The God of the Gourd Jonah 4

God commands, Jonah protests 1:1 Now the word of the L ORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the L ORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the L ORD. 4 But the L ORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

God commands, Jonah protests 7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the L ORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the L ORD, because he had told them.

God commands, Jonah protests 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the L ORD, “O L ORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O L ORD, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the L ORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the L ORD and made vows.

God commands, Jonah protests 17 And the L ORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah prays, God listens 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the L ORD his God from the belly of the fish And the L ORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

God commands, Jonah Preaches 3:1 Then the word of the L ORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the L ORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

God commands, Jonah Preaches 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the L ORD and said, “O L ORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O L ORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the L ORD said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

God commands, Jonah Preaches 5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east 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. 6 Now the L ORD 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. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 Then the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

God commands, Jonah Preaches 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the L ORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Lessons from the Gourd 1.God is great in mercy and not willing that any should perish. John. 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Acts 10:35 – “...but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.” 1 Tim. 2:4 – “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Pet. 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Lessons from the Gourd 2.Life is about what God wants, not what we want. John 8:29 – “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:9 – “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1 – “ 4:1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.” 1 John 3:22 – “ 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.”

Lessons from the Gourd 3.We must avoid getting so caught up in the pleasures of things that we forgot about lost souls. Some want to see others lost, not saved. Proverbs 24:17 – “ 17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:25-29) John 4:35 – “ 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” James 5:19-20 – “ 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Lessons from the Gourd 4.God will not accept a wrong attitude even though it follows a previous act of obedience. God had already prepared a “great tempest” and a “great fish” to change Jonah’s actions (1:4,17) God will now prepare a gourd, a worm, and a wind to change Jonah’s attitude (4:6,7,8) Acts 5:1ff Acts 8:13ff

Lessons from the Gourd 5.It is best to heed the warnings of God! The people of Nineveh listened to the preaching of Jonah and repented. Therefore, God relented from the destruction of the city that He had prepared. God’s warnings and pleadings are not idle threats. He will fulfill His promises. Among these are... “ 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!” (2 Peter 3:10-12)

Lessons from the Gourd 1.God is great in mercy and not willing that any should perish. 2.Life is about what God wants, not what we want. 3.We must avoid getting so caught up in the pleasures of things that we forgot about lost souls. 4.God will not accept a wrong attitude even though it follows a previous act of obedience. 5.It is best to heed the warnings of God!

References 1.Jim Deason Study Material 2.Homer Hailey’s Commentary on the Minor Prophets 3.Base lesson taken from an internet site – author unknown. My apologies.