5Then Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city, and there made himself a booth and sat under it in the shade, until he might see what would become of the city. 6Yahweh God prepared a vine and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the vine. 7But God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine so that it withered. 8When the sun arose, God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he was faint and requested for himself that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?”
He said, “I am right to be angry, even to death.”
10Yahweh said, “You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11Shouldn’t I be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who can’t discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also many animals?”
As our study draws to a close, we’ll take a look at God’s continued education of Jonah. Rather than acknowledging his own sin Jonah chose to focus on Nineveh.
What are some of the ways Jonah had experienced God’s grace up to this point?
Jonah enjoyed his own experience of God’s grace but hated the idea of that same grace being distributed to his enemies. However, this passage shows us that God is faithful not only to save the lost, but also to produce repentance in the lives of those He has called.
Despite witnessing God’s repeated deliverance, as well as the repentance of both the sailors and the Ninevites, the first recorded instance of Jonah rejoicing is over the shade given by the plant (4:6).
God’s discipline is a function of His love. He does not discipline us without purpose. Rather, He means it to lead us into repentance for the sake of walking in intimacy with our Father. God cares for His children such that He is willing to disrupt our lives for the sake of turning us away from what will ultimately destroy us, just like He did with Jonah.
God’s questions in verses 9–11 expose Jonah’s hypocrisy, he is troubled over a plant God created for Jonah’s comfort, but not troubled over the people God created in His image.
The book of Jonah ends with an unanswered question, one that reaches to us today. Do we care more about our temporary comforts, or the eternal needs of those who rub us the wrong way? One way or another, God in His love will interrupt our safe places to confront the areas of our lives that need renewal.
Throughout this study, we have seen a number of ways in which the heart of God contrasts with that of humanity. And praise God for that. If it were left up to us, we would never dare extend mercy to our enemies. Yet, Jesus Christ stepped into this world, clothed Himself in our flesh, and laid down His life so that His enemies could be restored to a relationship with God by faith. By saving us, God has called us into His work of reconciling the world to Himself. If we are to bear fruit in this charge, we must learn to lay down our lives for the lost, as Jesus did for us. It is a narrow road, but one that leads to life with our Lord. Remember God’s grace to you, surrender your comforts, and follow His ways. You will not regret it.