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.” Jonah 4:1-3
What do you do when you don’t want to share heaven with someone? When you really hope they get to heavens gates and Jesus says “I never knew you!” Yikes. It reveals a darkness in my own soul that I am ashamed to admit, but here it is displayed. But it’s honest.
Jonah did not think Nineveh should be given grace and saved from their own destruction. After all, as a part of the Assyrian empire, they were known for their violence and brutality. Nineveh was also morally corrupt with temple prostitution, child sacrifice, and infanticide. I wouldn’t want to share heaven with these people either. They were the epitome of evil.
But God wanted to use Jonah to offer grace and salvation.
Let’s recap Jonah (and the Whale)’s story: Everyone knows it but we usually stop at the part where he is vomited out of the great fish onto the shores of Nineveh, the place God told him to go to offer His grace, but he ran and headed to Tarshish instead (utterly the opposite direction). On the way there, he was thrown off a boat because God’s wrath sent a storm for him, then swallowed by a whale, spent 3 days there crying out to God until He commanded the fish to spit him out. Jonah then went to Nineveh and told them they had 40 days to repent or God’s judgement would fall on them. Great story right? He disobeyed, God got a hold of him, he repented and did his duty. THE END. Not so fast. Yes, it states that Jonah obeyed and preached (only once it appears) “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” And the whole city repented, even the king!! Jonah gets so mad! They don’t deserve this! No, they don’t. But God’s grace and mercy reaches far beyond anything we’ve ever done.
Jonah had also sinned by blatantly ignoring God’s command, by having hatred for the Ninevites, and for having so much pride that he thought he could overthrow God’s plan. Yes, his sin had different consequences than Nineveh’s, but it was sin all the same.
Jonah wanted God’s grace for his sin but wanted judgement for Nineveh’s.
Let’s talk about the tree- After Jonah leaves the city and finds a place to sit down in his anger, God provided a tree for shade. He literally went out to the desert to wait for Nineveh to fail. 39 days, 38, 37…. The tree is God’s mercy and grace, giving Jonah something he didn’t deserve. And Jonah is thankful for the grace of the tree but he is so narrow minded he can not be thankful for the grace for Nineveh. (Jonah 4:5-6)
Now let’s talk about the worm: At dawn the next day, God appointed a worm to shrivel the tree. (Jonah 4: 7-8) It is God’s judgement- which we never want, but He gives us because He loves us. We never think judgement is a good thing. But it can be.
Without it, and consequences, we never learn or grow up and get over ourselves and transform into the person Jesus meant us to be. So the worm (and the scorching wind) were appointed by God and was just as much of a gift as the tree. God appointed the pain to Jonah as an object lesson.
God’s response to Jonah was “Do you do well to be angry?” Why would I give you grace but not send mercy on Nineveh? But Jonah was too self righteous and asked to die. He is bitter. His focus is in the wrong place, on himself and not the eternal salvation of an entire city.
I know what you are thinking… Wow, what an idiot. But stop and think, is there someone you’d rather God not give grace to? I can. Have they hurt you so badly, that you just want God’s wrath poured out on them? Yep! Be honest with yourself. You don’t want that person in heaven with you. They don’t deserve it!
You’re right, they don’t. But you, nor I, do either.
Ok, ok, I hear you. We’ve never done anything that bad. We have never cheated, stolen, or murdered. We have never put that amount of pain on anyone else! True. But I have robbed God’s glory and took it for myself, I’ve lied to save myself from someone’s judgement or to hide my intentions, I have cheated God by making other earthly things more important than Him. My consequences for these sins are not prison or divorce, but God gives me grace too.
But Emily, you haven’t answered the question, what do you do when you don’t want God to save that person?
First, is to acknowledge that we aren’t God. And will never fully understand His ways. It isn’t up to you. Or me. God will give grace where He pleases. Whether He uses you, or not, to accomplish it is up to you.
Secondly, is to admit our own sin and short comings. And truly understand that the Gospel IS grace and it is for us too. It’s the SAME grace no matter the depth of the sin.
Third, understand that this is a trust issue. We don’t trust God to take care of the situation. We don’t trust Him to give the deserved consequences. We don’t trust that somehow, some way, He will bless us through the pain, regardless of whether that person gets heaven or hell.
Fourth, and most importantly, by remembering where we stand. God forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. (Matt 6:12) Unforgiveness leads to anger and bitterness. Do I do well to still be angry? Is it serving me in any capacity? Is it helping me? No, no it’s not. Let’s stop waiting in the desert for that person to fail so we can gloat and be justified. That desert never leads to abundant life.
This is HARD. I get it. I’m with you. But there is peace in knowing that I am not the judge or the jury. I, too, am the prisoner being set free from resentment and bitterness with a complete pardon.
There’s a saying that reads, “the best revenge is living well.” But I say leave the vengeance to God (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19) and live well by abiding in Jesus, clinging to his promises, and walking in a joy that comes from knowing your salvation. “The enemy comes only to kill, steal, and destroy but I have come so they may have life abundantly” (John 10:10). Living in that abundance produces the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that will flow out of you SO much that everyone will notice, even that person. But by then, you’ll have such a contentment that it really won’t matter anymore. (Phil 4:11-13)
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