In chapter one of this book, Jonah refuses to do God’s work in Nineveh. He decides to run away, to the furthest reaches of the known world, but he soon realizes that he isn’t outside the reach or sovereignty of God. During his flight from Joppa to Tarshish, God sends a great storm, one that only Jonah can quell. He is thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish.
In chapter two, the fish, whether real or metaphor, is a trial for Jonah to endure. While in the belly of the fish, Jonah comes to a great understanding that God is providing for him, even in this strange circumstance, and that He cares, and his goal is for Jonah to understand His mercy. Jonah does and God, the God of second chances, allows the fish to vomit Jonah onto the shore.
In chapter three, Jonah once again understands God’s grace and is able to carry out his mission. He does so diligently, proclaiming God’s message of repentance in Nineveh. The Ninevites are receptive to the message and full repent, avoiding God’s wrath.
1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Here we get to heart of Jonah’s issue. Jonah is angry because God has spared the Ninevites. It is because of God’s mercy that Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh in the first place - he knew the message would be effective! We don’t know if Jonah had a personal or corporate gripe against the city, but the bottom line is he didn’t want to see Nineveh saved. God’s question is poignant: Is it right for you to be angry?
Sometimes our own plans get in the way of what God wants for us. We see this plainly in Jonah. He had a mind and heart set against the Ninevites. He didn’t want to see their salvation. So to accomplish that, he ran, and then griped about it. In his mind he saw that he was right, no matter what God wanted.
Does this describe us sometimes? We can get ahead of God in our plans. We can plan way into the future and set our mind not only on our plans, but on our preferences. Around election time in our country, we see this happen in a very clear way. We are for one candidate, against another. In our mind we form an unshakable opinion that has a bearing on what we desire, but perhaps it isn’t what God desires. Jonah is in this mindset, but God isn’t done with him.
5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant[a] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
Jonah leaves the city for the outskirts. He wants to wait, to see what happens to the city, and it seems as though he has forgotten about God’s provision and wants to see Nineveh fail. Even in this opposition to God’s desires, Jonah is still taken care of. God grows a plant above his head to shade him. This makes Jonah happy. But the worm eats at it and dies, and as the heat increases, we see Jonah angry again. His anger, and happiness, seem to be rooted in his circumstance. “I wish I were dead” is Jonah’s reply to the plant, forgetting the provision immediately.
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
God teaches Jonah a final lesson in this book. God provided the plant for Jonah, yet he did not tend to it or helped it to grow. In the same way, the love and mercy He showed to Jonah was the same love and mercy he was showing to Nineveh. The people there, just like Jonah, are precious to Him, and even though Jonah may not agree with it, those people, pagans, are still important to God.