Let us take our Bibles now and open up to the
fourth chapter of the book of Jonah. Jonah chapter
four. As we come to the conclusion of this book,
we've seen the ups, and the downs of Jonah. Seems
like mostly down. But we also saw and will continue
to see the Lord doing something wonderful for
the people of Nineveh, showing his mercy to them
as he has shown mercy to us. Let's read this
chapter, Jonah 4. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly.
And he prayed to the Lord and said, O Lord, 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. Therefore now, O
Lord, please take my life from me. For it is
better for me to die than to live. And the Lord
said, do you do well to be angry? 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. Now 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 that attacked
the plant so that it withered. When 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. 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. And the Lord 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 perish in a night. And should
I not? pity Nineveh, that great city in which
there are more than 120 ,000 persons who do not
know the right hand from their left and also
much cattle. This is God's word. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for your enduring word that
truly does last forever. Father, as we look at
this text, we might have questions. We want to
know how do we apply this? What do we do with
this? But the number one thing we see here is
that you are gracious and merciful, slow to anger
and abounding in steadfast love. Would you work
that truth even deeper down into our hearts as
we study this text? We pray it in Christ's name.
Amen. If you're ever at trivia night, or maybe
game night with some friends, or if you ever
happen to be on Jeopardy, if the question comes,
I don't think they'd ask this question, but if
the question comes, which two books of the Bible
end in a question, the answer would be this one,
Jonah and Nahum. Jonah and Nahum both end in
a question. And I don't know if that's especially
significant, but we do notice the similarity
between those two books. They're both about Nineveh,
right? And this question right here at the end
posed by the Lord Himself, you'll notice here
Jonah doesn't answer that last question, does
he? We don't get Jonah's answer here. And I believe
the reason that we don't get Jonah's answer here
is because the author of the book of Jonah is
much more interested in your response than Jonah's.
And so we need to consider this last question.
We need to consider the pity and the mercy of
God, right? The answer should be obvious. Should
not I pity Nineveh? It's a rhetorical question,
but we can still answer it, can't we? God can
be merciful on whoever he wants to be merciful
upon. But I also want us to think about this.
Who are the people in our lives that we think
shouldn't have the mercy of God? Who are the
countries, the people groups? that we think,
God, you don't need to bother with them. But
even more than that, who are the people in our
environments, in our circles, that we think shouldn't
have the mercy of God? I want us to see God's
mercy and His grace and His love are wider than
we can ever imagine. That's what this text shows
us today. Usually I try and give you some points
to organize the sermon. Today I'm just gonna
go verse by verse. There's a lot of action in
here, so let's look at verse one. It displeased
Jonah exceedingly and he was angry. As a preacher,
and some of you will understand this, as you
might be teachers, you might be people who share
the gospel with others, I hope that you do, but
as a preacher, This is befuddling. This is perplexing.
Jonah proclaims the word of God. The people listen
to it. They believe and repent. And then Jonah
gets mad about that. Can you imagine that? What
if everybody that you told the gospel to believed
it? Isn't that what we want? Right? I'm like,
Jonah, like, what is wrong with you? This is
the greatest thing ever. The people believed
and God relented. We're all begging people to
believe and repent. Jonah gets it. The people
get it and Jonah gets mad. This reveals Jonah's
heart, doesn't it? Jonah never wanted Nineveh
to repent. Jonah never wanted God to relent.
And the wording of this is interesting too, as
you look there in verse one. That word for displeasure.
Sometimes that word actually means evil. What
Jonah feels here is that what God did was evil.
He finds what the Lord did in saving the Ninevites
to be evil. He's asking, how could you do this,
Lord? How could you spare them? This is intense
anger from Jonah. This is hot anger. We might
say here that Jonah is hopping mad. He is so
angry. This may remind us of the parable of the
unforgiving servant. I wonder if you remember
that. Maybe you remember what precipitated the
parable. Peter comes to Jesus and says, How many
times do I gotta forgive? Is it seven? Seven's
a good biblical number. Do I gotta forgive seven
times? I think that sounds pretty generous, right?
What does Jesus do? He multiplies it by 10. He
is saying, no, it's much more than that. You
have to keep on forgiving people because you
have been forgiven in Christ by me, right? And
so then Jesus tells this parable. There was a
king who wished to settle accounts with his servants,
and one of the king's servants was in debt up
to his eyeballs. I mean, the amount, and this
is in Matthew 18, the amount that the servant
owed, 10 ,000 talents, which is an astronomical
figure. That's how much he was in debt. Basically,
that servant is never paying that money back.
It's almost impossible to conceive how he got
in that much debt. So the servant who is in that
much debt, he does the only thing he can possibly
do, which is to go to the king and plead for
mercy, plead for forgiveness. And you know what
the king does? He forgives him, right? Hallelujah,
that's great. But what happens next after that?
The forgiven servant is also owed money by another
servant. And the amount that is owed there is
much smaller, 100 denarii. It's not nothing,
but it's a blip on the radar compared to 10 ,000
talents. So the first servant goes to the second
servant and says, pay me. The text actually says
that he chokes him and says, pay me what you
owe. And he throws that servant in prison. Can
you imagine that, that kind of debt being forgiven?
And then what do you do as you are forgiven?
You go and demand payment and perform physical
violence upon somebody else. This is Jonah. Jonah
who receives mercy, but he's mad when other people
get it, especially the people of Nineveh. He's
happy to receive it, but he calls it evil when
God shows it to others. And what does all this
do? This leads Jonah to pray. What a funny thing
to do in verse two. We have been wanting Jonah
to pray. He finally prayed in chapter two. There
in chapter 2 he prayed out of gratitude. He prayed
with Thanksgiving, but here he prays out of anger
and he reveals what we already know about him.
He reveals the very reason that he fled from
God in the first place. The reason he fled is
because of one of the most wonderful statements
in all of Scripture. Look there at verse 2. I
knew That you are a gracious God and merciful
Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love
and relenting from disaster Imagine that's the
reason that Jonah ran away Because God is this
This is kind of a refrain that's used throughout
scripture we see this many times Who would have
ever thought that this wonderful refrain of scripture?
would be read or would be said in a negative
way. Think back to the King of Nineveh. The King
of Nineveh's hope would be that God is what is
there in verse two. But Jonah, not so. Jonah
is angry about it. So we might say this, Jonah
knows that God is gracious and merciful, meaning
Jonah's got good theology, but he's got a bad
heart. He's got good theology, but he's got a
bad heart. His theology is on point, but his
heart is not. But before we start pointing fingers
at Jonah and telling him how bad of a prophet
he is, let's recognize this, that we can be like
this too. We can be like this too where we know
our theology pretty well, but our hearts are
not in it. If you are not applying your theology,
you're missing the point. This is like the Pharisees,
if you remember this in Jesus's time. The Pharisees
were known for being religious leaders, right?
But their hearts were not in the right place.
The study of theology should bring us to doxology.
meaning the study of theology should help us
to worship. And the study of theology should
help us to more and more be like God. The study
of the scriptures should have us living the scriptures.
But Jonah is a prophet of God who looks nothing
in this moment like God. To me, his prayer sounds
a lot like, do you remember the Pharisee? who
went up to the temple to pray, and there was
the tax collector there. And what did the Pharisee
pray to God? He said, thank you, Lord, that I'm
not like that guy. That's the worst prayer. This
one's not much better, is it? Can you imagine
being upset with God for his mercy and for his
grace? And so he continues his prayer in verse
three, his request, take my life. Jonah would
rather die than to see Nineveh live. He says
he's better off dead than alive. This is severe
hatred for the people of Nineveh. A few weeks
ago I talked about living in Europe and seeing
the disdain, the hatred for the Roma population,
for the gypsy population, about how they are
shunned. And they do bring some of that upon
themselves. But let's ask the question here in
our context right here. Fountain Inn, South Carolina.
Who are the people that we shun? Who are the
people that we despise? Who are the people that
we believe should not have the mercy of God?
And as maybe you're wondering who that is, and
I hope it's tough for that to come to mind. We
don't want that. But let's also remember to whom
Jesus ministered, right? Jesus ministered to
these sorts of people. Jesus touched the people
that others wouldn't touch. Jesus ate with people
that other people would not eat with. Jesus healed
people that others would have said just leave
them alone. And so who is it for us? Who are
the Ninevites for us? And then remember this.
You are a recipient of God's mercy. It's only
by His grace that you are freed from your former
self, and now you are a child of God. It's only
by His grace that you are not shunned by society.
But maybe today, you even think that you are
shunned by society. Maybe you feel like you're
on the outcast. that nobody wants you, no one
wants to be near you. Maybe, as I said last week,
maybe you feel like God doesn't love you anymore,
like he's got no use for you anymore. Christian,
I want you to know this today, that you are everything
in God's eyes. I want you to know how much he
loves you. Let's let the love of God shine through
this passage. that he shows that kind of love
and mercy and compassion and grace on the people
of Nineveh. And this is what the Lord is showing
us. This is what the Lord is showing Jonah. Look
at verse four. The Lord asks this important question.
Do you do well to be angry? We might say it this
way. Are you justified in being this mad? And
this is the first of three questions that the
Lord asks. You would have thought that one question
would have been enough. Friends, if God asks
you, are you justified in being this angry? The
answer is no. If God's not mad about it, you
shouldn't be either. I like how Calvin put it.
John Calvin said, God shows Jonah how far he
has fallen. by allowing himself to be angry.
It is a sad thing when a creature rises up against
God and starts arguing with him. But that was
Jonah's state of mind. Now, with this first question,
we don't see Jonah's response, do we? We only
see his action. What does he do? He leaves the
city. He gets out of there. Why? Why is Jonah
getting out of Nineveh? Well, he wants a front
row seat just in case God changes his mind. Jonah
wants to see the fireworks. Jonah is the sort
of person who watches NASCAR for the crashes.
That's who he is. And so he goes out of the city
and he makes a booth for shade. Now, I think
that this is important. If we were to go to Deuteronomy,
you could turn there if you wish. Deuteronomy
chapter 16, verses 13 through 14, we perhaps
may be seeing something similar to what Jonah
made and sat in. Certainly the word booth may
have us thinking of this. Deuteronomy 16, 13
through 14, says, You shall keep the feast of
booths seven days when you have gathered in the
produce from your threshing floor and your wine
press. You shall rejoice in your feast, you and
your son and your daughter, your male servant
and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner,
the fatherless, and the widow who are within
your towns. What was the purpose of the feast
of booths for those wandering Israelites in the
wilderness? The point of it was to care for those
who were in need of mercy. I can't say it definitively,
but is it possible that Jonah makes a booth like
that, a booth made to recall the mercy of God?
This is what Jonah sits in, right? And while
he's sitting there, he's ignoring the very purpose
for those booths and he is ignoring who God truly
is. He perhaps is pleading with God for harm
to come upon the Ninevites while sitting in a
structure designed to recall the mercy of God.
And so he sits there and he waits. And while
he is waiting, God does something nice. Look
in verse six. God makes a plant to come up for
shade Apparently the booth is not enough for
shade. So once again, we see God Working through
his creation just like Jonah or just like God
appointed the fish to swallow Jonah and spit
him out Here we see something else appointed
by God this plant to deliver Jonah and when it
says deliverance then we should understand that
Jonah is not just mildly uncomfortable. Jonah
is really suffering under heat. The booth was
not enough. And so God brings about this plant
and Jonah is happy with the extra shade. He welcomes
the kindness of God here. But once again, he
welcomes it, but he is upset when the Ninevites
get it. But what happens when God removes that
kindness? Look in verse seven. God appoints,
there's that word again, he appoints the worm
to attack the plant. And so the plant withers
just as quickly as it came, showing us that God
gives and God takes away, right? So we should
note, friends, that the blessings that we have,
they are not ours. The blessings that we have,
we don't own them. They are given to us by the
Lord and so we ought to be thankful for our blessings
from God and we should be willing to share these
blessings and so in verse 8 The Sun rises God
appoints. There's that word again appoints the
scorching east wind The Sun is beating down on
Jonah's head. I Was playing basketball with some
friends yesterday and three of them are bald
and they were all complaining about their sunburns
on their head. And so Jonah is getting really
hot here. He's very uncomfortable. And I like
what John MacArthur says here. The Lord's choice
of discipline was fitting. Jonah had been hot
with anger having hoped to see the fiery destruction
of the city. So God exposed Jonah to the heat
of his judgment. the scathing wind and the searing
heat tormented him and so once again you see
from Jonah his request from God God let me die
now why doesn't Jonah just ask again for the
mercy of God why doesn't Jonah just pray and
say Lord you brought that plan I'd sure like
to have that again well wouldn't it be very hard
to ask for God's mercy knowing how much He has
shown his hatred of it for other people. And
so he doesn't ask for the plant again. He asks
for death. Now, through it all, God's really
teaching Jonah a lesson, isn't he? For the first
question that God asked was about Jonah being
upset over God's mercy. But now. He says, are
you justified in anger about the plan? And so
what does God do? He turns the tables. Jonah
was angry about showing about God showing mercy,
but now he is angry about God showing not showing
the mercy to him. Right. And so after all of
this, maybe hopefully prayerfully, he's learned
his lesson. You see in verse 10. Jonah doesn't
have anything else to say, does he? Jonah, to
me, he's a lot like Job. If you remember the
book of Job, there's a lot of back and forth,
and finally God starts speaking, Jonah speaks
back, and then God shares his reasoning, and
then Job stops talking. Here we do not see Jonah
talking anymore. There's nothing more to say.
God connects the dots, not just of this chapter,
but God connects the dots of the whole book.
One commentator says here, the pagan captain
was concerned that people not perish. The pagan
sailors concerned that people's not perish. The
pagan king was concerned that people not perish.
Finally, Jonah is concerned about perishing,
but concerned about a plant perishing, not a
people. ironic you see Job as we know did nothing
to make that plant grow did he it wasn't his
it was all of God's mercy and yet he's upset
about the loss and the lesson here is this unlike
Jonah God did make the people of Nineveh didn't
he they do belong to him and he can have mercy
on them if he chooses and today You have faith
in Jesus Christ if you have been brought to repentance
by the mercy of God friends It is truly all of
his mercy. You might remember Romans chapter
5 verse 6 for while We were still weak at the
right time Christ died for the ungodly Friends,
you know this about Jesus. Jesus is the embodiment
of of the mercy of God. Were it not for Christ,
we'd be under the wrath of God. We would be under
God's judgment. What is stated though in verse
two is true. The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
This is the character of God. God showers us
with grace upon grace. In just a minute. We're
gonna sing a new hymn And I want you to really
think about the words of it Just the beginning
this tells us more of the character of God For
it begins here is love vast as the ocean Loving
kindness as the flood when the prince of life
our ransom shed for us his precious blood Friends,
what is the right response to the mercy of God?
It's what we're doing right here, right now.
The right response to the mercy of God is to
worship. But what is the right response to God's
mercy and the repentance of others? How should
we feel when other people come to faith in Jesus
Christ? Look no further than heaven. For perhaps
you remember Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15
in which there is a lost coin. There's a lost
sheep. There's a lost son. And within that chapter
we see this twice. There will be more joy in
heaven over one sinner who repents than over
99 righteous persons who need no repentance.
And that's what verse 11 shows us of Jonah chapter
4. It explains the extent of God's mercy, the
wideness of God's mercy, that within this book
the mercy and the grace of God, the kindness
of God, encompasses the entire population and
the animals. And heaven loves it. Heaven loves
this. And so we too must thank God for mercy.
Not just for us But thank God for his mercy that
he shows to all kinds of people in all kinds
of places Let us be vessels of God's mercy showing
God's loving kindness. Let us be those who reach
out to our communities proclaiming salvation
in the name of Jesus Christ alone and As the
book of Jonah ends with a question I want to
leave you with two questions to ponder today.
Ponder it today, ponder it this week. The first
question is, do you know the mercy of God in
Christ? And the second question is, what are
you going to do about it?