Jonah Chapter 4

At the end of chapter 3, God says He would not bring upon the citizens of Nineveh the evil He had planned. We see in chapter 4, this does not please Jonah.

Verse 1: In verse one, the text reads Jonah became angry. A better translation is Jonah burned with anger. Jonah was not just angry, he was red hot. The difference can be seen in our own emotions. There are times when things do not go our way. We may be frustrated, upset of angry. Then there are other times in which a series of events makes us extremely emotional. We erupt like a hot volcano with rage. This second type of anger is the anger Jonah was experiencing.

Verse 2: In verse two, Jonah quotes Exodus 34:6:
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth

The attributes listed in Exodus 34:6 are called the 13 attributes of God. They are quoted multiple places in the Bible. Moses speaks thee words to God after Israel sins with the golden calf. Moses goes back to the mountain top to get a second set of tablets.

There are a number of similarities between the Book of Jonah and Moses and the gold calf incident. First, we have God’s attributes listed. Next, Moses fasts for forty days and forty nights on top of the mountain. The king of Nineveh calls for a fast and the time set for this forty days and forty nights. The Israelites have committed a grievous sin against God (the golden calf). The Ninevities have committed horrible crimes. Nineveh repents and is saved. The Israelites do not repent. They are visited with a plague (Exodus 32:35).

Jonah slightly changes the text. Instead of saying God is a God of truth, Jonah states “God relents from doing evil”. Why did Jonah change one of God’s attributes? The answer comes from Jonah’s perception of the world.

In verse one of chapter one, we are told Jonah is the son of Amittai. Amittati means truth. So, Jonah is the son of truth. Truth is an abstract concept. Things which are true consist of laws of physics and mathematics. How do we apply truth? That would be justice. When we execute justice we are applying truth to the situation. We can see this best in the court system.

We have laws in our countries, states and cities in which we must adhere. If we break one of the laws, it is as if we have broken the truth. We may go to court and be put on trial. We are examined if we have kept the truth. If we have not, the laws of justice state the punishment we are to receive.

Jonah sees God in this light. God is a God of truth. God executes truth by giving judgments based on people’s adherence to God’s laws. However, Jonah is having a hard time because God is showing compassion to the Ninevites.

Compassion versus Justice
Compassion and justice are not opposite sides of a coin. Rather, they are two different systems. Justice views everything in the light of the past. The question asked is: What have you done? Justice takes into account everything from the past and doles out a judgment based on the evidence. Everything is measure for measure. Justice is objective.

Compassion is a completely different system. It views everything in terms of the future. The question asked is: What can you do or what potential do you have? Compassion is subjective. If a person sins, but repents of his actions, compassion views the person’s future potential.

Compassion versus justice is the basis for the entire book of Jonah. Jonah believes God should be a God of justice. The people of Nineveh have committed horrible crimes. They should be punished. However, God is showing compassion and sees Nineveh’s potential.

Let’s look at Jonah’s call to action in a different light.

Imagine a family member was raped. Through DNA evidence, the person who committed the crime I apprehended.The person who committed the crime is very wealthy. He hires the best legal team. When the case goes to trial, the legal team is able to do a lot of smoke and mirrors. The trial lasts six months. Before a verdict is given, the judge calls in the family of the rape victim. He tells the family the trial has gone on long enough. It is time for the family to meet with the perpetrator. The man is going to issue an apology for committing the crime. The family then needs to drop the charges and allow the man to go free.

How would you feel if this happened to you? You would probably want to strangle the judge. How could you let a guilty man go free? Do you not know the harm he has committed?

Now imagine this dream was a little bit different. Instead of the judge asking you to drop the charges and accept the apology, it was God. How would you feel?  

This second scenario is the Book of Jonah. Jonah is told to go to Nineveh. He is to press charges agains the Ninevites. If they repent of their actions, then Jonah is to let them go free. Jonah does not want to do this. Jonah cannot argue with God. So, Jonah does the only thing he knows to do. He flees from God.

When the storm overtakes the boat, Jonah knows it is God. The pagans start crying out to their gods for help. Jonah remains silent. He goes down into the boat and tries to sleep. If God is not letting him escape from his presence, then Jonah can escape God by going to sleep. This does not work as the caption of the ship wakes up Jonah.

Jonah goes to the deck. He does not cry out to God. When the lot falls to Jonah, Jonah says they are to throw him overboard. Jonah believes the only way he can escape God is through death. Jonah is thrown into the sea. A fish swallows Jonah. As Jonah is dying, he cries out to God, but if you read his prayer carefully, Jonah does not repent. Jonah is spit out on land. God then calls Jonah to go to Nineveh again. This time Jonah obeys.

Verse 3: Now Jonah is furious with God. God accepted the Nineties repentance. Nineveh is saved. Jonah does not want to live any more. Why live in a world which does not execute justice? Jonah is a son of truth. Truth demands justice. But God has shown compassion.

Verse 4: God challenges Jonah. God asks if it is right for Jonah to be angry. Jonah does not respond.

Verse 5: Jonah builds himself a shelter and waits to see what will happen to Nineveh. This is odd. Jonah already knows God saved Nineveh. Jonah knows God is not going to destroy the city; yet, Jonah still wants to sit outside the city and wait for its destruction. Please note, it states the shelter provided shade.

Verse 6: God prepares a plant and allows it to rapidly grow. The text states the plant provided shade. This seems odd. Jonah already has a shelter which is providing shade. Why does he also need a plant? The second thing the plant provides is mis-translated in our English text. The Hebrew says the plant was to save Jonah from his evil. This second reason for the plant is what the story of Jonah hinges upon.

What is Jonah’s evil? That is given in verse two. Jonah wants God to be a God of justice. Jonah does not want God to be compassionate. God wants to save Jonah from this wrong way of thinking. God is going to teach Jonah a lesson through using a plant.

Verse 7: We are told a worm comes, damages the plant and causes the plant to die. This scene is showing Jonah the difference between justice and compassion.

The plant is something God created. It did not come from a seed. It did not grow according to the laws of nature. Instead, God in His compassion caused the plant to grow.

The worm is justice. The worm comes along and asks the plant for its history. Does it have proof it came from a seed? Does it have a growing history? The answer is no. Since the plant did not grow according to the laws of nature, the worm (justice) rends its verdict. The plant is guilty and must be destroyed. So, the worm kills the plant.

Verse 8: Verse eight states God created an east wind and the sun blew upon Jonah’s head. This is reminiscent of the splitting off the Red Sea. God caused an east wind to blow. The sea split. Clouds provided shelter from the scorching heat. Did Israel do anything to merit this? The answer is no. God did this out of HIs compassion.

Now, God is delivering an east wind, but this time it is not a blessing. Moreover, the sun beats on Jonah’s head. We cannot be sure, but the text implies the east wind destroyed the shelter Jonah built. This is why Jonah was no longer sitting in the shade. Additionally, the sun is burning Jonah. This goes back to verse one of chapter four in which it states Jonah burned with anger. There is a word play in Hebrew. God is now “burning” Jonah with the sun. Jonah said he was burning. Now God is causing Jonah to actually burn. Once again, Jonah is mad with God, and he wants to die (again!).

Verse 9: God again challenges Jonah. God asks if it is right for Jonah to be angry about a plant. This time, Jonah answers.

Verse 10: God explains compassion versus justice. God explains He made the plant grow. Jonah did nothing. Jonah did not labor over the plant or cause the plant to grow. Everything about the plant was an act of God’s compassion. Yet, Jonah felt a connection with the plant. Jonah did not render a verdict on the plant’s past (justice), but he saw the plant’s potential (compassion).

Verse 11: God explains like the having compassion on the plant, this is the same thing he was doing to Nineveh. God saw Nineveh’s potential. God knew the justice which should be rendered. However, when Nineveh repented and turned their hearts back to God, God showed compassion. He allowed the past to be overlooked and focused on Nineveh’s potential.

This is the entire moral of the story of Jonah. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. God is a God of justice. We deserve death for out sins. However, if we repent, if we turn our hearts and minds back to God, God can look on our potential and show compassion. God does not forget our past, but He can choose to see what we can be. This is like a mother with her children. A child may have broken a house rule. The mother can severely chasten the child. However, if the child repents of his ways and shows a desire to improve his behavior, the strict penalty may be lessened or dropped. The mother looks to the child’s potential of becoming a better person. So too, through God’s compassion, He is willing to look on our potential to turn away from sin and follow Him.