The Book Of Jonah. Day 8, Jonah's Complaint Against God

In our last study session the king of Assyria and the people of Nineveh repented, fasted, and prayed when they heard the list of their transgressions and when they heard the Lord's warning that He would destroy the city in forty days. Chapter 3 ended like this: "When God saw what they did and and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened."

Jonah's mission has been a success! Thousands of souls have been saved from perdition! Now he will bow on his knees and give thanks to the Lord for His mercy, right? Sadly, no. When the Lord spares the people of Nineveh from destruction, Jonah is displeased. "But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry." (Jonah 4:1) 

Jonah's sense of justice is offended. He feels that the wicked idolaters of Nineveh deserve destruction and he wants to see fire and brimstone rained down upon them. We know he wants the Lord's wrath to fall upon them because he gives vent to these feelings. "He prayed to the Lord, 'Isn't this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.'" (Jonah 4:2-3)

Now we are getting down to the primary reason why Jonah disobeyed the Lord when He commanded him to go to Nineveh. While it's true that Jonah harbored prejudice against these heathen sinners, and while it's true that he feared the ruthless and violent reputation of the Assyrians, the main reason he did not want to go to Nineveh is because he was afraid they would be spared from destruction. He knew that if they repented, the Lord would withhold His hand of judgment from them. 

What hypocrisy! Jonah, who rejoiced in the Lord's mercy and compassion when the Lord forgave him for his rebellion and rescued him from the belly of the fish, wants the Lord to deny this same mercy and compassion to the people of Nineveh. We know that Jonah was formerly called to be a prophet to his own people of Israel, for a fulfilled prophecy he made about King Jeroboam II of Israel was mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25, but we have no idea how successful (or unsuccessful) his ministry was within the borders of Israel. Jeroboam II was a good king militarily for Israel but he "did evil in the eyes of the Lord" spiritually, so it's clear that Jonah was not able to persuade him to get his heart right with the Lord. I think it's quite possible and even likely that more people were listening to Jeroboam II than to Jonah. I would not be at all surprised---and in fact I think this is the case---that the only major revival that ever broke out during Jonah's ministry was in the Gentile city of Nineveh.

The children of God must never treat salvation as if it is some sort of exclusive club into which only the "worthy" are invited. No one is worthy on his or her own merit! The children of God must never forget that at one time we were all transgressors and that it's only by His mercy and compassion that anyone is ever saved. He doesn't extend forgiveness and salvation to us because we deserve it but because He is "abounding in love" toward mankind, as Jonah affirmed in his prayer. The Lord doesn't make the offer of salvation to us because of our good deeds and righteousness, for no one is righteous. "Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins." (Ecclesiastes 7:20) 

Jonah is not perfect and neither is anyone of his nation. How, then, can he look down on the Gentiles of Nineveh? Jonah was saved not by works but by faith, which is the only way anyone is ever saved, and this salvation is a gift of God---not something earned by man. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Jonah didn't earn his salvation, yet he accepted it gladly. But he wants to prevent the people of Nineveh from being invited into this same salvation, likely because they are Gentiles and not people of Israel, but he has forgotten that the people of Israel must come to salvation by faith as well. Their forefather, Abraham, was saved by faith and not by the works of the law (Genesis 15:6); he lived a long time before the law was given and even if he'd had the law he wasn't capable of perfectly keeping it. The only way anyone is saved---whether Jew or Gentile---is through faith. Jonah is trying to deny the people of Nineveh the same salvation in which he trusts. In our next study session, which will complete the short book of Jonah, we will find the Lord trying to reason with Jonah in an effort to guide him out of his wrong way of thinking.