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You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Jonah 4:6-8 6 And the LORD [Yahovah] God [elohiym] prepared [manah] a gourd [qiyqayown], and made it to come up [alah] over Jonah [Yonah], that it might be a shadow [tsel] over his head [ro'sh], to deliver [natsal] him from his grief [ra]. So Jonah [Yonah] was exceeding [gadowl] [simchah] glad [samach] of the gourd [qiyqayown]. 7 But God [elohiym] prepared [manah] a worm [towla] when the morning [shachar] rose [alah] the next day [mochorath], and it smote [nakah] the gourd [qiyqayown] that it withered [yabesh]. 8 And it came to pass, when the sun [shemesh] did arise [zarach], that God [elohiym] prepared [manah] a vehement [chariyshiy] east [qadiym] wind [ruwach]; and the sun [shemesh] beat [nakah] upon the head [ro'sh] of Jonah [Yonah], that he fainted [alaph], and wished [sha'al] in himself [nephesh] to die [muwth], and said [amar], It is better [towb] for me to die [maveth] than to live [chay]. KJV-Interlinear 6 So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. 7 But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8 And it came about when the sun came up that God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, 'Death is better to me than life.' NASB Jonah is an impatient, opinionated, complaining grump. Here he is sitting on a hill outside of the city waiting for the city to be judged. He wants to see the city burn and the people living in it hurt badly for their sins which he has decided were simply atrocious and beyond Gods mercy. Jonah was rigid in his attitude. He exaggerates the facts for his own convenience and self satisfying ego. He places himself on a pedestal and he looks down his nose at everyone else. No one measures up to himself. In his own mind, he can do no wrong and even if he does happen to fall on occasion, then his failures are rather mild and of no consequence. Hardly worth mentioning. As for anyone else, then they are of course the dumbest people on the face of the earth. And, their failures are worthy of nothing short of total destruction. So Jonah has quite an extensive double standard working for himself. The Ninevites have received salvation or deliverance from certain destruction. Jonah received shade from a fast growing castor tree (whose seeds provide castor oil). Jonah was happier at his own good fortune, than of the good fortune of the Ninevites. But he was in need of some medicine which tastes very bad. Nothing else will get his attention. The Ninevites received relief for all of eternity. Jonah received relief for only a night. Such is the nature of the relief of the world. It is only temporary, and its comfort is also only temporary, obviously. Jonah was happier with the temporary. God intervened earlier with a storm and a huge fish. Now He intervened with a lowly worm and a very uncomfortable wind. Delighted with his earlier relief, Jonah, though he had been angry and depressed, became overjoyed, and now he is very sad and depressed. So much so that he wanted to die. Jonah is going through some very emotional swings. Swings which are tied to his environment, or tied to the circumstances of his life of the moment. Though God sent Jonah to teach the Ninevites a lesson, it is Jonah who is in fact in need of a lesson in life. Jonah has been AWOL (absent without leave) in his spiritual life for a long time now. Being away from his spiritual studies he has fallen victim of his own emotions and subjective prejudices. He can no longer see the truth in life. Even the tree which grew up in so short a time span was not recognized by Jonah as a grace provision from God, but a temporary one. Enduring life is not of this world, but of the spiritual realm. The world is temporary. The spiritual side is eternal. Jonah's make shift shelter was insufficient to protect him from the sun and wind. God had to help him out there. Man is incapable even in this temporary life to make provision for himself. And even though we receive comforts of varying kinds in this life, our real priorities should be focused on our eternal comforts. And we should not be depressed when others receive blessing from God. After all what had the Ninevites done to Jonah? Nothing. They had never harmed Jonah even in the slightest. Yet he was adamantly and defiantly set against them. Note too, that throughout all of this story, the sins of the Ninevites are never mentioned. Only Jonah's are evident. When a person is indifferent toward God and doctrine, when a person is defiant against God and doctrine, when a person has even a lukewarm attitude toward God and doctrine, then they will be driven by their own arrogance. Any departure from God is driven by and founded in arrogance. From arrogance comes all sorts of sins, many of which we have seen in Jonah. Jonah is impatient with, and generally intolerant of others. He gives them little room for error. Since all arrogance is destined to failure, then when Jonah (or anyone like him) does not get his way, then he becomes a slave to his own emotions, and he seeks out solutions which are totally impractical. He builds a stick home - a ridiculous stick home which is inadequate. He wants to die - and for what reason? His opinions in life are exaggerated. His reasoning in life is distorted. His conclusions in life are unreasonable. He is so caught up in his own argument that he does not even hear the counsel of truth. While his evaluation and opinion of others is very low, it is he who is in fact the one failing life's tests and in need of an eye opening by God. The storm and the fish did not open up his eyes. The dying tree and sun and wind did not convince him. What then will it take to get Jonah's attention? Or your attention for that matter, just in case you look in the mirror and see a little of Jonah in yourself? End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.

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