Have you ever been so angry that you wished you were dead? Jonah was, and his rage wasn't directed at his enemies, but at God's mercy. Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindahl exposes the toxic nature of selfishness. And he does so by citing a successful yet bitter evangelist named Jonah. In this study, we'll see how Jonah's isolation resulted in twisted thinking.
and we'll see how his story serves as a mirror that reflects our own flaws. Most importantly, we'll compare Jonah's self-absorption with Christ's radical selflessness. Chuck titled his message, Ticked Off to the Bitter End. I speak today, I realize to some of you. who will find yourself feeling just like Jonah.
So be aware. It's not just for you, it's for us. Myself included. It'll reveal who God is. and also who we are.
I'll be reading from the fourth chapter of this book of Jonah. The last several verses, but we're not through. We'll have one more message.
next week on lessons learned. from a stubborn preacher. which certainly was Jonah. But I'll be reading for you today Jonah chapter 4. Verses 5 through 11.
from the New Living Translation. Jonah 4 verse Five 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. 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. But God also arranged for a worm.
The next morning at dawn, the worm ate through the stem of the plant.
So that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind. to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. Death is certainly better than living like this.
He exclaimed, Then God said to Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry? Because the plant died Yes, Jonah retorted. even angry enough to die. 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. The Hebrew adds the line. People who do not know their right hand from their left. Not to mention all the animals.
Shouldn't I have compassion? For such a great City Um You're listening to Insight for Living. To dig deeper into the story of Jonah on your own, be sure to purchase our Searching the Scriptures Bible Study Workbook by going to insight.org/slash offer. Chuck titled today's message ticked off to the bitter end. Jonah was the most successful evangelist ever recorded in the Bible.
That surprises most people. But no one can compare the numbers. of converts in a Really a three-day campaign. to the numbers that Jonah could name.
However, he was also the weirdest evangelist in all the recorded scriptures. His was the only revival where the evangelists needed more follow-up than the converts needed. What a piece of work. He was. If there was ever an example in the Bible of God's message being delivered effectively by one who didn't want to deliver it.
It is Jonah. And by the way, He never did get the vision that God had. Who, according to what Peter has written, is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all All should come to repentance. Jonah believed just the opposite when it came to the Gentile Ninevites. He was not willing that any of the Ninevites would live, not even one.
but that all of them would perish. The reason He was a racist. He was a prejudiced Selfish prophet. From the very start, from the get-go, he did not want to be seen anywhere around the Gentile city of Nineveh. But thankfully, God's love and mercy.
was far greater than Jonah's Hatred and prejudice. And God had his way. He knew what he was about. What happened made Jonah so angry? He begged to die.
More than once. You will read in chapter 4 and verse 3. Just kill me now. This is after The people had begun to change their hearts. This is after God has said, I'll lift the ban on these people.
I will not bring a chaos over them and upon them. I will in fact bless them and forgive them. It was more than Jonah could stand to hear that. And the Lord said to him, Is it right for you to be angry? Jonah.
You'll remember From our time in that passage last time. Jonah doesn't answer. He doesn't have an answer. He realizes when he's asked that question. That he simply kicked off.
He's simply angry about the whole thing. God may have changed his mind, but let me assure you, Jonah has not. And of all things When he makes the prediction that in 40 days, if they don't change, God will bring a judgment upon them. They were willing to believe the warning. And they changed.
Jonah decided to build a little lean to. We would call it A shelter According to verse five, And he got under the shelter. To break the hot Searing rays of the Syrian sun. as it beat on him, And he sat on the east side of the city and stared. at the city.
Tapping his foot. Waiting. Hoping That maybe their repentance would go thin, and maybe they would just turn and. reveal that that repentance was a hoax. No, no.
was not to be. And so Jonah decides I'll simply Get alone. It's as if Jonah is hanging a huge Do not disturb sign. on the opening of that little shelter. Just leave me alone.
All of you Ninevites, And you, God. Just leave me alone. And there he sits in this tiny handmade shelter. Just to be silent. and sullen as he sulked.
Before I go further. Uh I have to say something about isolation. And part of the reason is we continue. to be shocked. As a nation When there are mass killings, and we should be.
How heartbreaking that someone would break into a synagogue and randomly killed. Whoever the bullet may hit. And after being captured, make this statement: all of them should die. No remorse whatsoever. Interestingly.
The man has been isolated. When you check, you will find that most who carry out such Horrible acts. against humanity often have been living isolated. lives. They're not involved.
In a Healthy social relationship with others. They are certainly not accountable. to a group of people. Who are there to help them realize that they're twisted in their thinking? They're alone, all alone.
And from that aloneness comes. The isolationists twisted thinking. It's not original with me. Years ago, a professor of psychology at Stanford University. named Philip Zimbardo.
Wrote an article in Psychology Today. Titled The age of indifference. In that penetrating article, he puts his finger. on the dangers. of isolation.
I quote just a few lines. From Zimbardo. Quote. I know of no more potent killer Than isolation. There is no more destructive influence on physical and mental health.
Than the isolation of you from me and us from them. It has been shown to be a central agent. In the etiology The word means origin or cause. In the etiology of depression, Paranoia. Schizophrenia.
Rape. Suicide. Mass murder. And a wide variety of disease states. Close quote.
What a statement. It isn't healthy that he get alone.
Now, this is not. referring to being alone to recharge one's battery. or to pull away from a constant activity of life so that you could Get yourself back together. This is an aloneness that says. Get out of my life.
This is the last stage. of Jonah's pouting. His twisted desire is now to distance himself from all that's happened. He goes east of the city. And sits down.
And stares. Alone with his private thoughts, still seething over God's. Decision to change His plan from catastrophe and annihilation to divine blessing. Jonah settles into his man-made shelter Succumbing to total selfishness.
Now then. The beautiful part of the story. is that even when he finds his prophet in this state of mind, God Graciously. and sovereignly moves in. to woo him back.
In fact, I found it interesting that Martin Luther. makes the statement God begins to play with Jonah as a mother will play with her distressed child in order to cheer him. I don't know that I agree with Luther that God is planning. playing with Jonah, they'll understand what he means by that. God tries one maneuver after another.
to get Jonah to come back. To turn around. Stop the scaring. And this fitful isolation. and to talk with him.
And to reason. with him. One of the prophets writes, Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Let's reason with our God.
Jonah is in an unreasonable state.
So, what does God do? You have your pen handy. Look at the text that we're looking at, Jonah chapter 4. You'll find three things that God arranges. Or your Bible may read, he appoints.
You will see them right on the text. Verse 6. God arranged For a leafy plant, your Bible may read a gourd. Verse 6, he arranged for the plant. How comforting of God to do that.
I'll come back to it in a moment. Look at verse 7. God also arranged for a worm. This is an old cut worm that would come and. Mm.
Eat into the stem of the plant and kill it. I'll get to that in a moment. And third, you will notice Verse 8, as the sun grew hot, God arranged, there's the third time. God appointed a scorching east wind. to blow across that blistering sands of the desert east of Nineveh.
On top of the rays of the sun, we now have the hot wind. You see the growing intensity? You see the acceleration of God's plan. That's how God sovereignly works. He begins with a.
A comforting maneuver. Look at what he does. Back to verse six. He arranged for a leafy plant. To grow there.
God didn't have to do that. Could have left him alone in the shelter and turned his back on him and ignored him. God is no isolationist. No, not on your life. Brought some comfort.
How patient of the Lord to do that. He arranged for a plant it grew quickly and spread its broad leaves. over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. This eased Jonah's discomfort. Look at that.
And Jonah was very grateful. for the plant. Finally, he's grateful for something. He hasn't been yet.
Well finally, he's grateful At least for the plant. You know, Jonah's so negative. He reminds me of the joke I read about some time ago where there was this farmer. Who had a neighbor, it was the most negative neighbor. You could ever live next door to.
No matter what he did, the neighbor fussed and complained. argued about this, groused about that. And This neighbor was determined to win him over.
So we got a brilliant idea. He bought this. Incredible dog. Wonder dog that could walk on water.
Okay?
So he says to his neighbor, he's going to go duck hunting. Why don't you come with me? Sure, we'll probably both die before we get back. Neighbors say, No, no, we're going to have a great time. Come on, get in.
Puts his dog in the boat with him, and they go out, and they're sitting in the blind. Boom, boom, boom, while they shoot the ducks and Tells his dog, go get him. Dog walks across the water. comes back with the ducks. Dry as it can be.
And the neighbor says, He can't swim, can he? No matter what. No matter what. He's gonna fuss. That's Jonah.
Except for when he's got a little comfort. And now he's grateful for the plant. This soulless Plant. He's grateful at least for the shade.
Now he hadn't planned on The cut worm. But God hit. God, remember, is at work on Jonah. The plant is just part of the process. By the way, before I get too deep in this.
He's at work on you and me as well. And he begins very graciously. almost innocuously to soften us. to comfort us. to get our attention.
But he realizes that Jonah is not grateful for God. He's grateful for the plant.
So the Lord ratchets up the plan and he sends along a worm, and what do we read? He arranged for a worm and the next morning at dawn, God starts early, doesn't he? The worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. There goes the shade. And if that isn't enough, Notice he tightens the screws even tighter.
When the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching East wind to blow On. Jonah. God moves in mysterious ways. I don't know what the leaves and the worm and the wind are in your life. I wouldn't pretend to know.
But I know this. He moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform. He plants his footstep on the sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable minds and never failing skill. He works together his bright design.
and carries out his sovereign will. He's at work in your life. He's at work in mine. And now that the shade is gone, and now that the sun is hot.
Now that the east wind is blowing. Maybe this will be enough to break Jonah. Because without being broken, Jonah will never Surrender his selfish ways. The plant withers away, the sun is hot. beats on his head and he grows faint.
And what happens, he wishes to die. Death is certainly better than living like this. Then God said to Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry about the plan. I mean Really? Jonah.
Is that right? You've reduced your life To the leaves of a plant? Unless you think that that might have done it. Jonah's response is yes. Yes.
Even angry enough to die. I think he shouted that. In so many words, so many ways, he's saying, you better believe it.
Well, that was enough. Enough was enough. Even God's leash has a limit. And he's reached the limit. The book ends, if you will, with a death wish.
that seals Jonah's lips. You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But but Look, Jonah. Look at the city!
What have we changed lives? Look at the humility of these people who were once arrogant in their wickedness. Look at this. What a change. Our study of Jonah's story is culminating in this very moment.
It's a sad scene as we watch Jonah choose resentment over gratitude. Chuck Swindahl titled his message Ticked Off to the Bitter End. Stay with us today and all week long, because there's much more to learn through Jonah's story. This nine-part teaching series concludes on Thursday, so if you've thought about requesting the Searching the Scriptures Bible Study Workbook, now is the time to get in touch. Whether for personal devotions or in a small group setting, This Bible study workbook for Jonah is the perfect choice.
To purchase the Searching the Scriptures Bible Study Workbook for Jonah or the collection of nine C D's or MP3 audio files, call us at 800-772-8888 or go to insight.org slash offer. On Friday's edition of Insight for Living, Chuck will begin an in-depth study in Paul's letter to the Romans. Chuck refers to this New Testament book as our doctrinal constitution because it's the timeless document that defines our Christian faith.
Some people find theological concepts confusing, but in this study of Romans, Chuck will increase our understanding and our respect for these life-changing principles. And then, as a special offer to our monthly companions, we're pleased to offer a free PDF download. It's the first chapter of Chuck's commentary in Romans. This special offer is also available to anyone who decides to become a new monthly companion. Signing up is easy.
As a monthly companion, you agree to give an automated monthly donation in the amount of your choice. And you can set this up right now by going to insight.org slash monthly companion. Remember, as a special bonus to our monthly companions, we'll say thanks by providing the PDF version of Chuck's commentary on Romans chapter 1. Call us at 800-772-8888 or go to insight.org slash monthly companion. I'm Bill Meyer.
Join us when Chuck Swindahl continues his surprising message on Jonah called Ticked Off to the Bitter End. Tuesday on Insight for Living. The preceding message Kicked off to the bitter end, was copyrighted in 2018, 2019, and 2025, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2025 by Charles Arswindahl Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
