See Jonah Faint

God is saying, I think this, listen Jonah, these people in that city living around that palace and those leaders and the hoi polloi and the people who have enough money to live within the city gates where it's safe, the truth is they can't figure out the difference between their right hand and their left hand. In other words, they have no moral parameters.

They're wandering around without moral guidance into doing whatever they think makes sense, but in reality, they are entirely confused. For the last several lessons here on Wisdom for the Heart, we've been working through the book of Jonah, but Jonah is not the main character in the story. The main character is God. The story of Jonah has an unusual ending. After disobeying God, Jonah repented and went to Nineveh to preach the gospel. The entire city was transformed by the power of God, but instead of praising God for his mercy, Jonah condemned God for it. We'll see this unfortunate response in Jonah, but we'll also see that the heart of the story is our merciful God.

Well now, having studied this little journal of Jonah together with you and now ending it in this session, I'm convinced that Jonah would rather have ended with chapter three. In fact, had the book of Jonah ended at chapter three, he would have gone down in history as the greatest evangelist to have ever lived or preached. Imagine, in 40 days of preaching, an entire nation has repented and followed after God. And not just any nation, we're talking about the dreaded Ninevites whose cruelty and idolatry was known all around the ancient world. Jonah's world would be shocked by the news from the king all the way down to the commoner.

They have all repented and they have thrown themselves on the mercy of God and it has been absolutely amazing. Frankly, if it had ended there and had Jonah lived today, this would have been front page news for months. He would have been sought out for advice by every Christian leader on the planet. Evangelists and pastors would be paying high dollars for his outlines that he preached in Nineveh. He would be interviewed by the secular media even.

In fact, I'm sure he'd win Time's Man of the Year and win the Nobel Peace Prize for the impact of his life. There would be revivals springing up, I think, all over the country. Banners outside tent crusades would promise.

Revival like Nineveh here this week. Books would be produced with titles like effective sermons for effective evangelists. How to preach like Jonah without swimming with the fishes. These just came to my mind as I thought about it. Strategies for reaching pagan unreachables.

How to win a city in 40 days or less. I think these books would have flown off the shelves as Jonah began his bus tour instructing the believers throughout the Mediterranean region on how to plant churches in former pagan temples. Christian bookstores would have life sized cardboard cutouts of Jonah so everybody could have their picture taken with the greatest humblest servant of all time. Think of the possibilities.

I just took a few minutes to think of these. Evidently this didn't happen in the American church. Fortunately, none of that happened because unfortunately for Jonah there's one chapter left. And as far as Jonah is concerned this little book is one chapter too many.

Actually it's just like God to record the rest of the story. The part of the story that will protect Jonah from becoming a celebrity for centuries to come. Instead it will keep him in the category of a normal clay pot that God just so happened to use for his own glory and all of this would happen not because of Jonah but because of Jonah's God. And frankly if I do apply it to our scene today I believe the church today is far too quick to make superstars out of saints.

The church has way too many celebrities and not enough clay pots. For that and for other reasons I believe this is a wonderful chapter and most needed because God is going to ask not just Jonah some penetrating questions but he's going to ask every one of us the same things. In this chapter Jonah will be asked three questions by God. The first question has to do with perspective. The second question has to do with priorities.

And the third question will have to do with passion. Let's go back to Chapter 3 and get a running start with verse 10. When God saw their deeds that they turned away from their wicked way then God relented concerning the calamity which he had declared he would bring upon them and he did not do it. But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. Now if you have never read the biography of Jonah given to us here before this would come I'm sure as a surprise. Can you imagine someone preaching a 40 day campaign a meeting and everyone is converted to faith in the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the preacher goes home angry because would you believe it everybody got converted.

I've never been more angry in my life. Well that's exactly what's happening here. You would expect Jonah here to break out in great praise. Praise God.

Every lost pagan got converted. But this is the very thing that caused Jonah to run from God in the first place. In fact let's let Jonah explain it for himself. Verse 2 he prayed to the Lord and said Please Lord was not this what I said while I was still in my own country. Therefore in order to forestall this I fled the Tarshish.

I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God slow to anger and abundant and loving kindness and one who relents concerning calamity. In other words Jonah had run from Nineveh in the first place not because he was afraid that no one would listen. He was afraid that everyone would listen and he hated Ninevites as much as Ninevites hated the Jews. And again you need to understand Jonah is a super patriot.

He is a defender of Israel and Israel's belief misguided though it is that they are the sole owners of Israel's God. No wonder Jonah prays in verse 3 look there therefore now oh Lord please take my life from me for death is better to me than life. Now if you can imagine it Jonah would rather die than not be able to get his own way. But one author put it this way Jonah prayed his best prayer in the worst place the fish's belly and he prayed his worst prayer in the best place in Nineveh following this great awakening. His first prayer came from a broken heart and his second prayer came from an angry heart. And so God suddenly asks Jonah a question that we're all allowed to hear it's in verse 4. Jonah do you have a good reason to be angry and that sound like a parent.

Do you have a good reason for doing that for feeling that way. This is a question of perspective. He says look we're looking at the same thing and I'm viewing it differently than you are obviously like Jesus Christ who looked out over the city of Jerusalem and he wept Luke 1941 or Paul who walked around the city of Athens that had more statues. Historians tell us lining the streets than people and he was filled with alarm. He was the word is distressed. Acts 17 16 Jonah looks at the city of Nineveh that is now converted and he gets angry that God has shown them mercy and so God asks him gently kindly basically saying listen Jonah we're looking at the same situation we have two totally different perspectives. I am the host of heaven are rejoicing and you're mad you're getting madder by the minute.

Which one which perspective do you think is most reasonable. Did you notice by the way all the great theology that Jonah laid out in verse two. Lord I know a lot about you I know you're gracious and compassionate and long suffering and kind and merciful but none of that affected his perspective and it certainly didn't affect his emotions. You see he just didn't want the truth to control his life. He could quote it but he didn't want to live it. Can you imagine someone coming to faith and in Christ and you mutter under your breath. Oh no not him not her.

I hope it doesn't stick. It's exactly what Jonah is saying here. Look at verse five then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it there he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen to the city.

Now were there no places for him in the city to sit. Of course there were the king's own palace would have been open to him it would have been a wonderful retreat but Jonah isn't going to hang around the Ninevites even converted once they're not as kind of people. Now watch as God sets up the next penetrating question for Jonah who is we've mentioned a prodigal prophet who by the way in this text is acting more like the prodigal's older brother who's angry that his younger brother has returned and is now being treated with kindness and mercy hidden me by the father for six. So the Lord God appointed you ought to circle that word it showed up earlier you remember the Lord God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. By the way this is the first time in this story that Jonah has something he's happy about the first time the word happy has ever appeared in Jonah's the last at least the last few months. But would you notice how God is sort of setting the stage verse seven but God appointed a worm same word again appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered the word here refers to a fruit grub it gnaws on the roots of vines and plants and it attacked this particular plant under divine orders and by the way you cannot help but notice that God has appointed a great fish God has appointed a plant God has appointed a worm and they all obey his commands everything in this book obeys God but Jonah everything responds to God's command the storm the great fish swallowing Jonah the great fish spitting Jonah up now the plant then the worm and don't forget the Ninevites they all surrender to God and his command and even the wind notice verse eight when the sun came up God appointed same word again he appointed a scorching east wind literally a Serac oh this is a hot dust storm that can last for days and the sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he became faint literally he fainted away he he revived he begged with all his soul to die saying death is better to me than life then God said to Jonah do you have good reason to be angry about the plant and Jonah said I have good reason to be angry even to death forgetting for the moment that he's actually arguing with God the first question exposed a misdirected perspective the second question exposes a mistaken priority frankly a test of priority is this what do you get excited about and what do you get angry about what what turns your engine on and what burns your engine up those are the things in your lives that would be priorities they come first they affect your emotion your mind and heart Jonah is is miserable don't miss the fact that he's miserable because he's brought it on his own head his own selfish anger he could have been in the palace away from the sun away from the dust storm sipping a Syrian sweet tea if they had it but no not Jonah I want the Ninevites wiped off the face of the earth Jonah may have preached the message of God's mercy that led to a national awakening but but Jonah himself is in need of reviving he moves from anger in verse one to happiness in verse six and now he's angry all over again over the conversion of sinners and he's but he's happy for the moment at the creation of this plant he's comfortable and that happens to be his priority what matters to me matters most ladies and gentlemen what makes you and what makes me happy and what makes us angry reveals more about our priorities more about how we're wired more about how we're living than probably more than we'd like to know you say but I can't I can't believe that Jonah really got upset over the condition of a plant more so than the condition of people he did but not us oh do you think people care more about their shrubbery than they do people ask the average church member how much time they spent on their lawn compared to how much time they spend reaching the lost find out how much time they focused on feathering their nest than on winning the world and then ask the penetrating question what really is our priority who are we kidding I was listening to an interview with the Washington Post reporter who said it seems obvious from polls that even those who say they don't believe in the use of abortion to terminate a baby's life they're voting for a candidate who supports abortion even up to the time of delivery why here were his words I jotted them down because this man said there's a rather chilling admission quote even those who care about abortion evidently do not care about it as much as they do about their own personal economy Johnny cares more about his life his own personal comfort than he does people's lives he would fit nicely into the American culture of the 21st century he would fit in well so before we say I can't believe he's upset about a plant and it's not comfortable anymore for him and his life is discomforted and miserable and he's upset and the wrong people are moving into the wrong place and we better think twice first 10 the Lord then said look you had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow which came up overnight and perished overnight should I not have compassion on Nineveh that great city in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left hand as well as many cattle see the first question had to do with misdirected perspective the second with mistaken priority the final question has to do with misguided passion should I not feel compassion on Nineveh should I not be moved with pity and mercy should I not be moved on their behalf see Jonah had to learn the difference between what is perishable and what is permanent frankly ladies and gentlemen everything on this planet is in the process of perishing except in the spiritual realm of God's glory and the lives of people who will live forever now you notice what God points out to Jonah about the Ninevites back in verse eleven look there again he says there are one hundred and twenty thousand people who don't know their right hand from their their left interesting phrase some Bible scholars believe this is a reference to children who haven't learned the difference between their right hand and their left hand you know how they got to go left hand right hand they just haven't gotten it yet could be perhaps God is pointing out that this judgment will take the lives of one hundred and twenty thousand toddlers I don't think that's it I believe this is a reference to the people who live within the city walls not counting the outlying suburbs where you have five hundred thousand more people who will also die God is saying I think this listen Jonah these people in that city living around that palace and those leaders and the hoi polloi and the people who have enough money to live within the city gates where it's safe the truth is they can't figure out the difference between their right hand and their left hand now what does he mean by that well in the Bible the left hand is the place of ruin or spiritual blindness Jesus Christ said that he will set his sheep on his right hand and he will set the goats that is the unbelievers they'll be placed at his left hand Matthew twenty five thirty three Christ is said to have ascended to the right hand of God the father which is the place of prosperity so to speak or blessing Galatians chapter two verse nine speaks of extending the right hand of fellowship place of blessing Psalm seventy three in verse twenty three David rejoicing I am continually with you for you have taken hold of my right hand the right hand in scripture stands for that which is good and effective and the left hand stands for moral compromise and blindness and coming judgment God is basically saying this using this idiom with Jonah to say look these people are so confused they do not know the difference between right and wrong in other words they have no moral parameters they're wandering around without moral guidance into doing whatever they think makes sense but in reality they are entirely absolutely confused imagine going back centuries you have the use of the right and the left side or position in life listen to Solomon who put it this way in Ecclesiastes ten to a wise man's heart directs him toward the right but a foolish man's heart directs him toward the left but do we care about those who are so upside down I don't know they're right from their left they don't know which is good and effective and a blessing and that which is blind wandering Jonah should I not have passionate feelings for these people in all their livestock now we're not given the Jonah's answer I'd like to think it was the right one and Jonah packed up his stuff and headed back into Nineveh to start discipleship training classes there seems to be some evidence that he did in fact that the hill around Mosul that the tell where they discovered Nineveh was known for centuries as Jonah's hill furthermore I have learned that a Syrian Christians living in Mosul today which is the place of ancient Nineveh those believers still relate their salvation back to the coming of Jonah to their forefathers and listen they are extremely grateful to this day that Jonah came preaching the gospel of God they trace it back to their before we wrap up the study I have to quickly refer to one who was greater than Jonah wanted to do an entire sermon on this but we'll tuck it in here in Matthew twelve verse forty one the Lord said the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and behold a greater one than Jonah is here Jesus is greater than Jonah the Ninevites repented at the at the preaching of Jonah but Jerusalem wouldn't repent at the preaching of Jesus so was he really greater in that sense he was how well they're both Jews and they're both prophets but Jonah was a man Jesus was the God man John one Jonah preached a message of only judgment Christ preached a message of repentance and salvation John three Jonah almost died for his own sins Jesus died for the sins of the world first John two Jonah's ministry was to one city Jesus Christ's message will circle the globe revelation 19 Jonah didn't love the people he came to rescue Jesus Christ had compassion for the lost and came to seek and to save them Luke 19 Jonah waited outside the city hoping God would not forgive those who hated the Jews Christ was put on a cross outside the city praying that his father would forgive those who hated him Jesus Christ is greater than Jonah in a million more ways than that all the more reason to follow him so the book ends with a question interesting only name and Jonah end with a question in the Bible and both books end with a question about Nineveh name about its judgment and Jonah about its salvation or his mercy the mercy of God so you have the ending here with the questions of perspective and priority and passion and it occurred to me that we can't answer for Jonah but we can answer for ourselves what would your answer be as it relates to perspective and priority and passion let's give God the right answer shall we let's obey him like the wind and the waves and the fish and the worm let's obey him like that let's let's say to him Lord command away command away I am yours use me send me let me be as we sang a light shining in the darkness as our culture grows darker and darker and darker yet I don't want to be a prodigal I don't want to be the prodigal's older brother either do you so Lord let me just obey you like that worm did I'd like to at least match the worm that's my goal and that fish that'll be enough for me and I'm sure for you well as we leave this uh this journal of a prodigal prophet the hero of the story is clearly not Jonah is it and it'll never be you or me it'll always be God there's no need for Jonah's autograph or photograph the hero is our gracious compassionate long-suffering loving merciful God to him be praise and honor and glory forever and ever and all the people said amen with that we close this seven part series from the book of Jonah the driving theme of the book is God's grace and mercy towards sinners God demonstrated his grace and mercy toward Jonah toward the Ninevites and he demonstrates it to us as well I hope this lesson and this series have blessed you there are two resources I want you to be aware of first we've taken the seven lessons in this series and put them together as a set of CDs also Stephen has a hardback book that contains his practical and pastoral exposition of Jonah and we've been offering the book at a very special rate during this series today is the last day to take advantage of it we want you to have this resource in your library so contact us about the special promotion go to our website which is wisdom online.org search the store for the word Jonah and you'll find these resources you can also call us and we can give you information over the phone the number here at the wisdom international office is eight six six forty eight Bible or eight six six four eight two four two five three once again that's eight six six forty eight Bible or eight six six four eight two four two five three the website is wisdom online.org thanks for joining us today here on wisdom for the heart tomorrow Stephen begins a three-part series called the beauty of the bride be sure and join us for that next time.