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Jonah 4:10-11

10 Then said [amar] the LORD [Yahovah], Thou hast had pity [chuwc] on the gourd [qiyqayown], for the which thou hast not laboured [amal], neither madest it grow [gadal]; which came up in a night [ben] [layil], and perished [abad] in a night [ben] [layil]:
11 And should not I spare [chuwc] Nineveh [Niynaveh], that great [gadowl] city [iyr], wherein are [yesh] more [rabah] than sixscore [shanayim] [asar] thousand [ribbow] persons [adam] that cannot discern [yada] between their right hand [yamiyn] and their left hand [samo'wl]; and also much [rab] cattle [bahemah]? KJV-Interlinear

10 Then the LORD said, 'You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work, and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. 11 'And should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?' NASB

The book of Jonah concludes with God getting in the last word. He will always have the last say.

Jonah was totally out of line. Anyone who complains in life is totally out of line. Neither Jonah nor any of us have the right to complain, to judge, to whine in the presence of God or anyone else.

Jonah doesn't have the power to grow a simple plant, to maintain it, or to prevent its death. Jonah nor any of us have the power to make our own heart beat even a single beat. Jonah nor any of us brought about our own birth, nor can any of us prevent our own death. We cannot extend our life even a single moment beyond our moment of death whenever that might occur. We don't even know when our life will expire on this earth..

Jonah had compassion for a plant. He didn't plant it, nor cause it to grow, nor did he cultivate it or care for it in any way. The plant was here today and gone tomorrow. It was temporary to say the least, and yet Jonah grieved over a plant more so than the lives of many tens of thousands of human beings. Many of which were very young.

You can interpret those, who do not know their left hand from their right, as the very young infants and toddlers of the city. You can also interpret this phrase as referring to those who lack spiritual discernment due to their ignorance or lack of information.

Either way, the city had a huge population within it, of helpless people who were in need of assistance. Are they to be thrown out with the bath water as useless?

Jonah had more of an attachment over a plant over which he had no real association. And yet his attachment was not for the plant, but for his own comfort, and for the convenience of his anger. Jonah did not want to reel in his anger. He found more pleasure in letting his anger rage on, regardless of the damage he might inflict. He cared nothing for the spiritual destiny of thousands of people. A destiny which will last forever.

Too may people have this Jonah syndrome in their life. Marriages, friendships, relationships, loyalties and such break up over the silliest things. What is more important than a marriage - burnt toast?

Jonah cared nothing for the plant. What he cared about was hurting others in order to satisfy his arrogance and hate of his own life.

On the other hand, God raised up the plant, sustained it, and destroyed it. A plant is nothing and the decisions regarding the plant were of an insignificant nature. However, God also created and raised up the Ninevites, cared for them, sustained them and the decision to destroy them for their wickedness was a much more difficult one.

Jonah had no interest in their welfare. Jonah had no investment in either event. Our pain in making decisions in life, is nothing when compared to Gods decisions. Christ went to the Cross. Something that none of us could accomplish even in a thousand lifetimes.

Jonah had thought God was absurd in sparing the Ninevites, however God exposed Jonah as the one whose thinking was absurd, distorted, and detached from reality.

Now the book of Jonah goes even further than telling a story of a very angry and unforgiving man. It is a story too, of the genetic nation of Israel whose disobedient and disaffection from God would get them into deep trouble.

It is a story of ones disobedience to God and to ones own obligations in life - wives to husbands, children to parents, employees to employers, people to pets, ones own lifestyle of convenience verses that which God authorizes, etc., etc., etc. It is a story of how arrogance (through disregard to Gods Word) can consume your life without you ever realizing it, and make the petty into huge mountains in your life, and the important things rendered as a waste of your time.

It is a story of how ones rejection of truth can develop into perpetual disobedience and a spiritual callousness that blinds discernment and understanding. People who ignore their spiritual life will soon reject the importance of their own life, of their spouse, of their family, of their job, of anything and everything they have in life. They will throw away the important and cling to the unimportant. And in the long run (or short run) they will be very miserable failures.

Might as well go up on the hill and sit under a tree and rock back and forth in your own misery for what good it will do you.

As the book concludes, Jonah was angry, depressed, uncomfortable, and faint. And he was left, as we all are, to contemplate Gods words about his own selfishness and lack of compassion, and Gods infinite depth of compassion.

God made His points. First, He is gracious toward all nations, toward Gentiles as well as Israelites. Two, He is sovereign. Three, He punishes rebellion. Four, He wants His own people to obey Him, to be rid of frivolous thinking, and to place no limits on His compassion and grace.

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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