Following God's Lead in His Calling for Your Life (Part 4 of 4)
This week we finish out the book of Jonah. Read further to see what happens to Jonah following the people of Nineveh repenting of their sins and turning to God.
FAITH
Dani Fielder
8/18/20264 min read
The conclusion of the book of Jonah is dramatic and surprising. We see Jonah's raw emotion and frustrations towards what God has done. As we finish reading Jonah, notice how God uses natural happenings to teach spiritual lessons.
Jonah chapter 4 (NIV)
Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion
1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing 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. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah had gone 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. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 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.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
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?”
Following chapter 3 of Jonah, where the Ninevites repented of their sin and turned towards God, Jonah is angry. He does not understand how God can be so gracious, merciful, and compassionate towards the Ninevites, the enemies of the Israelites. In chapter 4, Jonah explains that he knew God's character to relent from sending calamity, and so instead of seeing Nineveh repent, he ran. Jonah actually quotes scripture where God describes himself. "5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation (...)'" (Exodus 34:5-7, NIV).
Jonah then tells God that he would rather have his life taken than for him to live. God responds by asking Jonah if he had the right to be angry. Jonah, however, left the town and found a place to make shelter. The Lord then provided a leafy plant that quickly grew and rose high enough to provide shade for Jonah from the sun, but then God sent a tiny worm that ate the plant, causing Jonah to lose his shade. Jonah continues to tell God, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” God, however, uses Jonah's anger towards the plant to illustrate that just like Jonah is concerned about the plant that grew up and died overnight, He is concerned about the many people of Nineveh.
Jonah's emotions that we see in this passage are very real and even relatable. Sometimes it is true that God wants us to do things we may not understand or do not feel like doing for our own selfish reasons. God, however, has sovereignty and a divine purpose. He cares for all of us and desires for all to come to him in repentance, despite how we may feel about them. "9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9, NIV). Just like he is patient with the people of Nineveh, he shows that same patience and love to Jonah. Jonah is angry and bitter, yet God still used Jonah's own anger to teach him a valuable lesson about loving others. Sometimes we may be like Jonah, angry and bitter, and needing God to remind us why he calls us to do certain things. We are not called to do things out of favor or accolades for us, but out of love for God and love for others. This is what Jonah had to be reminded of. So what can be a final takeaway from the passage of Jonah?
Remember the "why" for what God asks you to do
Sometimes God will ask us to do something, and maybe we feel it is too difficult or we have a selfish reason as to why we feel we should not do it. Like Jonah, however, we have to remember that when God calls us to do something, he desires obedience. When we consider the things God has us doing in our lives, God wants to lead people to repentance and relationship with him. This should be our purpose. When we keep our focus on building the kingdom and bringing more people to salvation, it can change our perspective and goals in a way that is Christ-minded instead of self-centered.