As we come to the conclusion of the book of Jonah, we uncover surprising lessons about humanity and divinity. Jonah’s struggle with accepting God’s compassion towards Nineveh mirrors our own moments of wrestling with divine decisions. Allen J. Huth shares thought-provoking reflections from his personal Bible reading journals that challenge us to reconsider our perspective on anger and forgiveness. This episode invites you to think deeply about your own relationship with God and how you might reflect His compassion in your daily life. Tune in to explore these timeless truths and discover practical ways to apply them.
Welcome to ADDBIBLE, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we come to the last chapter in the book of Jonah. After chapter 3, when God relented from judging Nineveh, Jonah gets upset. Let’s listen in to chapter 4 of the book of Jonah and see Jonah’s anger and God’s compassion. We’ll listen to Faith Comes By Hearing’s recording of Jonah chapter 4.
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Jonah 4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said,
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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.
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And the Lord said, Do you do well to be angry?
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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.
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And he asked that he might die and said, ”It is better for me to die than to live.”
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But God said to Jonah, ”Do you do well to be angry for the plant?”
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And he said, ”Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”
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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 perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?
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I’ve shared my personal Bible reading journal from 1991 when I was 36 years old, both in chapters 1 and 3. So we’ll move on to the journal in 2010 when I was 55 years old. I’ve shared bits and pieces of this journal entry through chapters 1 through 3. So today I’d like to read the whole entry together. I wrote, Before Nahum prophesied against Nineveh, Jonah was instructed to do so. So I went back and read Jonah this morning. As with Nahum, Jonah was specifically instructed to call out against Nineveh. Jonah was told to go there. Jonah refused to go. God tells him again to go. Jonah goes this time, and the people of Nineveh believed God. They repent. fast, turned from their evil ways. And when God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them. God spared Nineveh under Jonah, not under Nahum. So when God’s warnings come, if we heed them, we can be spared. If we ignore them, we will be judged. Three years later, in 2013, when I was 58 years old, I read Jonah one chapter a day. I finished with Jonah chapter 4 and I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal, Do you have good reason to be angry? And I was referring to verse 4. God could ask that to most of us any time. We are mad about a lot of things. God is merciful. He gives us a second chance over and over. He offers forgiveness to all who will repent. We should not be angry but thankful. Jonah may have been more concerned for his own reputation. What he said didn’t come true than the repentance of Nineveh. What are we concerned about? Those were my journal entries concerning the book of Jonah, so now let’s take a look at chapter 4 and conclude this book. The chapter starts with a but, so we have to go back to the end of chapter 3. Chapter 3 ended with this verse. When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. Then we get the but at the beginning of chapter 4. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. So what displeased Jonah? The fact that God relented. The fact that he did not destroy Nineveh. That’s a strange response from someone who saw people respond to his message. People who repented. People who called out to the Lord, his own God. but even in his anger he prayed he even admits he knows god is a gracious and merciful god slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster he knows that that’s god’s character but he didn’t want it on display on his behalf in nineveh And God responds to Jonah’s prayer in verse 4. Do you do well to be angry? Many people have anger issues. Jonah appears to be one of them. Are you? Do you get angry when things don’t work out the way you expect them to? Do you get angry when God doesn’t do things the way you expect him to? Do you get angry when you see God’s forgiveness or his mercy to someone you don’t think deserves it? Is the Lord asking you here in Jonah chapter 4, do you do well to be angry? Jonah actually left the city of Nineveh, went outside the city, and got a first-row view to watch God destroy the city. Remember his eight-word sermon, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. That’s what Jonah went out to see. He wanted to see what would become of the city. Now God shows his mercy and grace toward Jonah himself. He plants a shade tree over Jonah’s head to save him from his discomfort. In your anger, have you ever felt the Lord take care of you? Plant a shade tree over your head to save you from your own discomfort? Would you even acknowledge if something like that happened that it might be from the Lord? I’m not sure Jonah put two and two together, but he was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and Jonah’s back out exposed to the hot sun. In fact, God appoints a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. It’s been a very interesting relationship between these two, hasn’t it? In this chapter, it appears that God cares for Jonah enough to give a shade tree. Then he takes the shade tree away and burns him with scorching wind. This reminds me of what happened to Jonah when he ran from God in the first place. He casts him into the deep. The floods surrounded him. The waves passed over him. The waters closed in upon him as if to take his life. This is not kid-glove treatment by God to Jonah, is it? So how’s your relationship with the Lord? Is he knocking you around a little bit to get your attention? Do you do well to be angry? Jonah cries out to God, just take my life. But God asked the question again, do you do well to be angry for the plant? Jonah so hopping mad, he says, yeah, yeah, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die. And God expresses great compassion to Jonah in his response, saying, you pity the plant for which you did not labor. nor did you make it grow which came into being in the night and perished in the night and should not I pity Nineveh that great city in which there were more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left in other words Jonah you care more for this plant than for people God rubs it in a little bit more with that last little phrase, and also much cattle, meaning you care more for this plant than you care for the people of Nineveh. Maybe you would care for the animals as much as you care for this plant? And the book ends with that question. Should not God pity people? When they come to repentance in him. Aren’t you glad the demonstration here in Nineveh was yes. God cares for people. He cared for the 120,000 people in Nineveh. And he cared for the individual Jonah. He cares for you. Do you do well? to be angry. As we wrap up the book of Jonah, let’s go back to our book introduction the first day. I said, Jonah is famous for the story of Jonah and the whale. The theme though is God’s boundless compassion, not just for us, Jonah and the Israelites, but also for them, the pagan sailors and the Ninevites. The primary purpose of Jonah is to engage readers in the theological reflection of the compassion of God and in self-reflection determine how we reflect that compassion in the world. I also said in that first day’s book introduction, it is not our call to determine who is worthy of God. God sought out Nineveh as much as you and me. Yes, the book of Jonah is truly more than a fish story. Our practical applications from this short book are, when God calls, don’t run the other way. Secondly, if your disobedience of God is causing problems in other people’s lives, Maybe it’s time to acknowledge that and repent. Maybe it’s time to get back into an obedient relationship with God Almighty. Thirdly, regardless of the circumstances we’re in, if God’s testing us, it’s still good to pray. God heard the prayers of Jonah. He’ll hear your prayers, even in a fit of anger. Fourth, if God does restore you, and you do make a vow to serve Him all the days of your life, keep your vow. And fifth, praise God when we repent that He relents. And lastly, check your anger. Check your anger toward God. Rather than anger, express thanks for the shade trees over your life. Thank Him for His compassion for you and others. Thank Him for the compassion He shows to us Ninevites. A disobedient people who found a way to repent and cry out to God. Father, we thank you that you are certainly a God of the second chance. We all have needed a second chance in our lives. We pray and thanks that in the book of Jonah, we see your compassion. Thank you for your love for us. Thank you for your love for me. Thank you for giving us these wonderful principles in the book of Jonah. May we be doers of the word and not hearers only. Thank you that when we run from you, you keep up with us. Thank you for the shade trees you provided for us in our lives. Thank you for hearing our prayers of anger and responding with your compassion. As we cry out to you, forgive us, Lord. Draw us close to you. In the name of Jesus, amen. Thanks for listening to ADDBIBLE today. Is the Bible unique or just like the other so-called sacred writings in the world? The teachings of Buddha, the Hindu writings, or the Quran? Many say they all say the same thing and lead people to the same place. I believe that is a statement of ignorance because most people have never read much, if any, of the sacred writings of the world. I have. I picked up the teachings of Buddha in the Buddhist country of Thailand. I got a Quran in the Muslim nation of Malaysia. And like a Bible placed in a hotel by the Gideons that I hoped people would read cover to cover, I read those other books. At EzraProject.net, check out our message called Origins of the Sacred Writings, God’s Word or Man’s. I tell you where they came from, quote from them, and you can decide. They all say the same thing and all lead people to the same place. It’s one of our most popular messages. I know you’re going to enjoy it and want to share it with others.
