(1) Jonah's logic
a. Justice is justice
4:1 This displeased Jonah terribly and he became very angry.
(NET) God’s burning anger “cooled off” when the Ninevites repented, but Jonah’s anger was “kindled” when God did not destroy Nineveh.
He preached to the Nineveh, "“At the end of forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!” (3:4). He did not want them to repent so that God would cancel the destruction of the city. He expected for the city to be destroyed because whoever did the evil should be judged. There should be no relenting. Justice is justice. He disagreed with God who showed mercy to his enemies.
b. God might change His mind, but Jonah would not
v. 5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made a shelter for himself there and sat down under it in the shade to see what would happen to the city.
(NET) Apparently Jonah hoped that he might have persuaded the LORD to “change his mind” again (see 3:8–10) and to judge Nineveh after all.
He still hoped to convince God about his logic after God confronted him v.4.
c. he rather die than live when he was angry
Jonah said this phrase twice, “I would rather die than live!” In v.3, it was because God relent His judgment to Nineveh. In v.8, when the little plant died he grew faint in the heat.
In both times, God asked him, "“Are you really so very angry" v.4,9.
In other words, he was a person of no control of his emotion. When people got mad they got mad. When Jonah got mad he would rather die. No one is more stubborn than Jonah. He was not going to change in front of God.
Reflection: Do you always think you are right when you argue with your spouse? Will you also think that you are always right in front of God? Is there any room for God to change you? You rather God to change than you be changed when you pray?
(2) God's logic
4:10 The LORD said, “You were upset about this little plant, something for which you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day
4:11 Should I not be even more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than one hundred twenty thousand people in it who do not know right from wrong, as well as many animals!”
(NET) The contrast between Jonah’s concern for his “little” plant (v. 10) and God’s concern about this “enormous” city (v. 11) could not be greater! Jonah’s misplaced priorities look exceedingly foolish and self-centered in comparison to God’s global concern about the fate of 120,000 pagans.
The contrast was more than the difference in size of the plant and the city. There was contrast in between the relationship between Jonah/plant and God/Nineveh. God created the people in Nineveh and He probably had done a lot of work to care for the people ("something for which you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow").
Justice is justice, but when people repented God changed His mind. He rather to pay for our sins by sending His Son to die for us to have the justice serve. He rather chose this way so that He could be merciful to those who repent.
Reflection: We are so limited and do not understand the heart of God. We thought that God is just and He has to be a certain way, but He also finds the way to be both just and merciful. The way he chose was to sacrifice Himself.
Thank God for His love for us! Pray that I will be humble for I am limited in my knowledge.
Audrey
a. Justice is justice
4:1 This displeased Jonah terribly and he became very angry.
(NET) God’s burning anger “cooled off” when the Ninevites repented, but Jonah’s anger was “kindled” when God did not destroy Nineveh.
He preached to the Nineveh, "“At the end of forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!” (3:4). He did not want them to repent so that God would cancel the destruction of the city. He expected for the city to be destroyed because whoever did the evil should be judged. There should be no relenting. Justice is justice. He disagreed with God who showed mercy to his enemies.
b. God might change His mind, but Jonah would not
v. 5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made a shelter for himself there and sat down under it in the shade to see what would happen to the city.
(NET) Apparently Jonah hoped that he might have persuaded the LORD to “change his mind” again (see 3:8–10) and to judge Nineveh after all.
He still hoped to convince God about his logic after God confronted him v.4.
c. he rather die than live when he was angry
Jonah said this phrase twice, “I would rather die than live!” In v.3, it was because God relent His judgment to Nineveh. In v.8, when the little plant died he grew faint in the heat.
In both times, God asked him, "“Are you really so very angry" v.4,9.
In other words, he was a person of no control of his emotion. When people got mad they got mad. When Jonah got mad he would rather die. No one is more stubborn than Jonah. He was not going to change in front of God.
Reflection: Do you always think you are right when you argue with your spouse? Will you also think that you are always right in front of God? Is there any room for God to change you? You rather God to change than you be changed when you pray?
(2) God's logic
4:10 The LORD said, “You were upset about this little plant, something for which you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day
4:11 Should I not be even more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than one hundred twenty thousand people in it who do not know right from wrong, as well as many animals!”
(NET) The contrast between Jonah’s concern for his “little” plant (v. 10) and God’s concern about this “enormous” city (v. 11) could not be greater! Jonah’s misplaced priorities look exceedingly foolish and self-centered in comparison to God’s global concern about the fate of 120,000 pagans.
The contrast was more than the difference in size of the plant and the city. There was contrast in between the relationship between Jonah/plant and God/Nineveh. God created the people in Nineveh and He probably had done a lot of work to care for the people ("something for which you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow").
Justice is justice, but when people repented God changed His mind. He rather to pay for our sins by sending His Son to die for us to have the justice serve. He rather chose this way so that He could be merciful to those who repent.
Reflection: We are so limited and do not understand the heart of God. We thought that God is just and He has to be a certain way, but He also finds the way to be both just and merciful. The way he chose was to sacrifice Himself.
Thank God for His love for us! Pray that I will be humble for I am limited in my knowledge.
Audrey
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