06/02/2021 HEAT, ANGER & OTHER LESSONS
Jonah 4:5 Then Jonah went out of the city…and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. And the LORD GOD appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, GOD appointed a worm which attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, GOD appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah so that he was faint; and he asked that he might die…But GOD said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant? And he said, “I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” [Revised Standard translation]
Summary
The 4th chapter of Jonah is worth reading again and again, because of the valuable lessons in GOD’s WORD. At the beginning of chapter 4, Jonah is “very angry.” The reason for Jonah’s anger is because GOD is “gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and full of kindness.” (Verse 2) More specifically, Jonah is angry about GOD’s compassion for the people of Nineveh, because instead of destroying the city within 40 days, GOD is giving the Nineveh and its inhabitants another chance.
Unable to see straight (because Jonah literally cannot “spiritually see” that the GRACE GOD is extending toward Nineveh is the same GRACE that GOD extended to Jonah when Jonah disobeyed GOD), Jonah sulks and angrily tells GOD, “Kill me.” Jonah would rather die than have GOD cancel the original plan to destroy Nineveh. GOD, then asks Jonah (and one might envision “A HEAVENLY PARENT” extending, more and more and more and ever more patience toward this “petulant Jonah child”), “Is it right to be angry about this?” But instead of answering GOD, Jonah sets up a booth with a view of the city to “wait GOD out” and see what would become of the city, which suggests that Jonah still hoped GOD might still destroy Nineveh (much like a child might hold his breath and then wait to see if the parent will give the child what he wants).
But what GOD gives Jonah is a visual spiritual lesson.
GOD “prepared” “a gourd” (King James]; “a vine” [New International/Living Bible] “a plant” [Revised Standard]1. The plant grew fast and completely shaded Jonah. Jonah was both very comfortable and exceedingly glad. But the next day, GOD “prepared” “a worm” that ate through the stem of the plant, causing the plant to wither and die. Then GOD “prepared” a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah’s head. Under the heat, Jonah became faint and angrily tells GOD it was better if he (Jonah) died than live. When GOD asks Jonah “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?” Jonah answers “Yes!” (Verse 9)
GOD then points out the following: