4:1 Why did Jonah become angry when God spared Nineveh? The Jews did not want to share God’s message with Gentile nations in Jonah’s day, just as they resisted that role in Paul’s day (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16). They had forgotten their original purpose as a nation—to be a blessing to the rest of the world by sharing God’s message with other nations (Genesis 22:18). Jonah thought that God should not freely give his salvation to a wicked pagan nation. Yet this is exactly what God does for all who come to him today in faith.
4:1, 2 Jonah revealed the reason for his reluctance to go to Nineveh (1:3). He didn’t want the Ninevites forgiven; he wanted them destroyed. Jonah did not understand that the God of Israel was also the God of the whole world. Are you surprised when some unlikely person turns to God? Is it possible that your view is as narrow as Jonah’s? We must not forget that, in reality, we do not deserve to be forgiven by God.
4:3 Jonah had run from the job of delivering God’s message of destruction to Nineveh (1:2, 3); then he wanted to die because the destruction wouldn’t happen. How quickly Jonah had forgotten God’s mercy for him when he was inside the fish (2:9, 10). Jonah was happy when God saved him, but he was angry when Nineveh was saved. Jonah was learning a valuable lesson about God’s mercy and forgiveness. God’s forgiveness was not only for Jonah or for Israel alone; it extends to all who repent and believe.
4:3 Jonah may have been more concerned about his own reputation than God’s. He knew that if the people repented, none of his warnings to Nineveh would come true. This would embarrass him, although it would give glory to God. Are you more interested in getting glory for God or for yourself?
4:5-11 God ministered tenderly to Jonah just as he had done to Nineveh and to Israel—and just as he does to us. God could have destroyed Jonah for his defiant anger, but instead he gently taught him a lesson. If we will obey God, he will lead us. His harsh judgment is reserved for those who persist in rebellion.
4:9 Jonah was angry at the withering of the plant, but not over what could have happened to Nineveh. Most of us have cried at the death of a pet or when an object with sentimental value is broken, but have we cried over the fact that a friend does not know God? How easy it is to be more sensitive to our own interests than to the spiritual needs of people around us.
4:10, 11 Sometimes people wish that judgment and destruction would come upon sinful people whose wickedness seems to demand immediate punishment. But God is more merciful than we can imagine. God feels compassion for the sinners we want judged, and he devises plans to bring them to himself. What is your attitude toward those who are especially wicked? Do you want them destroyed? Or do you wish that they could experience God’s mercy and forgiveness?
4:11 God spared the sailors when they pleaded for mercy. God saved Jonah when he prayed from inside the fish. God saved the people of Nineveh when they responded to Jonah’s preaching. God answers the prayers of those who call upon him. God will always work his will, and he desires that all come to him, trust in him, and be saved. We can be saved if we heed God’s warnings to us through his Word. If we respond in obedience, God will be gracious, and we will receive his mercy, not his punishment.