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Jonah 4:9

9 And God [elohiym] said [amar] to Jonah [Yonah], Doest thou well [yatab] to be angry [charah] for the gourd [qiyqayown]? And he said [amar], I do well [yatab] to be angry [charah], even unto death [maveth]. KJV-Interlinear

9 Then God said to Jonah, 'Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?' And he said, 'I have good reason to be angry, even to death.' NASB

Earlier God asked Jonah whether he had good reason to be angry. This first question dealt with the spiritual deliverance of the population of Nineveh. Jonah's pride was injured and so he felt more badly about himself than he had feelings for the population of the entire city.

This next question is referred specifically to the tree or vine as it were, which grew up to provide shade and comfort for Jonah, and then died. God caused both events to occur.

Jonah was again more concerned about his own well being and comfort than he was for the Ninevites spiritual status. So much so that he felt more sadness over the loss of a plant than he had feelings for the people of Nineveh.

Extreme selfishness manifests itself in Jonah.

Deprived of the shelter of the gourd (the castor seed tree), Jonah becomes immediately depressed, and in his unreasoning anger defends himself against the reproaches of God.

Jonah is member of the human race. His body consists of the dust of the earth. His soul was created and his human life was created by God when he was born into this world. God saw his life since eternity past, and God allowed history to transpire for many, many centuries until the birth and life of Jonah. Jonah, like us all, is here courtesy of the grace of God.

And, like us all, Jonah, is a nothing of a creature. We are all nothings. Yet here in his arrogance he makes himself even greater than God Himself. Arguing with God, Jonah justifies his own anger and depression. Jonah makes light of the two principle enemies of mankind - sin and death. Both separate us from truth and from life itself.

Jonah pursues a path that all arrogant and negative people pursue - his own selfishness. His own welfare is more important to him than the very life of others. And Jonah is not in any kind of danger. Yet on the one hand he wanted to be delivered when he went into the sea, and on the other hand he wants to die when the Ninevites did not get the judgment he thought they should have had.

And in both instances he looks to God for the results, but the results he wants are those which are convenient to his own selfish desires, not results compatible with Gods righteousness and justice, and Gods grace policy.

Jonah wants to live within his own pouting. He is insolent in the presence of Gods authority, arguing that his wisdom is greater than that of God.

A negative attitude toward ones spiritual life leads to emotional responses to life. Passion overrules good decisions. And the results are distorted and unreasonable priorities and false discernment in life.

Emotionally unstable people are spiritual fools. Hate destroys the fool (those who ignore Gods counsel). Envy destroys the silly (those who misinterpret or misapply Gods counsel). And those who are both fools and silly will cut their own throats with their own passions, Job 1.

These are the folks who cry out loud, 'Why me God? What have I done to deserve this?' And they agonize and make things overly dramatic and distorted in life. They make themselves the center of the universe with everything revolving around them (arrogant selfishness). They are unstable and will blow up (emotional tantrum) at he drop of a pin, as it were. Insignificant things become important, and important things become insignificant. They will not listen to reason nor will they accept any good counsel apart from their own opinions. No one knows better than they, despite their obvious (to others) instability and anger in life.

This lesson is given to us not so we can evaluate these signs in others, but so we can see the risks of these signs in ourselves and correct our own spiritual flaws.

Now is the time to post a prayer.

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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