Jonah Talk 4

The Lord Appointed!
Jonah 4:4-4:11
Context, Setting and characters
Well today we continue with the story, of that most enigmatic of God’s prophets from the Old Testament Jonah, and today we look at scene four of his story that is set just outside the city of Nineveh.

Now as you may remember scene 1 of Jonah is set upon the sea, and the scene ends for Jonah with him facing a watery grave at the bottom of the ocean. Jonah has ignored the direct command of the Lord to go to Nineveh, and as a consequence Jonah is staring death in the face.

But in Scene 2 of the book, Jonah comes to his senses and prays to his God. And as a consequence the strong hand of the Lord is lifted from him, God delivers Jonah from the deep via a large fish. So Jonah finishes scene two upon dry ground, and Jonah now knows the truth with a great personal conviction that ‘Salvation is from the Lord’.

And then Scene 3 as you may remember is really a take two of scene 1, only this time Jonah obeys God and goes and preaches to Nineveh. And Jonah’s preaching has an amazing effect as we read of the gracious and compassionate Lord from 3:10.

10 When God saw what they did and
how they turned [turn] from their evil ways,
he had compassion [renounce] and did not bring upon [do] them the destruction
he had threatened [to do].
NIV Jonah 4:1
But Jonah was greatly displeased [grieved] and
became angry.
2 He prayed to the LORD [YHWH],
"O LORD [YHWH],
is this not what I said when I was still at home [in the land]?
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 [hesed],
a God who relents [renounce] from sending calamity.

3 Now, O LORD [YHWH],
take away my life,
for it is better for me to die than to live."

So Jonah finishes scene three wanting to die!
So did you catch that, scene 1 he is going to die, scene 2 he prays and is saved from death, scene 3 he changes his mind again and this time prays for death.
So what will happen in scene 4 we wonder, will Jonah want to live or die? Or will he in fact be given any choice in the matter?

Telling the Story
So today we get to the fourth scene and we start with something of a transitional question by God to Jonah, and it’s a question with some intent behind it, it seems. The whole of scene four of Jonah, is this fascinating exchange between God and Jonah, everyone else seems to have left the stage, and our attention is drawn almost by spotlight to focus upon Jonah as he sits alone on the stage before us and God speaks to him.
4 But the LORD replied,
"Have you any right to be angry?"

This is a question that Jonah will be asked twice by God, ‘have you any right to be angry?’, and when a Hebrew story teller says something twice or even more, they are trying to get your attention. This question at the beginning of this whole scene is something of title for this scene I suspect. As we read on.

5 Jonah went out and
sat down at a place east of the city.
There he made himself a shelter,
sat in its shade and
waited to see what would happen to the city.

Now a couple of questions come to mind here don’t they?
Do you reckon that Jonah heading out of the city here, is a little like scene 1 where Jonah headed for Tarshish?
I mean at least this time he has the sense not to go near water, and the sense to not try and flee too far from where God had told him to be, but why do you reckon he head out?
It’s intriguing isn’t it?

Well the focus of this little clause is that Jonah wants to see what will happen to the city. And the question we have is why would he do that?
I mean didn’t the end of scene 3 already answer this 3:10?
God has relented from what he had threatened to do. But Poor old Jonah is so bent on seeing justice, so bent on seeing judgment, he is holding out it seems, just to see if God will change his mind.

Now as you maybe aware Jack Gibson’s funeral was this week, and as a Parramatta supporter who has very fond memories of the early 80’s, I thought we’d let the supercoach have a quote for old times sake. Jack reckoned that ‘waiting for Cronulla to win the premiership, was like leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt!’.

I think Jonah is in the same category here, God is determined to have compassion upon Nineveh and has told everyone that in the story already. And in Jonah’s action we can see a great twist of irony, that while Jonah waits to see what God will do to the city, we wait to see what God will do with Jonah.
SO Jonah waits. Maybe for 40 days, maybe just to see if a leopard like Nineveh can change its’ spots. And as Jonah waits

6 Then the LORD God provided [appointed] a vine and
made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort,


Now the last time God ‘appointed’ anything in this story, it was a fish back in 1:17. And it is safe to say that the fish was a great, great comfort to Jonah, in the time of his distress. Now interestingly Jonah prayed to God in his distress and received deliverance by the fish, at the hand of the Lord, back in scene two of the story.

This time however in Jonah’s distress, he doesn’t pray, and yet God still generously appoints another comfort to him, this time of a vine, and a fast growing one at that!

And then something amazing happens in the story. Last week we were amazed as Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord in 3:1, well this week we are dumbstruck as:
.. Jonah was very happy [rejoiced with a great rejoicing!] about the vine.

Jonah literally (in a typical Hebrew idiom) ‘rejoiced with a great rejoicing!’
And he did it over a plant, which is odd really because he didn’t really get this excited when he was saved from his watery grave by the fish!!
I mean he was definitely relieved after that escape, but he certainly didn’t wind up doing some sought of Bavarian thigh slapping gig and then ‘rejoice with a great rejoicing!’, and yet he did over this plant. It is an odd response isn’t it?

I mean it does tend to look a little over the top, Jonah doesn’t care if he himself dies, but gee he loves this vine. But like most things in life it doesn’t last long.

7 But at dawn the next day God provided [appointed] a worm, which
chewed the vine so that it withered.

And so as we continue God again ‘appoints’ something else for Jonah, only this time it isn’t for comfort? But we need to be careful here, I mean to be fair, God doesn’t appoint it for evil either does he?

God was generous to Jonah and gave him shade for one day, and now he has put things back to their natural state. And you kind of wonder, is this God’s way of telling Jonah, that ‘there is nothing to see here, move along!’.
But Jonah doesn’t seem to get the hint, which isn’t surprising really, he is a stubborn person as we know.

8 When the sun rose, God provided [appointed] a scorching east wind,
and the sun blazed [struck] on Jonah's head
so that he grew faint.

So it seems that Jonah didn’t get the hint, and now God is making sure he has Jonah’s undivided attention, this time God ‘appoints’ a scorching east wind. And just incase it won’t do the job, (lets face it Jonah likes to be dramatic, after all being thrown into the sea wasn’t enough last time, he needed weeds to wrap around his head before he got the point and saw that God was serious.)

Well this time his head is ‘struck’ by the sun, and the last person to be ‘struck’ by anything in the story was the King of Nineveh by the word of the Lord back in 2:6. God got the kings attention when he was ‘struck’ by the word, and now the Lord is going to get Jonah’s attention when he is ‘struck’ by the sun, with no cover from his precious vine.

And in a not unfamiliar way, doesn’t Jonah respond well to the events that happen?
I say facetiously!
Which lets face it is a little bit of a precious response by Jonah when he is the one who has overstayed his welcome upon the generosity of God. So Jonah speaks to God, and in something of a reiteration of his pray for death back in 4:3 we read.

He wanted [asked] to die,
and said,
"It would be better for me to die than to live."

Which does seem a trifle melodramatic for mind, just because he didn’t get his way! Jonah has more than a passing resemblance to a teenager who has had their TV and internet privileges removed.

But to be fair he does seem quite resolved about this doesn’t he? As this is the second time he has prayed for death in the last 6 verses, and in fact when you look he hasn’t actually said anything else has he?

And God’s response (like a good parent) is essentially the same message as what he said last time this happened in V4, which is where we started today.

9 But God said to Jonah,
"Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"
"I do,"
he said.
"I am angry enough to die."
[lit. It would be better for me to die than to live]

There is a real Emphatic-ness about Jonah’s resolve for his answer, three times he has said, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live’. Three times!
And these are fact Jonah’s last words in the book that bears his name, we never hear from him again.

And so from the start of Jonah’s story to the end, you do wonder, has he changed at all?

But the parallel questions of God, ‘Do you have any right to be angry?’ in v4 and ‘Do you have any right to be angry about the vine?’ in V9, tip us as readers off, as to what is the heart of the problem for Jonah before God. Jonah doesn’t know everything about God’s purposes in the world, and at the moment he is unwilling to trust that God can actually do good in all this, in a way that is consistent with God’s character.


And finally in v10 God goes on to last movement of the scene and the book, where the issue of the book is resolved. God has the last word and in it he explains some home truths to Jonah about his view of how God is supposed to act. Jonah’s big problem is that he doesn’t know everything like God does, and he doesn’t always do good like God does, and in this particular case Jonah doesn’t know what pity is for, or more to the point, who pity is for.

10 But the LORD said,
"You have been concerned [pity] about this vine,
though you
did not tend it or
[did not] make it grow.
It sprang up overnight and
died overnight.
11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people
who cannot tell
their right hand
from their left,
and many cattle as well.
Should I not be concerned [pity] about that great city?"

And we supply the answer to the question don’t we!
Should I not be concerned [pity] about that great city?"

And we all say, ‘of course you should!’
Except Jonah, who in the back yelling in his best mel brooks voice, ‘no save the plant, save the plant instead!’. But then isn’t Jonah just like his countrymen of the time Israel, ‘not the gentiles God, not the Gentiles, we’ll take the plant at least it’s kosher!’.

The final scene of Jonah’s story paints for us a stark contrast of the difference between God’s pity and Jonah’s pity. Jonah in this last scene is painted as a picture of self interest because of a quite satirical obsession with a vine. Where God cares for the city of 120,000.

Interpreting the Story
Jonah Vs God
God twice asks Jonah, ‘have you any right to be angry?’
The implied answer is of course, ‘No!’.
But Jonah’s basic problem seems to be that his knowledge of God and God’s exact purposes is limited, limited because he is finite, but then limited again, because he like all humanity is sinful.

Throughout the story we see that Jonah does in a profound and deep way understand God’s character, he often tells us great theological truths about his God, but Jonah just can’t seem to understand how God’s character relates to what he is seeing in action. Why would God want to save such a wicked and evil people as the Ninevites?
But then Jonah wouldn’t be alone in finding it difficult to reconcile what he sees this world would with the character of the God he knows would he?

I’m sure we have all had moments when we wonder, ‘Why would God choose these things to happen?’ we cannot fathom what God is doing in his world, or more poignantly in our lives. The message of Jonah is an encouragement to trust in the character of God, even when we find it hard to join the dots on His cause and effect of this world. Jonah encourages us that despite our partial knowledge of the events of this life we do know truly that God is gracious and compassionate, and we can trust him to act in keeping with his character.

In Jonah’s adventures God is shown to be absolutely sovereign and yet merciful, and we are challenged to be obedient before him. And why? because God is worthy as our creator and our saviour, of our obedience and trust.

Jonah knowing the character of his God personifies for us the struggle to trust that God is acting truly in the world. Jonah should have rejoiced with a great rejoicing over the repenting of Nineveh, not rejoice over the plant!

Jonah should have been like Paul over God’s compassion and salvation of the Gentiles, Paul who did rejoice with a great rejoicing and said:

Rom11;32 For God has consigned all to disobedience,
that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?
35 Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.

Now that is to rejoice with a great rejoicing over God’s compassion isn’t it?
Now as a slight aside, let me ask you a question, Why is this book a narrative and not in the form of an oracle, like the other minor prophets?

The form of the book of Jonah, tells you something about the intended message of Jonah. The writer uses narrative to tell us about these prophecies and events, because narrative allows for characterization. At the heart of this book is the story is about the interaction and the relationship of God with Jonah.

Even in the midst of their disagreement there is a personal-ness of the relationship between God and Jonah. God clearly loves Jonah and is amazingly patient with him, like a parent with a young child, you could even say like one who barely knows his right from his left it seems.

And From their interactions in the book of Jonah it is clear that God and Jonah have a robust relationship don’t they? I think it is fair to say that they speak pretty frankly with each other, in a way that reveals a depth to their relationship.

The Theological implications of the Story
God is both the creator and the merciful saviour
God has made all of creation and his desire is to show mercy to them all. He shows mercy to them everyday, with sunshine and rainfall, food and air, in fact in the very gift of life in the first place. But most especially God desires to have compassion upon his creation in salvation.

If you think about how the story starts at 1:1 in judgment, but finishes at the end of Ch 4, in mercy and salvation. Jonah is the story of the gracious and compassionate God whose desire is to save.

Mankind should Pray in times of their distress about this world
Our knowledge of God and his exact purposes before us in life, and our capacity to trust him in the midst of this is often limited. I think the book of Jonah encourages us to see the value of prayer, it is after all chock full of them.

And quite amazingly really, in these prayers God seems to allow the genuine, (if not a little impetuous), questioning from his servants in their time of difficulty. God is no tinpot tyrant who will not tolerate questioning.

Jonah encourages us to bring real, heart felt prayer to God in the times of uncertainty or distress, much like Jesus did upon the cross in quoting psalm 22.
I suspect if your like me, this is quite a confronting concept of what you do in prayer, if your like me you’re unlikely to bring up problems in life, because it’s probably my fault anyway. SO instead in my prayer I give God the polite cold shoulder really, not my real heart felt frustration, because of my lack of understanding about what he is doing in his world.

Jonah does give us real confidence to understand that we do have a robust relationship with God, ( and clearly the NT tells us this truth with more clarity because of all that Christ has done) and in light of this we should pray real prayers to him. God is good, and his action are good, so we should pray when we find it hard to understand how this can be true in our world and in our experience.

The Application of the Story today
Jonah is a story of forgiveness, in which we see God’s mercy spilling forward across his creation, and God’s mercy becomes a flowing river in salvation. Jonah is also a story of the implicit value of all life because it all came from God, but more than that a hope for all people in their creator God, a hope in a compassionate God, a God who holds the gift of salvation in his hands.

The NT
But the world needed a better prophet than Jonah, a Prophet who truly understood God, one who understood that God really is gracious and compassionate full of love in all his actions, a God who holds salvation in the palm his hand.

A Prophet who didn’t turn and run from the gentiles, but the prophet who gave himself up to the gentiles upon a Roman cross. The prophet who cried out not for the Gentiles ruin, but cried out father forgive them, they know not what they do!

The prophet who stopped the winds and waves without needing to call on his God, because he was God.
The Prophet who did not just conquer the belly of a fish, but the prophet who would conquer the belly of sheol, the prophet who would conquer death and be resurrected from the grave after 3 days.
The prophet who would not just preach a message of judgment to save a city of 120,000, but a prophet who would preach a message of grace and truth to save a multitude that were too large to count.
The prophet who would pray not for his own death but the prophet who would be wholehearted in his obedience to God the father, that not his own will, but God’s would be done, even if it was to cost him his own life.
The prophet who would was not a picture of self interest, but a picture of humility as he knew he would save others, but to do so he could not save himself.

The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, the True Prophet, was delivered over to human hands. He was killed and after three days he rose so that salvation could be preached to the ends of the earth.