And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil,
that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not. Jonah 3:10
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
When Jonah spoke the prophecy from God, their sin was evident and had reached a point of too much. Maybe Jonah would have preferred changing God’s words? Something like, “I will destroy this city, but if you seek forgiveness, I will spare you.” God does what He does and He says what He says. God makes no apologies.
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.
I love Jonah’s candor to the Lord. He doesn’t hold back his feelings neither what he is thinking. He just says it. Jonah knew God might forgive them and then he was concerned about his reputation. He even understood that mercy is part of God’s nature, to be gracious and forgive. Jonah was not yet at the place where he was more interested in being obedient and caring for souls than he was to look foolish in front of people.
3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
Jonah was so upset about this, he wanted to die. He was done, finished with being here on this Earth. What sense did it make to threaten them and then not follow through making Jonah lose all his integrity and respect?
4 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?
Jonah gave God the silent treatment.
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.
Jonah was watching, but he knew what was going to happen. He knew God would forgive them and spare Nineveh. That was why he was angry.
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.
The gourd was to be kind to Jonah while he was wrestling with God.
7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
It was time to come to terms.
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.
Here he goes again…wanting to die. He was so miserable in his fleshly logic.
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?
And thus the story ended. If Jonah didn’t realize God’s thinking then, he would soon. Jonah had to step away from his lofty feelings of self importance to realize God’s efforts accomplished exactly what God wanted them to. Jonah one day must have realized the successful work that was accomplished by his unwilling obedience. How Jeremiah and many other prophets would have been so glad to see the people repent at their preaching.
Jesus mentioned Jonah and how he was honored and mentioned by Jesus Himself more than once. This was an amazing thing that happened to have the whole city repent after Jonah’s preaching.
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it:
because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. Matthew 12:41
Note: My writings and perspectives are never to be considered the only answers or the right answers, but are to stimulate the reader to pursue the Lord and His word and understanding of His word by the Holy Spirit.