Jonah: a man of obedience, whose heart we do not want – give me Jesus.
We are discovering that this story is not about Jonah, a fish, or even Nineveh and its repentance, but it is about God and His GREAT-ness. The GREATness of God, our Father, His word, and the GREATness of His mercy are revealed throughout this epic as a microcosm of how His mercy is always - a mercy that He showers upon all of His creation and making - the GREAT-ness of His goodness, patience, and kindness… His merciful compassion and desire to bring comfort. (Ps 19; 139; Job 38-; Mt 5:7; 6:9-15: Lk 6:35-36; 2Co 1; Col 1; Heb 1)
In this last section, we are going to be challenged to see our enemy - Nineveh, AS God does - with merciful love, and worthy of redeeming. It is here, in this last chapter, that we will see the true nature of Jonah’s heart, yes, toward Nineveh, but more profoundly, toward God.
It is here that we are going to be most challenged to see whether our prayers are prayers said (Jonah 3), or, prayers that are prayed in prayer - remaining with God long enough to be transformed in heart, mind, and attitude - giving God the time and opportunity to gently remove our human propensities and divinely replace them with His divine wishes and will. (2Sam 22:26; Ps 85:10; 119:58; Ezek 18:23; Micah 7:18; Mt 5:7; 6:14-15; 9:13; 12:7; 18:33; 23:23; Lk 6:36-37; Rom 2:1-3; Ja 2:13; 3:17; 1Pet 2:10)
Will we go to our Father and remain with Him in prayer? Will we long for His heart and that ours would be like it? Will we cooperate with Him and His divine wish to gently bend us to His merciful will? Do we want to be like Jesus? Are we willing to remain in prayer that we would be changed to be made more Hhim? Or, will we, yes, remain, but meaning, remain as we are, with our human propensities and thus remain as we are - like Jonah? (Matt 6:9-15; 1Tim 2:1 and see notes and service from 02.18.2024)
We are again being challenged to consider: “Who is my Nineveh?”
OK, so we’ve named them. Now, the next challenge is “How will I pray for them, speak to them, and act towards them?”, “How will I feel about God’s mercy being shown to them, and my being the one that does the showing?” And, “Will I rejoice at God’s merciful work in them?”
Luke 15:10 “...I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Setting up Jonah 4 with a quick reminder of what we saw in Jonah 3: the power of God’s word
Isaiah 55:11 “...My Word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”
Jonah, in His deepening distress, hits his rock bottom, looks up to God acquiesces to God and His commands - then and only then does the Lord God, the GREAT I AM command the GREAT fish to vomit Jonah up on the shore.
Jonah, in his disgusting vomitous state, receives God’s command again, and this time turns toward the (gulp) GREAT city
Jonah, now, obeys the command of God, and (with what we find out later is with great angst) proclaims God’s word, and in one day, not even getting through the entire city (which would have been a 3-day journey) the whole city hears, trembles, and turns with contrite hearts, turns toward God in repentance - God’s compassion is realized and they are saved!
Jonah 4 - let’s read through and come back
Digging a little deeper:
Jonah 3:10-4:1-3 The rising conflict between the “heart and wisdom” of Jonah and the heart of God and (His) actual wisdom (His higher thoughts & ways)
Jonah 4:4-5a Jonah’s continued judgment** and condemnation of Nineveh in the face of God’s merciful compassion and God’s challenging Jonah to re-consider his attitude in light of His mercy granted “on whom I will have mercy…”
God’s compassion leading to comfort, including Jonah - so the principle is not just that we receive comfort, but that when we have, we will then comfort others with the comfort we have received 2Cor 1). Again we see here that God’s all-knowing and comprehensive thoughts and ways are (so much) higher than our thoughts, ways, and understanding which are limited and biased so that our judgment, of another in comparison to His, is never sound. Rom 2:1-4; 14:4; Ja 4:12; Lk 15:25-32; 16:37:42; Matt 7:3-4; 18:21-35)
**This does not mean that we are not to be discerning as to be able to judge what is sin or not, it means that we are not to judge in a way that leads our hearts to condemn - this can even be in our deciding by attitude, word, action, or inaction, who is not worthy of mercy, grace, forgiveness, redemption.
Jonah 4:5b-6 Jonah’s inadequate shelter and God’s gracious and sacrificial provision to cover and comfort him, even in the face of continued sin and rebellion - perhaps to conceal Jonah’s shameful and shameless attitude and behavior (Gen 3:7, 21), and “Jonah was happy about the vine…” here we also find that Jonah’s inadequate shelter is not much different from his inadequate judgment of Nineveh AND God’s saving them
questions to ponder:
Jonah’s shameless attitude and posture in opposition to God – how might my life sometimes reflect this?
What inadequate coverings do we make for ourselves to gain comfort in and during our sin and rebellion?
What adequate coverings has our Father provided for us? (loving others (1Jn 4:12-17) forgiveness of others (Lk 6:37-38)
Jonah 6-10 Jonah’s unwillingness to relent as God has relented; will not find joy in the redemption of his enemy; will not find delight in what God delights in; will not turn and see the GREAT-ness of His God and His God’s GREAT mercy and compassion. And therefore, misses out on the joy of the Lord. Matthew 11:17; Luke 7:32 “We played the flute, a wedding song, for you and you would not dance…”
How then should we go?
1Peter 3:13-18
Colossians 4:4-6 may we be “...wise in the way we act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
1Corinthians 9:19-23 “...19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the… so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
Luke 19:41-42 “41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace…”
Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Jonah 4:10-11 “10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
So, AS God has compassion for the lost, so we, who are sent AS the Father sent the Son, Jesus, we should have compassion for the lost.
Who is our Nineveh?
How will we now think about them? (John 3:16-18)
What will our attitude be towards them? (Col 3:15-17)
How will we PRAY for them and on their behalf? (Job 42:8; Matt 5:44)
How will we speak of them? (internally and externally) (Romans 12:14)
How will we speak to them? (Matt 12:35; Eph 4:29; Col 4:6; 1Pet 3:15)
How will we act toward them? (Lk 6:27-36; Romans 12:9-21; 1Cor 9:19-23; 1Pet 3:9)
Titus 3:1-8 “2…slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. 3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us…”
Will I be like Jonah, or AS Jesus? Loving and having compassion on my Ninevehs, my enemies, as God, Christ did me.
Romans 5:8-11 “...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 10…while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son…”
