Is It Right for You to Be Angry? (Jonah 3:10-4:11)

I am the worst of all people. I am at the bottom of the barrel. I have grasped the hand of the Lord that reached out to me there. At some point, we began to attach our faith to what seemed pleasing to our eyes, saying that this or that was good with our poor sight. We raised our voices and became angry. Sometimes, we even became the second or third Jonah. We were mistaken, thinking that doing so was God's will. But when the Lord quietly asks us, "Is it right for you to be angry?", what should we answer?

"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me."

When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim that their wickedness had reached Him in heaven, Jonah, quick to catch on, grabbed his travel bag and boarded a ship to Tarshish, which is modern-day Spain. God could not have been unaware of this, and Jonah knew full well that he could not escape God's sight by doing so. Yet, Jonah was still acting out and running away, asking, "Why do I have to go to Nineveh?" Why wouldn't Jonah want to go to Nineveh? Even though it was God's command, why was he running away, insisting that he couldn't go to Nineveh?

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. At that time, Assyria was an enemy of Israel. So, for Jonah to go to Nineveh meant that he would be going to the heart of enemy territory, and if he were to proclaim there that they would be utterly destroyed if they did not repent within 40 days, what would happen to Jonah? Our anticipated questions and answers would be at this level.

However, if that were the case, Jonah would not be qualified to be a prophet. There was a reason why Jonah could not go to Nineveh.

"Then he prayed to the Lord and said, 'O Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish;'" (4:2).

What does this mean? Jonah knew that if he went to Nineveh as God commanded and cried out, "There are only 40 days left. Repent quickly!", they would turn away from their evil ways. In other words, Jonah could not bear to see the people of Nineveh, the heart of Assyria, Israel's enemy, repent and return to God, so he absolutely could not go there. This was the reason Jonah gave to God for not being able to go to Nineveh.

There were several other prophets active around the same time as Jonah, including Hosea and Amos. In the Bible, we often see God sending prophets to rebuke, threaten, and sometimes even punish His people, Israel, when they go astray. However, in this case, God is sending a prophet not to Israel but to their enemy, Assyria. How must Jonah have felt? He was being told to prophesy for the repentance of an enemy nation, while he himself was not even sufficient to prophesy for his own nation and people.

Let us put ourselves in Jonah's shoes. Let us try to understand Jonah's feelings. Of course, he must have been afraid to go to the heart of enemy territory. But why does God raise up prophets and have them prophesy? Does God do so because He hates those who hear the prophecies? Does God send prophets to bring about their destruction? No, He sends them to save. God sends prophets because there is still a chance. The prophecies in the Bible are numerous and span a long period, but their content can be summarized simply: "Return to God. Live rightly before God." God hopes for this, and so He sends prophets, sometimes threatening punishment if they do not return, and sometimes proclaiming complete destruction. If God really wanted a nation to be destroyed, He would not raise up prophets. They would simply be left to perish on their own. When we go to a river or large lake, we see "No Swimming" signs. Why are these signs put up? Not for people to drown, but to prevent them from drowning. When God said to Jonah, "Go to Nineveh and proclaim that there are only 40 days left," Jonah immediately felt that this was not right. If Assyria were to be revived, what would become of Israel? Israel was just regaining its strength, while enemy Assyria was struggling with internal issues. If Assyria were to be revived, what would become of Israel? When Jonah's thoughts reached this point, he did not hesitate to run westward when God told him to go east, boarding a ship to Tarshish (Spain). This is Jonah 4:2.

"O Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; (the reason being) I knew that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."

The reason Jonah did not go to Nineveh can be expressed in more plausible terms as "patriotism." It seems that it was precisely because of such a sentiment that God chose Jonah and commanded him to go to Nineveh. Doesn't God often bring people from opposite extremes together, preferring the cold and hot rather than the lukewarm?

Anyway, after twists and turns, Jonah eventually submits to God and goes to Nineveh. But take a look at Jonah. Even in Nineveh, he doesn't cry out passionately, but instead walks the three-day journey through Nineveh in just one day, saying, "In 40 days, Nineveh will be overthrown, as God says, believe it or not," and then he finishes. 

But a miracle happens. The king and the people begin to fast and repent, even imposing fasting on their livestock. To Jonah, the "maybe" has turned into "indeed." Jonah could say he had cried out as God commanded, even though he only preached for a day instead of the three days he was supposed to, and he could satisfy his own desire to see Nineveh destroyed, employing a strategy that allowed him to have his cake and eat it too. Unintentionally, the picture God desired was painted. In the Book of Jonah, Jonah is so upset by the sight of the people of Nineveh repenting before God that his anger rises to the top of his head. Jonah pleads with God, "Rather kill me," and vents his anger to the fullest. But God quietly asks, "Jonah, is it right for you to be angry?"

Did Jonah stop there? No, he didn't. Jonah thought, "Nineveh, their accumulated malice has pierced the heavens, and can they repay all that by wearing sackcloth and shedding a few tears? No way. For now, they may be like this, but who knows? They might be destroyed!" So, he climbed to a high place to look down on Nineveh. Moreover, the gourd plant provided shade, making it an excellent spot to watch Nineveh's destruction. A day passed, and the next day, the gourd plant was gone, and the scorching desert wind and murderous sunlight began to beat down on Jonah. This wind and sunlight should have killed the people of Nineveh, but Jonah was at the point of death. Angry to the point of asking for death, God quietly speaks to Jonah again, "Jonah, is it right for you to be angry?" Look at Jonah's stubbornness, "Even if I get angry to the point of death, it is right" (Jonah 4:9).

At this point, we see the older brother of the prodigal son in Jonah's character. In the older brother's view, the prodigal son, who has squandered all his wealth, should not return home. Even if he does return, he can no longer be a son. This is the older brother's thinking and also our thinking. However, the father never thinks that way. Both the older son who stayed at home and the younger son who left and squandered his wealth are his children. Similarly, Jonah, the people of Israel, and the people of Nineveh are all precious and loved by God. Listen to God's words revealing His heart as He chides Jonah.

"You are making such a fuss over one withered gourd plant, now look at this great city of Nineveh, where there are 120,000 people who cannot discern their left from their right, and many livestock. How can I not have compassion on them?" (Jon 4:11).

We are people who have come to know God through His grace. We are moved by God and resolve to live for Him and towards Him. But if we mistake all of this for our own determination and faith, and think that it started from our own zeal, the result may not be good. Isn't faith about following God's will? Nowadays, worship songs often express God's will as God's heart. Isn't living a life of faith about knowing God's heart and living as He desires? God cherishes and loves both patriotic Jonah and the people of Nineveh who cannot discern left from right. What is our constant confession of faith? "Lord, how can you love a wretched person like me?" Isn't this it? The confession that we are the worst of sinners is not a humble gesture, nor is it a confession squeezed out to appear pitiful before God. In fact, that confession is an absolutely accurate fact. There is no one worse than me. There is no one who has fallen deeper and grasped the Lord's hand. Let us not forget our confession of faith. We hope that God grants us talents. We wish for the talent of memory so that we do not forget where we are and the talent of sight to see our place correctly.