Return to Index.

Jonah Learns Mercy
September 12, 2015

Last week we read the third chapter of the Book of Jonah and saw that Jonah preached to Nineveh as God commanded and that Nineveh was convinced of the need to repent and was spared the wrath of God.

Jonah 4:1-4
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?

Instead of being happy that the people of Nineveh repented, Jonah became angry. Nineveh was an adversary to Israel, and Jonah couldn't stand an adversary benefit from the mercy of God. He was so angry he would have preferred to die than be part of what saved Nineveh.

Jonah 4:5-8
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.

Instead of celebrating the mercy that had been shown, Jonah decided to pout. He left the city and camped just outside the walls clinging on to hope that the city would still be destroyed. Realizing that Jonah wasn't going to change his mind, God realized it was time to teach Jonah about mercy.

Jonah 4:8-11
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?

In Jonah's mind, only the righteous deserved mercy. God wanted Jonah to understand that it is the unrighteous who are given mercy when they repent and change their ways. Jonah needed to learn that it was not his place to question the intent of God. God wanted to save over one hundred thousand people who were otherwise lost. Just as Jonah was given a mission by God to complete, whenever God gives us a mission to complete, we must complete it. We never know how God might use us to help others repent; and we should never be concerned when God grants mercy even if the person receiving mercy had lived an unrighteous lifestyle before repenting.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
Copyright and Legal Information
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information