But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken…"

-if any prophet prophecies and it doesn’t happen, then it wasn’t God’s word and he should be put to death.

-Jonah’s message doesn’t come true – makes him look like a false prophet; he’s upset for his reputation as good prophet is gone – the enemy camp is being saved

Our culture thinks God is too mean to some
Jonah’s mind thinks God is too nice to some
God gives mercy and grace – we deserve much worse

if we have the attitude that God owes us mercy and grace, then we really don’t know what mercy and grace is
there was something Jonah could not see but we can:

God has called us to proclaim His word, and we have an awesome message

-we can see that justice is through God

-Jesus was sacrificed for us

-if we recognize the righteousness and justice for us demands payment (Jesus) then we understand the good news – we stand on the this side of the cross

Jonah 4:6-8: Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."

-Jonah is happy about the vine, and then gets mad that it doesn’t protect him

God says – did you make it grow or die? You are more concerned about this little vine, but there’s this ENTIRE city that I love
God looks past the stupid things they did and the chaos of their heart and has compassion

**God has compassion for us too!

** Jonah! Stop looking at your own little world and look up to see the thousands of people!

We have two options of what we can be:

-like Jonah

-religious, tend vines

-be happy and sad about the little things

–we can look up and out

-see into the faces beyond what people do and see people with confused hearts and have compassion

TO DO:

-Begin to pray and ask God how can we be a group of people that look up and proclaim the good news.