JESUS today YOU will SAVE me.
Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 29
Jonah 4
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2 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.
3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
4 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?
5 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.
6 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.
7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
8 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.
9 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.
10 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:
11 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?
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly [that the people repented and God had mercy on them], and he was very angry…. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live….
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.
Jonah 4:1, 3-3, 8 KJV
Jonah sounds a bit like a self-absorbed, petulant child. Even his prayers seem to reflect that he’s “all about me.” First, he gets upset with God for being merciful to others, because now he looks like a false prophet. Then, he gets angry again because his shelter is taken and he has to endure a little harsh weather. Finally, he mouths off to God about his ‘right’ to be angry. Moreover, he seems to be always going on about how he would be better off dead than alive because he isn’t getting his own way. (Funny…he wasn’t in such a hurry to die when he was in the fish’s belly!)
It appears in this book that God is trying to save a city, yet He chooses to use a “prophet” who doesn’t seem to care about anyone but himself. Perhaps, quizzically, God was really using the city to save the prophet, for He used Nineveh to bring out all the faults and inconsistencies in Jonah’s heart where they could be dealt with.
From these chapters, we learned that Jonah, the “prophet,” was lukewarm, double-minded, had a bad attitude, lacked a burden for the lost, and was (in my opinion) severely lacking a reference for God. This tells us two very important things:
1) You can’t assume that everyone who prophesies, or who calls himself a prophet, is right with God. Jonah’s message was true, the word was from God and was powerful; however, his life was definitely not one that should be followed or emulated.
This is why the Scripture warns us to judge a man by his fruit and not by his gifts. Just because a person is used in the gifts of the Spirit doesn’t make him a good leader or a godly man. It simply means he has the faith to be used. We should always trust the pastor to regulate the operation of the gifts in the church, and never be turned aside to follow after a man who is collecting followers unto himself simply because he is “gifted” or appears to be spiritual. Many of this sort have caused much damage within the body of Christ. We must always avoid those who are causing division, no matter how super-spiritual their appearance and arguments may be.
2) God calls men BEFORE they are perfected. We should never run from a call of God because we don’t feel “ready.” God uses the calling to make the man, not the other way around. (David was anointed many years before actually becoming king. Solomon had to pray for the wisdom to do a job he had already been given, and Peter was bestowed the keys to the Kingdom well before he had the courage to use them.)
The calling of God tests the heart of man. Some run foolishly forward in their own pride thinking that the calling means they are something that they are not. Some run foolishly backward in their fear and lack of faith, thinking they somehow misheard or God somehow made a mistake. Some run foolishly away from God because they have their own agenda for their lives, but there are also those who humbly run to God, who lay themselves on God’s altar, His anvil, or His wheel. Those who submit themselves to teaching, and who allow themselves to be formed into a vessel meet for the Master’s use.
God is calling. Which runner are you?
Wow 😊 Amen!
Amen!!
Thank you!
Outstanding commentary on Jonah 4.
Blessings!
Wow, how we must sound to the Lord sometimes! Do we sound like Jonah??? Thinking only about ourselves, making it all about us; rather, than seeking what the Lord is trying to do. Let’s get back to the “Heart of Worship”:
When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that’s of worth
That will bless Your heart
I’ll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You’re looking into my heart
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You
It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made
When it’s all about You
It’s all about You, Jesus
Amen
9 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.
10 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:
11 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?
Who are we to decide who should be reached out to and who isn’t? We are not the one that created who labored for these people therefore we do not have a choice in who we reach. Jonah is a very interesting story because all throughout the book every Heathen he comes across turns to God in humility wild Jonas is it of the nation that God specifically chose to create for himself and yet he’s the one who needs the most repentance and has the hardened heart and lacks the fear of God. The church doesn’t decide who we get to reach only that we reach to every person that God puts on our path way.
Jonah 4:2 (English Amp) And he prayed to the Lord and said, I pray You, O , Lord, is not this just what I said when I was still in my country ? That is why I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that you are gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and [ When sinners turn to You and meet Your Conditions]. You revoke the sentence of evil against them. We shouldn’t be angry or give up when something doesn’t go your way. God is preparing a way to make it better for us. God is love not anger.
Jonah 4 The Message (MSG)
“I Knew This Was Going to Happen!”
4 1-2 Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God, “God! I knew it—when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!
Jonah himself called on the mercy of God and enjoyed the mercy of God when it was extended to Jonah. Now he resents it when it is extended to others. What if God treated Jonah the way Jonah wanted God to treat the people of Nineveh?
We as the children of God should be glad of the mercy and grace that God will extend. Jesus Christ portrays this love at Calvary. Total forgiveness. Luke 23:34.
We’ve asked God for forgiveness many times and He has granted it why would someone be angry for God’s forgiveness toward others. Could it be that we want to be the one to decide who gets punished or not. Jonah’s life had just been spared after his disobedience. Are we looking in hopes to see someone else fail to justify our failures . I pray not. I once knew of a family who was so angry about their past sins they wished failures over their own children lest they would appear so much better than the life they had led. How ironic the opposite should have been what was wanted. It has to do with the letter I that is right in the middle of the word PRIDE.
Why can’t love take president over petty pride why can’t we want good for others ? We all do not deserve Gods grace but it is as through His love His grace that we never even earned or deserved . Thank you Jesus….,,,,,,
Ephesians 1:2-10 AMPC
2 May grace (God’s unmerited favor) and spiritual peace [which means peace with God and harmony, unity, and undisturbedness] be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” NLT
Are we, like Jonah, more concerned with our pride and reputation than the souls of an entire city? What was the point of warning them of impending destruction, if not to give them a chance to repent?
How many preachers today would be overjoyed at just the thought of 120,000 people responding in unity to their message from God? ‘But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.’ This passage is of course familiar, and it makes for a nice parable of a story with so many likely parallels in life today. We take it as a matter of course that Jonah would be displeased… yet God continued to deal with him to demonstrate the error of his attitude in a fashion that he could receive it with a fulness of understanding.
Regardless of what appears to be happening in the world around us, we should be able to give thanks to the God that gave us the opportunity to be a light representing him unto all! We don’t have to worry about the direction of the politics or the economy or even the passage of world events around us… He is in control of them all. He is working them towards his eternal purpose. We may not always recognize the pattern, but those works are to draw those still lost in the morass of sin. Our purpose and direction is clear! So let us give thanks always as we go about accomplishing his will for our lives!
Amen!
10 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:
11 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?
We cannot let our personal griefs, feelings, desires or preconceived ideas hinder what God wants to do. Pray we see every situation as Jesus would have us to see it.
It is never about us, it is always about Him
Jonah 4:9-11
9 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.
10 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:
11 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?
iLove the Kingdom
9And 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.Doest…: or, Art thou greatly angry?I do well…: or, I am greatly angry
10Then 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:had pity: or, spared
There is a scripture in the New Testament that perfectly describes this attitude of Jonah. Philippians 1:15 NLT, “It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.”
It really didn’t matter (In the whole picture) about the attitude of the preaching of Jonah, the people repented and therefore the will of God was preformed. There are alot of preachers preaching for the wrong reasons today as well, but glory to God at least the Gospel is being preached.
iLove the Kingdom
9And 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.Doest…: or, Art thou greatly angry? I do well…: or, I am greatly angry
10Then 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:had pity: or, spared
There is a scripture in the New Testament that perfectly describes this attitude of Jonah. Philippians 1:15 NLT, “It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.”
It really didn’t matter (In the whole picture) about the attitude of the preaching of Jonah, the people repented and therefore the will of God was preformed. There are alot of preachers preaching for the wrong reasons today as well, but glory to God at least the Gospel is being preached.
Amen
Is truth my brother
Jonah is toast with no where to run, he’s tried to escape several times but now he’s cornered. The last the the Lord said though got me… he said something along the lines of this; “you feel bad for a tree that came quickly and died quickly but there’s a city down there of 120,000 lost people”
Well there’s a city out there of 850,000 lost people out there that need to be reached. Let’s Go there’s prophecies waiting to be fulfilled
Jesus name
I Bless you in Jesus name
8 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.
9 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.
10 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:
11 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?
What’s your main focus and concern? God help us to see what you see and have the mind of Christ so we may understand the heartbeat of God and Go about each day with purpose to reach the lost.
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?
Jonah 4:11 KJV
Well! At this time and age can we say that about Fort Worth is chore is a great City and many people in it and a lot of them show not to do right, and then a lot of them show to do wrong, Lord have mercy and slow to anger.
A.L.M.A.S.
THY KINGDOM COME
KINGDOM MINDED
9 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.
10 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:
11 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?
It seems simple from our point of view to identify that the perspective and priority of Jonah was incorrect. What should have been important (souls) was not and what was temporal or menial was important.
We must always seek The Kingdom Perspective and we accomplish and maintain Kingdom Perspective by living Kingdom Minded. Thy Kingdom of GOD is about building eternity with JESUS by recruiting, converting and training people to be Christians and Love JESUS as HE loves us.
For Jonah the LORD blessed him a gourd.
Gourd – the fruit of a gourd : pepo; especially : any of various hard-rinded inedible fruits of plants of two genera (Lagenaria and Cucurbita) often used for ornament or for vessels and utensils.
GOD gave him a temperary, worthless non consumable fruit and Jonah was more concerned with about the blessing than he was the blesser. How often does our thinking get stinking like Jonah’s? We too become more consumed and concerned about resources (money and assets), positions (titles and respect), social status (friends and associations). JESUS as we seek YOU FIRST help us to maintain a KINGDOM MINDED status. As we seek FIRST The Kingdom of GOD we will naturally seek and save the lost and the people and their eternal destination is more important than our own comfort and pleasure.
JESUS forgive me for the times that I allow the gourd to distort your Kingdom in my mind. I give myself to you, my thoughts, my life and my soul. In JESUS name.
iRepent
iPray
iPraise
iPray
iWork
iGive
iReap
iGo
iBlessYouInTheNameOfTheLordJESUS
Amen!
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.
Jonah 4:6-7 KJV
God allowed Jonah 2 sit and wallow in his grief for a season but as soon as that season was over and God wanted Jonah to move on he sent the worm to eat up and wither the gourd. And Jonah continued to just sit there in his disappointment, letting the hot sun and wind beat on him so that he may die, because he was so unhappy and his will so misaligned with the will of God.
4:2 And he prayed unto the Lord, and said , I pray thee, o Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in tony country,? Therefore I fled before unto Tardhis: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger and great in kindness, and repente est thee of the evil.
——-psalm 103:10
HE HAS NOT DEALT WITH US
ACORDING TO OUR SIN[ as we deserve]
NOR REWARED US [ punishemwnt]ACORDING TO OUR WICKEDNESS.
—————-
9 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.
10 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:
11 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?
The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry
about this?
Jonah 4: 4 NLT
God address Jonah’s behavior by helping him understanding how he was behaving.
Address the behavior without compromising the character.
Sometimes we are so quick to judge and point the finger without looking at ourselves and considering where we came from and who we were. Where would we be without God’s grace and mercy? It’s funny how quickly Jonah forgot he was saved from the belly of the fish not too long ago. God could have let him die there but instead saved him. Now, he is pouting because God showed leniency towards another. Be careful that we don’t judge Jonah to quickly and harshly – could it be we might find these same thoughts in our head?
Why does that family get a new car? Why does that man get to preach and I don’t? I want to be a director of a ministry – why do so many directors but not me?
Let’s be the best at where God has us right now. We may be a better singer than some or a better musician than others but that might not be where God wants to use us right now. We might be a better Sunday School teacher or ministry director than others but God needs us in a different place. Maybe the singer, musician, teacher or director is barely hanging on and without the involvement with that group they might give up and slip away.
Jonah 4:10-11 God said, “What’s this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watereth in it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can’t I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than a 120,000.00 childlike people who don’t yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?
This goes back to Jonah1:2 Arise and go to the city of Fort Worth and cry against it!
God loves all people even those we consider evil. We must have compassion one for another to reach the Lost.
God cares for the Lost! God will spare no extreme to get His message to them, even when the messenger is deliberately disobedient. God will bring correction to the messenger and fulfill His purpose for the world.
NEVER BE ANGRY AT THE LORD OR QUESTION HIM. HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING . Jonah grew Angry because the Lord didn’t do what he predicted. He even wished to die . But God said should i feel sorry for the people to ? I thank God for a merciful God with unfailing love.
MSG – 10-11 God said, “What’s this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can’t I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than 120,000 childlike people who don’t yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?”
When people repent and turn from their evil ways, and start living for God with all their heart, God is going to bless them. Don’t be so caught up in judgement that you get angry when God takes them to new levels, and gives them dominion over things they have overcome. We are all part of the Kingdom, each joint, each finger, each bones has a purpose. My purpose and your purpose is not the same. When God blesses you I want to rejoice with you, when God blesses me rejoice with me. No one has time for a spirit of jealousy because God did something that you don’t think what earned.
10 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:
11 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?
Jonah’s priorities we messed up. He was more worried about a living organism than a eternal soul. We must constantly examine our lives and insure we are not taking more concern with things that are not eternal than things that are. Remember only what we do for Christ will last!
4: But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
What do we gain getting upset with the same grace and mercy that we each need.
What do we gain from getting offended from the advancement in the Kingdom. Simply because they’ve done “worse”.
We are to rejoice when the angels rejoice! Let what gives Jesus joy bring us joy. What saddens Jesus, sadden us. We are to be CHRIST-Like in spirit, mind and body. #thykingdomcome
9 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.
10 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:
11 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?
Sometimes we just have a pity party but God doesn’t join us. Instead he asks if we should be so upset over the things of life when we could choose to rejoice over our blessings-another day of breath. Looking down narrows our focus to ourself, but looking up we broaden our focus to God. Look up! His Kingdom comes!
“So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?””
Jonah 4:2-4 NLT
Is our pride or so called reputation more important to us than the very heartbeat of God?
To truly be about our Fathers business we can’t be more concerned with how we look or what people will say about us than we are with pleasing God.
Lord let my heart beat for what yours does, souls!
10 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:
11 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?
Its so sad that sometimes our spiritual priorities are messed up. We look at things in the wrong perspective like Jonah did and forget our job is to spread the gospel and reach people no matter what their situation is. God help us to focus on the right things and give ourselves to reaching the lost.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2 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.
3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
4 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?
5 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.
6 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.
7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
8 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.
9 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.
10 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:
What all the saints make matter of joy and praise, Jonah makes the subject of reflection upon God; as if showing mercy were an imperfection of the Divine nature, which is the greatest glory of it. It is to his sparing, pardoning mercy, we all owe it that we are out of hell. He wishes for death: this was the language of folly, passion, and strong corruption. There appeared in Jonah remains of a proud, uncharitable spirit; and that he neither expected nor desired the welfare of the Ninevites, but had only come to declare and witness their destruction. He was not duly humbled for his own sins, and was not willing to trust the Lord with his credit and safety. In this frame of mind, he overlooked the good of which he had been an instrument, and the glory of the Divine mercy. We should often ask ourselves, Is it well to say thus, to do thus? Can I justify it? Do I well to be so soon angry, so often angry, so long angry, and to give others ill language in my anger? Do I well to be angry at the mercy of God to repenting sinners? That was Jonah’s crime. Do we do well to be angry at that which is for the glory of God, and the advancement of his kingdom? Let the conversion of sinners, which is the joy of heaven, be our joy, and never our grief.
Jonah 4:4-510-11
4) The LORD replied, Is it right for you to be angry about this?
5) Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city.
10) Then the LORD said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly.
11) But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?
God cares about ALL the souls that live in this great city of Fort Worth. We don’t have time to be angry, pouty, or fell sorry. Just as God gave Jonah a command to “Arise, and Go to Nineveh, and Cry against it,” God has given us a command to “Arise, and Go to Fort Worth, and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Thank you Jesus
Then the Lord said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”
JONAH 4:4 AMP
Getting caught up in your emotions can change anyones/ everyones destiny!
A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger, But a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.
PROVERBS 29:11 AMP
Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. James 1:19
When we are quick to anger we get ourselves into trouble and say and do things we’re not suppose to. Spiritually we might not like what God might tell us but doesn’t mean to anger but to listen and obey!! Many people are asking God for guidance but are not willing to obey when God tells them what to do. Gods paths are better than our own paths!! In everything we must obey the Lord!!
I Love To Worship The Lord
1-3
Jonah had experienced Gods grace when he had been rescued and given a second chance to obey. But he objected to Gods acting in character in withholding judgment when Nineveh repented. We who are undeserving ourselves of Gods mercy of Gods mercy can hardly object when God showers his mercy on others who may be undeserving too.
10 But the Lord said, you have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, and much livestock?
“Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?””
Jonah 4:10-11 NLT
We can get ourselves in a mess when our priorities are messed up. This is a great example of seeking God first and being Kingdom minded.
““And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.”
Luke 12:29-31 NLT
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?
Jonah 4:11 KJV
Don’t even think that people don’t want to be save JESUS died for us so that we all could be save
Souls or Plants?
9 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.
10 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:
11 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?
What is more important. Souls? or Plants?
Unfortunately in our world today, there are some that would say plants. We see here in this passage how God was telling Jonah, that he was wrong in crying out for the death of a plant rather than crying out for souls. How Jonah wanted God to go ahead and destroy the City, but not the plant. How often we lose sight of the real reason of the church. It is not a club with memberships. But a place to reach the lost soul in our city. A place where we can find God, a place to feel safe. Yet we wonder why God would allow some people to even step foot into church. Those are the souls that he is reaching out for. Those are the souls that we need to be reaching out for. Dont Let a rock cry out for you. It’s not even a plant.
Josiah: 10 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:
This gourd reminded me of things in life how they come and go. Wealth may be for a little while and be gone. The nearest phone or thing comes and go. However the Word of God stays true. It is something we can depend on.
Thank you Jesus!
2 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.
3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
Aside from the deeper revelations here, what amazed me the most is how Jonah was himself with God. He was not pretending to be this super spiritual guy but had his very unique way with the Lord. In that very same way one’s unique traits God can use for his glory. He knows who we are and knows our hearts. Be exactly the person God called u/created you to be.
2 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.
In any time of trial or tribulation we will never be able for use Gods word against him when we are not satisfied. God knows his own word because he is the one with all knowledge and all knowing! God is gonna know when and why and what to do.
4 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?
Seems a bit ungrateful and he seems to have forgotten that there is nothing hidden from my DADDY
6 And the LORD God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
Just like the plant, God covers us up. He protects us from evil. Knowing God is the head of your household, as parents you don’t worry about the evil of this world. You know God is protecting you and your family.
God prepared a gourd, a worm, a vehement wind and then God prepared a lesson for His prophet. He told Jonah if you could have pity on something so small and insignificant as a gourd, why can’t I have mercy on thousands of people that I have created?
3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
4 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?
Whenever we get angry, we should ask ourselves, doest thou well to be angry? Does it do us any good to be angry? There are times we need to be angry at the devil for his schemes and devices, but more often than not our anger is probably causing us to sin.
Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upo your wraith:
27 Neither give place to the devil.