Jonah Running ahead of God

Jonah 4

INTRODUCTION: Jonah, who had been showered with God’s mercy time and again, is shown to have a hard heart. He does not understand the depth of God’s mercy, that God’s mercy can reach down to the depth of human depravity and save the most wicked, in this case represented by the Assyrians. Jonah has difficulty accepting the fact that God could save a people as wicked and cruel as them. It is this great lesson on God’s mercy that Jonah must learn.

God warns us: we must not allow anger to become embedded within our hearts. Embedded anger can take over and consume our every thought, even our lives. If we allow it, anger will smolder within us and eventually erupt in a fit of rage or hostility, causing discord or dissension or worse.

I. JONAH PRAYED TO DIE
Vs. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
If a person prays to die God gets ready for him to leave the world, he is running ahead of God.
Elijah ran ahead of God and prayed to die. 1 Kings 19:4.

2. JONAH BECAME ANGRY WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE PLAN OF GOD.
Vs. 1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
We should always try to understand and fine the will of God, before becoming upset.
Psa. 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

3. JONAH POUTED WITH GOD.
Vs. 4-5 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? So Jonah went out 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.
It is bad for God’s people to pout.

4. JONAH FAINTED, BUT NOT FORSAKEN.
Vs. 8 And it came to pass, when the sun did rise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than live.

5. JONAH WANTED GOD’S WRATH TO FALL ON NINEVEH.
Vs. 1-2 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 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.
James and John wanted God to destroy some that did not go along with them. Lk. 9:54.

6. JONAH RECEIVED A WELL TAUGHT LESSON BY RUNNING AHEAD OF GOD.
Vs. 9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?
Rom. 8:28 Abraham and Sarah got into trouble by running ahead of God.

7. JONAH LEARNED THE HARD WAY ABOUT THE GREAT COMPASSION OF GOD.
Vs. 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?

CONCLUSION: 
Jonah needed to learn the depth of God’s mercy. With that in mind, God set out to teach His dear prophet the amazing truth that His mercy can reach anyone, even the person who has sunk to the lowest depths of human depravity.

the lessons we learn from Jonah—a believer, a man called by God, a prophet ran away from God, rebelled against God, disobeyed God, argued with God, and even questioned God’s judgment. He also acted selfishly; and he showed no concern for lost souls. Yet God has used the story of Jonah for centuries to teach the importance of obeying God, witnessing to the lost, and giving great hope to the most depraved of society.

As believers, we must not sit back and judge the wicked of the world. God loves them, too! There are a number of ways we can reach out to the lost and help fulfill the great commission. To name a few: we can pray; we can give financially; we can volunteer in an organization; we can go to the mission fields of the world.

Listen to what God’s Holy Word says.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15).

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