Jonah 4

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Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

• Jonah didn't want the ten tribes to go into captivity
• Jonah knew he had helped the Assyrians take the ten tribes captivity, this is why Jonah was angry
• Displeased = vexed. Not the waywardness of a child, but the displeasure of a man of God, for great and sufficient reason to him.
• Now that Nineveh was spared, it might after all be used as God's rod for Israel, and thus destroy the hope held out by him to Israel.
• 2 Kings 14:25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.
  26 For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel.
  27 And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

• I knew = This was well known, from God's revelation of Himself.
• Jonah knew = and referred to the Pentateuch
• Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
  7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
  8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
• Numbers 14:18 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
  19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
  20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
  21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
• David knew = Pslams 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
  6 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
  7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
  8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
  9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
• Hosea knew = Hosea 11:8 How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.
  9 I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.
  10 They shall walk after the Lord: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.
  11 They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the Lord.
• Joel knew = Joel 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
  14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?
  15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
  16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
• Micah knew = Micah 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
  19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
  20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
• Jonah's knowledge explains his flight
• Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
  4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
  5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
• No one could tall us this but himself
• GOD = Hebrew El

3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

• Jonah was angry he didn't want his people to go into captivity
• Jonah still is not obeying God will
• God knew Jonah loved his people

4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

• God's mocking Jonah

5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.

• Become of = happen to = Hoping for its overthrow
  

6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

• God was with Jonah = God prepared a tree = that it might be a shadow over his head,
• Gourd = tree

7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

 

8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

• Did Jonah thank God for the Gourd? no

9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

 

10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

• God is in control = God has a plan for the end times = That the way it's going be

11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

• The book of Jonah telling us, God loves ALL His people
• God said, teach to All My People
• God is the judge not man
• We are to keep His Commandments.
• Don't be judging His people. Teach God's word. Its up to God if the seed grows.

• Exactly 2520 years from the exile of Benjamin, Iceland became an independent nation.

 

•  The first tribe to be conquered by the Assyrians was Manasseh, in 745 B.C. Exactly 2520 years later America became a nation on July 4, 1776.

 

• Study the book: Abrahamic Covenant, (A study outline of the identity of God's people) By E. Raymond Capt - page 25