the failure of success the story of jonah

8/12/2019 The Failure of Success the Story of Jonah

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THE FAILURE

OF SUCCESS:The StoryOf Jonah

MMuch has been published

about the principles of success. Success andfailure, however, may be definedin different ways by differentpeople. Is there an absolutestandard for success andfailure? Do we win or do welose when our accomplishmentscost more than we can afford?

In the following pages,Bill Crowder, RBC Director of Church Ministries, brings theseissues into focus by examiningthe life of the Old Testamentprophet Jonahone man who personally modeled andexperienced the failure of success.

Martin R. De Haan II

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo: Getty Images/Stone/John WardenScripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by ThomasNelson,Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved. 2003 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

A Successful Failure . . . 2Succeeding At Failure . . . 4

Jonahs Concern ForHimself At The ExpenseOf Others(1:1-16). . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Gods ResponseTo Disobedience(1:172:10). . . . . . . . . 13

Failing At Success . . . . . 18Winning The Battle(3:1-10). . . . . . . . . . . . 18Losing The War (4:1-11). . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The Rest OfThe Story . . . . . . . . . . . 31Failure VersusSuccess . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.


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A SUCCESSFULFAILURE

T T he movie Apollo 13

tells the story of thereal-life experience of

Jim Lovell and his NASA space crew. The purpose of their mission was to landon and explore the moon,but a life-threatening in-flight explosion crippledthe spacecraft. Suddenly,the goal changed. MissionControl in Houston spentthe next several days tryingto direct the repair of thedying spacecraft andsave the lives of the threeastronauts on board. In theend, the mission was seenas a success because thecrew returned safely. Yet it was also a failure because Apollo 13 never achievedthe original goal of landingon the moon. It was asuccessful failure.

The same couldbe said of the prophetJonah. The book that

bears his name shows thatin spite of Jonahs manypersonal failures, Godsuccessfully directed anamazing rescue.

Ironically, the prophecyof Jonah is often seen as apart of the Old Testamentthat reflects the heart of God for the nations of the world. But Jonah, the man,doesnt deserve the credit.From beginning to end, he was a reluctant participantin Gods mission of mercy.

The bigger picture is thatJonahs failure to care aboutthe people of Ninevehreflected the attitude ofhis countrymen as well.Together, he and the wholenation of Israel seemedoblivious to the fact thatsomething had gone terribly wrong with the Ninevitesand that their lives werehanging in the balance.The fact that these people who were about to die wereIsraels worst enemies is allpart of this amazing story.

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Introducing TheProphet Jonah. Jonah1:1 starts out: Now the word of the Lord came toJonah the son of Amittai.Jonah (which means dovein Hebrew) is identified asthe son of Amittai (whichmeans truthful). Accordingto 2 Kings 14:25, Jonah was from Gath Hepher,a village about 2 milesnortheast of Nazareth.Second Kings 14 alsohelps us to date Jonahs lifesometime during Jeroboamsreign from 793753 BC.Some believe that Jonahbegan to speak on behalfof God about the time theprophet Elisha wasconcluding his work.

UnderstandingThe Book Of Jonah.Two keys will prove usefulin understanding the realissues in this book.

Key #1: The bookrecords Jonahs mission toNineveh, but it is written toIsrael, who hated Nineveh.

Because God uses Jonah toconfront the hatred of Israel,the prophecy of Jonah is asmuch about racism as it isabout missions.

Key #2: Jonah is not theprincipal character of hisown book God is!God hasthe first word and the last.He orchestrates the entiredrama to show His lovefor Israels enemies. Asamazing events unfold, wemust not get caught up inthe props and staging. TheLord Jehovah, not Jonah, isthe central character of thisstory.

It is this focus that canopen our understanding tothe real message of Jonah The Failure Of Success.

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Jonah isnot the

principal character of his own book God is!



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SUCCEEDINGAT FAILURE

IIn the 1960s, the Beatlesrecorded the old countrysong, Act Naturally.

The title reminds us thatthere are some things that we dont have to learn howto dothey just come to usnaturally.

This is true when wethink of our inclination torun from God. It has beensaid that all of us must learnto obey, but no one needs tobe taught to disobey. Playingthe role of spiritual fugitiveis a natural instinct offallen human beings.

JONAHS CONCERNFOR HIMSELF ATTHE EXPENSE OFOTHERS (JONAH1:1-16) As we are introduced toJonah, we see him actnaturallyhe shows moreshortsighted concern forhimself than he does for

God or others. When theGod of Israel asks Jonah tocarry a message of warningto another nation, thereluctant prophet runs inthe opposite direction. Letstake a closer look at what was happening in Jonahsheartand in Gods.

The DesireOf God (1:1-2)

The word of the Lord cameto Jonah . . . , saying,Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city (1:1-2a).Nineveh, founded by

Nimrod, was on the eastbank of the Tigris River,about 550 miles fromSamaria, capital of theNorthern Kingdom of Israel.(It would take Jonah abouta month to walk there at 15-20 miles a day.) It was large,and was protected by anouter wall and an inner wall.The inner wall was 50 feet wide and 100 feet high. This was the time of Ninevehs greatest glory.

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Cry out against it; for their wickedness has comeup before Me (1:2b).Notice carefully

that this is a message of judgment, not mercy. God was going to judge thepeople of Nineveh for their wickedness. He is Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25). And He must be recognizedas such because, eventhough He is Savior, Heis also Sovereign.

God as Judge sent amessenger with a messageof judgment, but Jonahdeclined. Instead of accepting his assignmentto speak on behalf of God,the prophet decided tomake a run for it.

The DesertionOf Jonah (1:3)

Where Did Jonah Flee?But Jonah arose toflee to Tarshish fromthe presence of theLord (1:3a).Jonahs response to Gods

mission was the oppositeof Isaiahs, who said to theLord, Here am I! Send me.(Isa. 6:8). Jonah was told toarise and go, and he did but in the opposite direction!He headed for Tarshish, which was 2,500 miles westof Joppa on the west coast of Spain. And Jonah thought he was going to be able to flee. . . from the presence of theLord, which was impossible.

Psalm 139 makes it clearthat it is impossible to escapethe presence of the Lord.Still, Jonah attempted what Adam and Cain had triedbefore himrunning fromGods presence. And he didthis rather than obey theLords command.

Why Did Jonah Flee?He understood Gods judgment, but he alsounderstood Gods mercy. And, as we will see, Jonahdid not want Nineveh, thecapital of an enemy nation,to be forgiven. BecauseJonah knew the willingness

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of God to forgive sin whenthere is true change of heart,he fled rather than tell theNinevites of the coming judgment. He didnt wantthem to escape Gods wrath.

Over the years, somehave tried to excuse Jonahsresponse. Some say thedifficulties of the assignmentdissuaded him because it would take a month ofhard travel to get there, and3 days journey just to getfrom one side of the cityto the other (3:3).

Others say that Jonahthought the task was toodangerous. The evil of Nineveh was legendary inancient times, and it wasoften experienced firsthandby the Jewish people (seeNah. 3:1-5).

Still, at the root of Jonahsunwillingness to go to thecitizens of Nineveh was a great hatred for them. Theyhad proven themselvesagain and again to be theenemies of Israel. They

were seen as cruel torturers who descended on rivalnations like a plagueof locustsdestroyingand consuming all.

For Jonah to go toNineveh would have beenthe moral equivalent of asking a Jewish resident of New York City in the 1940sto go to Berlin and givethe Nazis a chance to beforgiven. The racial tension was so intense that, ratherthan obey, Jonah fled.

This prodigal prophet would learn the cost of hatred, and learn it the hard way. Frank Gaebelein wrote:

In a day when prejudiceand hate inflame mensemotions and pervert their judgment, Jonah speaks with compelling forceabout limiting our loveand sympathies only tosome of our fellow humanbeings and excludingothers from our pity andcompassion (Four Minor Prophets,p.25).

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It is easier to hate thanto loveand some of usmay often find ourselvesdangerously close tocreating our own Nineveh.

Perhaps the people thatinhabit our Nineveh areabortionists, homosexuals,political enemies, cultists,or an ethnic group we areuncomfortable with. Thequestion we must honestlyconsider is this: Will ourprejudice cause us, likeJonah, to be guilty of silence, or will weintentionally express

the heart of our God?Jonah chose silence

and hate rather thanobedience and love.

How Did Jonah Flee?[Jonah] went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and wentdown into it (1:3b). A boat sailed from Joppa

to Tarshish only a few timesa year. There was room forhim on the ship, so he paidthe fare, got on board, andheaded west.

At this point, Jonahmight have felt affirmed inhis actions. Everything was working out, the pieces were falling into place, thecircumstances of life wereconfirming his planbutthe sad reality is that he wasstill more concerned abouthimself than others. Howeasy it is to justify ouractions, especially whenthe wind is at our back.But circumstances, like the wind, can quickly change.

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It is easier to hatethan to loveand some of us may

often find ourselvesdangerously closeto creating our

own Nineveh.



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The Desperation Of The Sailors (1:4-9)

Gods Reaction (v.4).But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea,and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, sothat the ship was aboutto be broken up.The phrase but the

Lord is in direct contrast tobut Jonah in the preceding verse. The Lord who calledJonah now pursued His wayward servant.

The text says that Godsent out, which in theHebrew is a graphic wordfor threw down or flung(the same expression usedin 1 Samuel 18:11 of Saulthrowing his javelin atDavid). It is a term thatdescribes the wind strikingthe sea with such great forcethat it rocked the ship.

The result of Gods action was a mighty tempest onthe sea. This phrase bringsto mind a contrast. In Mark4, when Jesus was on the

stormy Sea of Galilee,He calmedthe storm. Buthere He caused it! And itsinteresting to note that Godshuman servants (Jonah inthis case) may disobey Him,but His servants in nature(the wind and the sea)always obey Him.

The Sailors Response(v.5a).

Then the mariners wereafraid; and every mancried out to his god, andthrew the cargo that wasin the ship into the sea,to lighten the load.Jonahs disobedience

caused problems not onlyfor himself but also for thosearound him. The sailors were innocent bystanders(like the family of Achan inJoshua 7). They were simple,hardworking men who werecaught in the middle of Jonahs battle with God.

What was theirresponse? It was threefold:

First, they had anemotional response they

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were afraid. This is notablebecause these veteran sailors were experienced on theMediterranean Sea. Theyknew the nature of thestorms there, and theyknew that this was noordinary storm.

Second, they had a spiritual response everyman cried out to his god. You may criticize thesesailors for their foxholeprayers, but everyone onboard was prayingexceptJonah! Although he wassupposed to be a man of God, Jonah was, practicallyspeaking, acting like theonly atheist on board.

Third, they had a practical response theythrew the cargo . . . intothe sea, to lighten the load.They viewed death as beingso imminent that their desirefor survival outweighed theirneed for income.

Jonahs Repose (v.5b).But Jonah had gone downinto the lowest parts of the

ship, had lain down,and was fast asleep.In the midst of the storm,

while this flurry of activity was taking place on deck,Jonah was fast asleep! How was this possible? He seemedto be at peace. But we knowhe was at odds with God.Sometimes we claim that asense of peace is a good wayto measure whether a certaindecision is the right one.But maybe this spiritualbarometer is really a self-delusion and not the peaceof God at all. CommentatorMerrill Unger wrote:

In his backsliddencondition [Jonah] lay fastasleep, the result not of submission to God andtrust in Him, as in thecase of our Lords sleep onGalilees stormy lake (Mk.4:37-39), but of spiritualnumbness produced bya dull conscience.The Sailors Remedy

(vv.6-9).So the captain came

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to him, and said to him,What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your Godwill consider us, so thatwe may not perish (v.6).In desperation, the

shipmaster woke Jonahand pleaded with him topray. How ironic that thepagan had to call the manof God to prayer!

After trying everythingelse, the sailors were left with only one possibleanswerthe storm was theanger of the gods againstsomeone on board. Notice what they tried to do toremedy the desperatesituation they were in:

They said to one another,Come, let us cast lots,that we may know for whose cause this troublehas come upon us. Sothey cast lots, and the lotfell on Jonah (v.7).In ancient times, people

sometimes used coloredstones to help discern the

will of the gods. In this caseit worked and the lot fell onJonah. The same God whocontrolled the storm alsocontrolled the lot that wascast (Prov. 16:33).

Then they said to [Jonah],Please tell us! For whosecause is this troubleupon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you? (v.8). With machine-gun speed

they began to probe Jonah with a series of questionsthat basically consisted of: Who are you and why is thishappening? Jonah replied:

I am a Hebrew; and Ifear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land (v.9). Well, that wasnt

entirely true, was it? IfJonah really feared God,he would have beentraveling east to Nineveh,not west to Tarshish.

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identified his God as theOne who made the sea,he was indicating that hisGod was the One personallyresponsible for theirpredicamentand that He was the only solution for it.

The DeterminationOf Jonah (vv.10-14)

Then the men wereexceedingly afraid, and said to him, Why have you done this? For themen knew that he fledfrom the presence of theLord, because he had toldthem. Then they said tohim, What shall we do to you that the sea may becalm for us?for the sea was growing moretempestuous (vv.10-11). Verse 10 says that after

the sailors learned aboutJonah running from God,they were exceedinglyafraid. Why? Initially theyfeared only the storm; nowthey feared the God behindthe storm.

The essence of fearingGod is to recognize Hisauthority, to respect Hisauthority, and to respondto His authority. The sailorsdid this, but Jonah didnt!Someone once said thatunbelievers never lookbetter than when they arecompared to disobedientchildren of God. SinceJonah wouldnt repent,the sailors asked how theycould appease this storm-producing God.

[Jonah] said to them,Pick me up and throwme into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is becauseof me (v.12).In essence, Jonah was

saying, I would rather diethan obey God and preachrepentance to people I hate.

How tragic. Jonah couldhave said, I repent and you should too! or Turnaround and get me toNineveh, or at the very

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GODS RESPONSETO DISOBEDIENCE(JONAH 1:172:10) We now launch into thepassage that makes Jonahone of the most attackedbooks in the Bible. In the1930s murder trial of Leopold and Loeb, theirattorney Clarence Darrowattacked the credibility of akey witness by saying, Youcould more easily believethat Jonah was swallowedby a whale. His strategybackfired, however, becausemuch of the jury said theydid believe the story of Jonahand the fish. So Darrowsclients were found guilty.

Gods Preparation(1:17)

The Lord had prepareda great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inthe belly of the fish threedays and three nights.This is the statement

in the story of Jonah thatis often ridiculedbut it also

calls for our faith in asupernatural God who isunlimited by the naturalrealm. Lets look at verse17 more closely.

The Hebrew word for prepared includes the ideaof creative activity, implyingthat this particular fish wasespecially created by Godfor this specific event.

The text says that Godmade a great fish, nota whale as many believe,though certain whalescould swallow a man.(A fully grown adult sperm whale has a mouth 20 feetlong, 15 feet high, 9 feet wide and can eat an entiresquid whole.) The textindicates, however, that it was a specially preparedgreat fish.

And Jonah wasnt justswallowed by the fish, heremained in its belly for3 days and 3 nights. Thisis important, because inMatthew 12:40 Jesus notonly acknowledged the

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historical fact of Jonah beingin the fish, but He wentbeyond that and showed itsprophetic significance. Hesaid, As Jonah was threedays and three nights inthe belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be threedays and three nights in theheart of the earth.

Jonahs Prayer (2:1-9)Then Jonah prayed tothe Lord his God fromthe fishs belly (v.1).Jonah did something

in the fishs belly that herefused to do when he wasin the boathe cried out toGod. Caves, crosses, andstoning pits may be unusualplaces from which to pray,but nothing tops this!Imagine what it would havebeen like to experience theswallowing itself. And whatabout the conditions withinthis living grave! But it wasthere that Jonah lifted up his voice to pray. His prayer hasseveral parts:

His Prayer Of Repentance (v.2) .

I cried out to the Lordbecause of my affliction,and He answered me. Outof the belly of Sheol I cried,and You heard my voice.Jonah prayed because of

his affliction (lit. bindingup), which is appropriatefor a man in a fish. Notice

that the place of his prayeris out of the belly of Sheol,not just the belly of the fish.

What is Sheol? It ispictured in Scripture asbeing beneath the ground(Job 17:16), a place of darkness (Job 10:19-22), anda place of silence (Ps. 6:5).

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Jonah did something in the fishs belly

that he refused todo when he wasin the boathecried out to God.



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Although being in Sheolimplies separation from God,it is accessible to God. Inmost cases, Sheol is therealm of the dead. Whetherused to speak of the grave orof the realm of existence afterdeath, it is clear that Sheol isa place of death, not life.

Jonah had set out forTarshish in defiance of God,but he ended up in Sheol. Yet in spite of his rebellion, when Jonah repented, Godresponded. Jonah said toGod, You heard my voice.

His Prayer Of Submission (vv.3-4) .

You cast me into the deep,into the heart of the seas,and the floods surroundedme; all Your billows andYour waves passed over me. Then I said, I havebeen cast out of Your sight; yet I will look againtoward Your holy temple.Here Jonah came to his

senses. Finally, in the bellyof a great fish, he saw thesovereignty of God in spite of

his physical circumstances.In the grip of death, he sawGods hand behind all thathad happened to him (Youcast me, Your billows,Your waves, Your sight).God was the one whocaused the storm to eruptand He was the one whoused the sailors to executeHis judgment by castingJonah into the sea.

Evidence of Godspowerful presence in lifescircumstances can be seenthroughout Scripture. Paul,for example, saw himself asa prisoner of Christ (notRome). Joseph saw Godshand behind his slavery. Jobsaw the work of God in histrials. And the Son of Godrecognized the Fathershand in His suffering.

Besides acknowledgingGods power and authorityin his circumstances, Jonahalso appealed to Godsmercy. With hope of beingrestored to worship, heprayed in verse 4, I will

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look again toward Yourholy temple.

His Prayer In Trouble(vv.5-6).

The waters surroundedme, even to my soul; thedeep closed around me;weeds were wrappedaround my head. I wentdown to the moorings of the mountains; the earthwith its bars closedbehind me forever; yetYou have brought upmy life from the pit, OLord, my God.These verses describe the

terrifying depths to whichJonah had sunk. His flightfrom God, a violent storm,deep water, and the hungrymouth of a monster fishbrought him to the thresholdof Sheol, the land of thedead (the earth with its barsclosed behind me forever).

Yet, even though Jonahbelieved that death hadclaimed him, this part ofhis prayer ended with hope when he said, You have

brought up my life fromthe pit. He acknowledgedGods loving correction asnecessary for his restoration,not his destruction.

His Prayer Of Restoration (v.7) .

When my soul faintedwithin me, I rememberedthe Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple. As Jonah was beginning

to fade, he prayed forrestoration.

His Prayer Of Confession (v.8).

Those who regardworthless idols forsaketheir own mercy.The NIV translates this

verse: Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.Jonah was confessing hissin of trusting in an idolthat could do nothing tosave or rescue him, which was a complete waste of timeand energy. And what wasJonahs idol? It was his self-

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willthe ultimate idol.Bowing at the idol of

his own will, Jonah hadcommitted himself to a pathof rebellionthe ultimatespiritual failure. Only when he turned to Godin repentance would hediscover what spiritualsuccess was truly all about.

His Prayer Of Thanksgiving (v.9).

But I will sacrifice toYou with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed.Salvation is of the Lord.This prayer meant two

things. He was ready to stop worshiping himself at thealtar of his own will. And he was ready to make the turn.Like a broken fugitive withnowhere to hide, he gavehimself up. So he declared,I will sacrifice and I willpay what I have vowed. With these words hedeclared his long-overduesurrender and said, in effect,Lord, take me to Nineveh!

Gods Power (2:10)So the Lord spoke to thefish, and it vomited Jonahonto dry land. Again we see the control

of God. The winds obeyed.The seas obeyed. Now thefish obeys. The only one who disobeyed was Jonah,the man of God. The sailorscouldnt get Jonah to shore,but God used the fish to gethim there rather easily.

Jonahs return to dryland was unceremonial andunconventional. The fish vomited him up. This is nota pleasant thought, but it isthe only positive use of the word vomitin the Bible.Elsewherevomitis used of Israel (Lev. 18), the rich (Job20), Laodicea (Rev. 3), a dogand a fool (Prov. 26:11), andmostly of drunks.

Jonahs story began with him succeeding atfailure as he rejectedGods call, disobeyed Godscommand, and ignoredGods will. He worshiped

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at the idol of self,choosing to die ratherthan submit to God.But in grace and incorrection, God pursuedHis wayward servant. NowJonah, who succeeded so well at spiritual failure, willbe given a second chance,another opportunity to getit right.

FAILING ATSUCCESS

IIn 1836, a war was wagedfor the independence of Texas. The leader of

Mexico, Santa Anna, wasnot about to give in to theTexicans who were readyto die for their freedom. InMarch of that year, Santa Annas soldiers pressed theirsiege of San Antonio deBejar for 13 crucial days. Although they eventuallysucceeded in storming the Alamo and overwhelmingthe badly outnumbered

Texans, Santa Anna paida huge price for his victory. While Mexican forces were tied up in the battlefor the Alamo, General SamHouston used the time toorganize an army that woulddefeat Mexico at San Jacintoand allow Texas to becomea republic. Santa Anna wonthe battlebut he lost the war.

WINNINGTHE BATTLE(JONAH 3:1-10) As we come to the thirdchapter of Jonah, the Lordof Israel has won the battle.But as we will see, the waris not yet over.

Back on land, Jonahbegins to make his way toNineveh. He had taken adetour through the bellyof a fish, but now hes backon track. In the last twochapters, God will use himto bring about one of the greatest rescues in history.But how will Jonah respond?

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A Second Chance(3:1-2)

Now the word of the Lordcame to Jonah the secondtime, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,and preach to it themessage that I tell you. Against the backdrop

of Jonahs resistance andsubsequent remorse, God,in grace and mercy, gaveJonah a second chance tocarry out his mission.

Notice that Jonahssecond call was much morepersonal and intense thanthe first. The first call was general (cry out against),but the second call wasmore specific (preach . . .the message that I tell you).

A second chance forservice is not unheard of.It was given to Moses(Acts 7:25) and also toPeter (Jn. 21). But wemust not presume. TheScriptures show that it canbe dangerous to presume well be given a second

chance (1 Ki. 13:26). A second call is never guaranteed. It is much saferto respond favorably to Godthe first time. In Jonahscase, God could have calleda second man, but for Hisown purposes He chose tocall the same man a secondtime.

A Simple Message(3:3-4)

So Jonah aroseand went to Nineveh,according to the word of the Lord. Now Ninevehwas an exceedingly greatcity, a three-day journey in extent. And Jonahbegan to enter the city onthe first days walk. Thenhe cried out and said, Yetforty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!Nineveh was great in size,

significance, and wealth.But it was also great in itssin (1:2). That is why Jonah was there, and he began the3-day journey through town

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to declare Gods warningto the people.

How did he get a crowd?Bible commentator HarryRimmer suggests that thefishs gastric juices mayhave had a dramatic effecton Jonahs appearanceby removing his hair andbleaching his skin. The sightof him (and possibly thesmell) certainly would havecaused people to notice.

Gods Judgment.Nineveh shall beoverthrown! The wordoverthrownmeans tooverturn, and the tense of the verb describes it beingdone with thoroughnessacomplete destruction of thecity to its foundation. Thissame word is used inGenesis 19:25 to describethe destruction of Sodomand Gomorrah.

Undoubtedly, Jonahpreached more than thesespecific words, but this washis main theme. As warnings go, his message was short

and to the point. Messagesof judgment are oftenmarked by such directness: Nathan said to David,

You are the man!(2 Sam. 12:7).

A message of judgmenton King Belshazzarsupernaturally appearedon a wall with thefollowing message:Mene, mene, tekel,upharsin (Dan. 5:25).

The Lord said tothe Ephesian church,Repent and do the first works (Rev. 2:5).Its possible that Jonah

might have enjoyed hismessage of judgment a bit toomuch. He had already shownhis hatred for the Ninevites,and now he was pronouncingtheir coming destruction. Hecould have easily felt a senseof satisfaction as he preachedthose words. But if he didfind such pleasure, he missedthe mercy of God in themessage and urgent warninghe proclaimed.

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Gods Mercy . Yet fortydays . . . . This is the key,for it speaks of Godsmercy. If there had been noopportunity for repentance,no deadline would havebeen needed. But God gaveNineveh a specific amountof time to repent. And what would bring about theirrepentance? As always, it was the word of God givento people who needed Hismercy and forgiveness morethan anything else in life.

The irony of Jonahsstory, however, is that thepeople of Nineveh wereabout to honor God witha surrender that Jonah was still not ready to give.Behind and underneathhis external obedience, hisinternal rebellion remained.He had actively rebelled when he fled to Tarshish,but now he was passivelyrebelling against the heartof God. As we are about tosee, even though he wasspeaking the words of God,

he remained out of step with the heart of themerciful God who is not willing that any shouldperish but that all [evenNineveh] should come torepentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

A Serious Response(3:5-9) What would it havebeen like to be in Nineveh when Jonah delivered hismessage? Pastor and authorJames Montgomery Boicedescribed it like this:

We can almost see Jonahas he entered a days journey and began to cryout his message. What would be his reception? Would the Nineviteslaugh? Would theyturn against Jonah andpersecute him? As hecried out people stoppedto listen. The hum of commerce died down anda holy hush stole overthe collecting multitudes.Soon there were weeping

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and other signs of genuinerepentance of sin. At lastthe message of Jonahentered even the palace,and the king, divestinghimself of his magnificentrobes, took the place of amourner alongside hisrepenting subjects (CanYou Run Away From God?, Victor, 1977, pp.71-72).

What an amazing scene!Notice how an entire cultureresponded to the grace andmercy of God:

Their Belief (v.5a).So the people of Ninevehbelieved God . . . .The wordbelievedhere

is identical to the word inGenesis 15:6. [Abraham]believed in the Lord, andHe accounted it to him forrighteousness. This isnt just believing what is said; itis trusting the God who hasspoken. The people believedthat Jonahs message wasfrom God, and they tookit seriously. Hebrews 11:6says that without faith it is

impossible to please God.They believed Godandresponded!

Their Repentance And Prayer (vv.5-9).

So the people of Nineveh. . . proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came tothe king of Nineveh; andhe arose from his throneand laid aside his robe,covered himself with sackcloth and sat inashes. And he caused itto be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither mannor beast, herd nor flock,taste anything; do not letthem eat, or drink water.But let man and beast becovered with sackcloth,and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turnfrom his evil way andfrom the violence that is inhis hands. Who can tell if

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God will turn and relent,and turn away from Hisfierce anger, so that wemay not perish?Two Old Testament

expressions of a sincerechange of heart are fastingand wearing sackcloth.Notice that their faithproduced action spontaneous, immediate,and unanimous.

Putting on sackcloth(coarse cloth) was a symbolof humiliation, distress,and mourning. It was adeclaration of personalunworthiness, and it wasdone by all the people, fromthe greatest to the least. Eventhe animals were involved.

The peoples repentantfaith caused a change intheir behavior. No vagueor superficial confession would do. A true change of minds and hearts evidencedby changed lives wasdesperately needed.

In response to Jonahs warning from God, a pagan

king led his people innational repentance,acknowledging that Godis sovereign and could turnaway from His fierce anger(v.9) if He chose to. But hestill called on the citizensof Nineveh to pray forGods mercy. His requestexpressed faith and hopeon the part of the king. It isimportant to notice thatneither the king nor thepeople of Nineveh had anyevidence on which to basetheir hope except that Godhad given them a warninginstead of immediatelydestroying them. So, byfaith, they went to prayer with hope that mercy wouldovertake judgment.

A Saving God (3:10)Then God saw their works,that they turned from their evil way; and God relentedfrom the disaster that Hehad said He would bringupon them, and He didnot do it.

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What God Saw. He sawtheir works and that they genuinely turned from theirsin. The genuineness of theirrepentance was seen in theevidence of their changedlives (see Lk. 3:8; Acts26:20).

What God Did. Godrelented . . . and He did notdo it. God reversed Hisdeclaration of judgment andrescued them from their sinand guilt. This doesnt mean,however, that God repentedor changed His mind.Instead, He remained trueto His eternal principles of justice and mercy. Considerthe following: The Glory of Israel does

not lie or change Hismind; for He is not a man,that He should change Hismind (1 Sam. 15:29 NIV ).

God is not a man, thatHe should lie, nor a sonof man, that He shouldrepent. Has He said,and will He not do? Orhas He spoken, and will

He not make it good?(Num. 23:19).The point is that the

character of God does notchange. Instead, as peoplechange in their relationshipto Him, different laws comeinto operation. When verse10 says that God relented,its not referring to Hisremorse over an error in judgment, but a removal of judgment as an act of mercyto one who has repented.

Gods laws about judgment of sin are clear,but escape is available when we appeal to Himon His terms seeking mercyand forgiveness. That is howthe battle for the hearts of Nineveh had been won.

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LOSING THE WAR(JONAH 4:1-11)From our point of view,the story of Jonah couldhave ended with chapter3. The job had been done,Nineveh had repented, andall was well with the world.But chapter 4 is there for areason. As we come to thefinal chapter of Jonahsrecord, we see him failingat success. After beingGods instrument toproduce the greatestrevival in human history,Jonah was more thanupsethe was seething with an anger that wouldnt go away.

Its fascinating to seehow quickly Ninevehresponded to the work of God, yet how slow Jonah was to respond to the Lord.The abundant mercy thatGod had on the Ninevitescreated an overwhelmingdepth of anger andbitterness in the reluctantprophet.

Jonahs Anger (4:1-3)It displeased Jonah

exceedingly . . . . The worddispleasedmeans tosee as evil. Jonah actually viewed Gods rescue of Nineveh as wrong!

. . . and he becameangry. The word foranger means to burn. God hadmercifully turned from Hisanger, but Jonahs angertoward God was kindled.

Why was he angry?Because judgment hadbeen averted, and it was a judgment Jonah desperately wanted to see happen!Jonah had done what God wanted him to doto goand preachbut Godhad not done what Jonah wantedto destroy Nineveh.Jonah was angry at God forshowing mercy, and he feltbetrayed that He had sparedthe hated Ninevites.

He prayed . . . and said . . . . The last timeJonah prayed, he was in thebelly of a fish and glad for

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mercy. But now he wasangry at God for that samemercy. Why? Because it had gone to his enemies.

. . . was not this whatI said . . . ? He basicallysaid to God, I told you so!I was right, and You were wrong. He even tried to justify his rebellion byadmitting that his initialact of disobedience was anattempt to interfere with orthwart the mercy of God.

In effect, Jonah wassaying, This is the reasonI refused to go to Nineveh when You first called me. And I was right for doingso! Isnt that what wesometimes do? Boice wrote:

Things do not turnout as we wish, so we seek to justify ourdisobedience beforeGod. What we need tolearn is that we are notsufficient to pass onthe appropriateness orinappropriateness of theoutcome, nor are we

responsible for it. Weare responsible only forperforming the whole will of God (ibid., pp.84-85).

. . . I know that Youare . . . . Amazingly, Jonahbased his argument on thelist of divine attributes foundin Exodus 34:6-7, Godsrevelation of Himself following the sin of Israel with the golden calf at Sinai.Jonah resented the fact thatGod is: Gracious showing

favor to those who dontdeserve it (like Jonah, who accepted it in 2:9).

Merciful showingkindness, compassion,and forgiveness to thosein need. Jonah hadreceived it, but herefused to extend it.

Slow to anger God does not alwaysimmediately execute thepunishment deserved but gives time to repent.

Abundant inlovingkindness

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abounding in love, goodness, and pity.

One who relents fromdoing harm capableof judgment as well asforgiveness.Jonah used Gods own

description of Himself inExodus 34 to accuse Himof being two-faced andinconsistent. Jonah basicallysaid, I know what Yourelike. So why did You send me with a message of judgment if You were just going to showthem mercy anyway?

Jonah was so bitter andangry at God that he just wanted to die.

. . . take my life fromme . . . . Its amazing thatearlier Jonah praised Godthree times for saving his life(2:5-7). But here, in the firstof two times (see also v.8),he asked God to kill him. Why? Jonah refused toaccept Gods will becauseof his own hatred for theNinevites. His own self-will gripped his thinking so

powerfully (using the wordsI, me,and my eight times inthese two verses) that Jonah would rather die than havethem live. What a contrastto the Savior, who gladlydied so we could live.

Gods Challenge (4:4)Then the Lord said, Is itright for you to be angry?God would not leave this

matter unresolved, so Hechallenged Jonah about hisanger. Its not uncommonin the Bible for God tochallenge His people withpenetrating questions: He asked Adam, Where

are you? (Gen. 3:9). He asked Cain, Where

is Abel your brother?(Gen. 4:9).

Jesus asked Judas, Are you betraying the Sonof Man with a kiss?(Lk. 22:48).Its as if God were saying

to Jonah, We are looking atthe identical situation in twodifferent ways. Which of us

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has the proper perspective?Jonahs answer should havebeen, Let God be true butevery man a liar (Rom.3:4). But instead, he ranaway again.

Jonahs Flight (4:5)So Jonah went out of thecity and sat on the east side of the city. There hemade himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade,till he might see whatwould become of the city.Jonah was concerned

only for his comfort making a shelter wherehe could sit and watch thecity. His festering selfishnesshad made him into anisolated and bitter man and without a change of heart a bitter person only gets worse with time.

God would deal with His wayward prophet by askinghim another question. Butfirst He would take steps toprepare Jonahs heart for themessage in that question.

Gods Preparation(4:6-8)

The Lord God prepared a plant and made it come upover Jonah, that it mightbe shade for his head todeliver him from hismisery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant (v.6).The plant was a rapidly

growing plant with broadleaves. Some have identifiedit as the castor oil plant which grows about 12 feethigh and has large leaves.Notice that for the first timein the entire story, Jonah isgrateful. But it is onlybecause he is benefitingfrom the plant.

But as morning dawnedthe next day God prepared a worm, andit so damaged the plantthat it withered (v.7).The worm had a

voracious appetite (chewedthe vineNIV). Verses 6 and7 expose two oppositecharacteristics of GodsnatureHis ability to deliver

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and to destroy. The purposeof the worm was to destroythe plant so that Jonah wouldonce again be exposed.

It happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehementeast wind (v.8a).The wind was a hot,

scorching east wind (oftencalled sirocco) that blewoff the Arabian desert. Godresponded to the heat of Jonahs anger by exposinghim to the heat of thedesert and all its elements.

. . . and the sun beaton Jonahs head, so thathe grew faint. Then hewished death for himself,and said, It is betterfor me to die thanto live (v.8b).God supernaturally

removed all of Jonahsavenues of retreat so thatHe would have Jonahsundivided attention. Buttragically, Jonah still sawdeath as preferable tosubmitting to God.

Gods Question (4:9a)God said to Jonah,Is it right for you to beangry about the plant?In verse 4, Jonah was

angry about God. Now hesangry about a plant.Bitterness often begins loftyand ends puny. Boice wrote:

The same thing happens when we become angry. We begin by being angryat big things, but veryquickly we become angryat petty things. First weare angry at God. Next we express our anger atcircumstances, thenminor circumstances.Finally, our shoelacebreaks one morning,and we find ourselvesswearing. God wasshowing him this, sayingin effect, Look where your anger has taken you,Jonah. Is this right? Is thisthe way to live? Do you want to spend the rest of your life swearing at pettyannoyances? (ibid., p.95).

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Jonahs Animosity(4:9b)

[Jonah] said, It isright for me to be angry,even to death!Jonah still didnt get

it. There he sat, under a withered stalk, despondent,bitter, vindictivea tragicportrait in self-pity. He wasstill defending himself anddespairing of life. He saw norationale for Gods actions with Nineveh or with theplant, so he decided that if God was going to act this way, he would be better off dead.

Gods Rebuke(4:10-11)

Compassion For A Plant? (v.10).

But the Lord said, Youhave had pity on the plantfor which you have notlabored, nor made it grow,which came up in a nightand perished in a night.God put Jonahs attitude

into perspective:

He loved a worthlessplant, but hated theeternal souls of men.

He showed compassionfor one small elementof Gods creation buthad no mercy for anentire city facingeternal judgment.

It is as if God weresaying, Jonah, who is it thathas no logical rationale forhis actions? You or Me?

Compassion For ACity! (v.11).

Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city,in which are more thanone hundred and twenty thousand persons whocannot discern betweentheir right hand and their leftand much livestock?Jonah needed to see

that compassion for a plant was without value, butcompassion for a city withmore than 120,000 smallchildren has eternal value.If they couldnt discern rightfrom left, how could they

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know right from wrong?If Jonah could not pity thepeople of the city, surelyhe could pity the childrenand the cattlewho at leastshould be seen as innocentas the plant!

In the midst of this great spiritual awakening,Jonah was still missing the greatness of Gods grace andmercy. Having won the battleof reaching Nineveh withGods message, Jonah hadlost the war in his own heart.

THE RESTOF THE STORY

W W hat happenednext? It maybe that Jonah

finally came to understandthe need for mercy tooverwhelm judgment.If this werent true, whyelse would he write abouthis own experience andfinish it with Gods wordsabout the value He placeson eternal souls?

In the month or so it would have taken Jonah totravel back to Gath Hepher,Gods rebuke probably weighed heavily on hisheart. The subsequentconviction could havebecome so strong that bythe time he returned home,he had a heart of love andcompassion for the lost even for those who were hisenemies.

Maybe Jonah evenrealized that when ourenemies come to faith inGod, theyre not ourenemies anymore. Arent you thankful that Jonah

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When ourenemies cometo faith in God,

theyre notour enemies

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wrote his story withfrankness and honesty sothat we could be reminded why love is always betterthan hate?

FAILURE VERSUSSUCCESS

W W e learn manylessons in thebook of Jonah,

but the thread that connectsthem all together is themercy of God. We see it inHis pursuit and restorationof Jonah, His sparing of thesailors, and His miraculoussalvation of Nineveh. Alsoin full view is the spiritualfailure of Jonah . . .

who experienced mercybut gave none;

who received love butreturned none;

who benefited from thepatience of God butresented God forshowing that samepatience to Nineveh.

Its easy to forget that the

one who is forgiven muchshould love much, and theone who has received mercyshould be merciful.

Theres an old hymnthat says, Theres a wideness in Gods mercylike the wideness of thesea. But even thats not wide enough. The ultimateexpression of the widenessof Gods mercy is that of theoutstretched arms of Christnailed to a cross and dyingfor our sins.

How each of usresponds to that mercyis the issue on which oureternity hangs. Jonah wassuccessful in runningfrom Gods mercy, but his greatest failure was in not wanting others to beallowed to experience thatmercy. God grant that we would succeed in gratefullyand obediently taking Hismercy to those who need itas much as we do.

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the failure of success the story of jonah

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