Forgetting God's Sovereignty

One of the most damaging things to our souls is to forget God's sovereignty. That He is ultimately over all things and that from His hand come all that we could have, every breath, every moment. 

To this end, we come to the final chapter of the book of Jonah. As far as prophetic books go, Jonah is a true outlier. There are no judgments, no descriptions of torment in harsh conditions as God unloads on sinners among the nations. Jonah is unlike the rest of them, for the book of Jonah is a referendum NOT on nations but on Jonah.

You would think a prophet whose message was heard and abided by would be thrilled at the success! Not Jonah. He sees Nineveh repent and the Lord spare them, and wants to die.

Jonah 4:1-3 (ESV) But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

He wasn’t just exceedingly displeased; he was angry. Not only that, he stipulates that he indeed would have preferred to die than to be an agent of God’s grace for these wicked enemies. I’m sure there is a group like that for all of us. People we believe are beyond the pale in evil and overdue for God’s swift justice. But Jonah wanting to die is next-level narcissism. Remember, this prophet claimed great notoriety when he prophesied Israel's borders would be enlarged. It seems he takes joy in his words heeded on certain occasions after all. 

Jonah 4:4 (ESV) And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

For all Jonah’s complaints about God’s mercy, he sure is a regular recipient of it. He got it when he fled from God’s command, when he should have drowned in the sea, in the fish, and now as he levels charges against God’s mercy.

So to make a point, the Lord decides to produce an object lesson. 

Jonah 4:5–6 (ESV) Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.

Jonah is hoping God will change His mind and destroy Nineveh. While this goes on, the Lord actually blesses Jonah with a shady plant in the heat. In this area of the world, temperatures can get over 120 degrees. Jonah is happen when God blesses him (or his nation). 

Jonah 4:7–8 (ESV) But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

A recurring phrase in Jonah is "God appointed." He appointed the fish to swallow Jonah, he appointed this plant, and now the Lord appoints a worm to destroy the comforting plant. You could say God also appointed the storm and the great fish's indigestion. The point? God is in control. When we forget that, we turn inward and hate life. Because sin fills us with the illusion that we are in control. The metaphor of the comforting plant also pictures what will become of rebellious Israel. Jonah knows his nation cannot continue without judgment. And yet the very thing he loves (and finds comforting) will be taken over by the "worm" of Assyria, of which Nineveh is the capital. 

Again, Jonah wants to die. This time, an over-a-day-old plant that is no more. And the book ends with God's final word. 

Jonah 4:10–11 (ESV) And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

When we forget God's sovereignty, we hate not only our lives, but also other people, whom God has made. The city of Nineveh was under God's reign, and Jonah didn't get it. He could only see his needs, wants, and comforts. But God, in grace and mercy, will call us out of our navel-gazing posture to look up and see people other than us. Why? Because we are made in His image, we are made to live in His character and nature. And that means keeping an eye out for others, as God keeps His eyes on us.