Jonah 4:1-11 – “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 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. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to

live. Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? 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. 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. But God prepared

a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. 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. 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. 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: 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?”

o In chapter 3, Jonah comes to Nineveh with a message of judgment o The people of Nineveh responded in repentance o Jonah’s response to this nationwide revival is disheartening

Verse 1 “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry” o Instead of praising God for His grace to Ninevites, Jonah was violently angry o His personal problem: He has a personal hatred for the Ninevites

Verse 2 “And he prayed unto the Lord” o Your prayers reveal your heart o God hears our complaints as well as our prayers

Verse 2 “O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country?” He is acknowledging that his view has not changed concerning the Assyrians, Jonah’s heart is far away from God’s

Verse 3 “Take my life from me” This shows the extent and the intensity of Jonah’s hatred

Verse 4 “Doest thou well to be angry?” Jonah has no good reason to be angry

Verse 5 “So Jonah went out of the city” He sits and waits, hoping that God will bring judgment on Nineveh

Verse 6 “And the Lord God prepared a gourd” God in His mercy still cares for Jonah’s comfort Romans 11:32 – “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.”

Verse 6 “Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd” Jonah was happy to receive God’s provision of the gourd but never did acknowledge it as coming from God

Verse 7 “But God prepared a worm” o The worms mission was to attack the plant to take away Jonah’s shade o The plant was designed to serve God’s purpose

Verse 7 “But” Jonah 1:3 – “But Jonah” Jonah 1:4 – “But the Lord” Jonah 1:5 – “But Jonah” Jonah 4:1 – “But it displeased Jonah” Jonah 4:7 – “But God”

Verse 7 “But” You can argue with God all you want, but God will always have the last word

Verse 8 “God prepared a vehement east wind” Another servant in God’s arsenal of nature answers His call

Verse 8 “And the sun beat upon his head” He is in complete dejection and self-pity

Verse 9 “Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?” God asks Jonah if his anger is justifiable

Verse 9 “I do well to be angry, even unto death” Jonah in complete self-pity justifies his anger

Verse “Thou hast had pity on the gourd, Should not I spare Nineveh” Jonah was concerned over a soul-less plant but had no concern for the 120,000 people in Nineveh

o The very existence of this prophecy is a good indication that Jonah finally got his heart right with God or else he would not have left this prophecy for our spiritual benefit o And God will spare no extreme to get His message to the world