The Most Embarrassing Chapter in the Bible
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Have you ever seen a grown man throw a tantrum? Embarrassing, right? Like Bobby Knight in basketball or John McEnroe in tennis, it’s hard to look away when an adult acts like a kid. But that’s exactly what the prophet Jonah did in chapter 4 of his autobiographical Old Testament book – arguably the most embarrassing chapter in the whole Bible.
Attitude Problems
Let’s start with some context. God called Jonah to preach to the enemy nation of Israel, which he finally did in the previous chapter. But instead of destroying Ninevah like Jonah warned, God ended up sparing the city because of their repentance. That’s when Jonah lost it.
Jonah 4:1-3 (NLT) This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the LORD about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
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Consider Jonah’s attitude change from chapter 2 to chapter 4. When he was desperate and in the dark, Jonah humbly vowed to go God’s way. Now that Ninevah’s in the hot seat instead of him, he’s furious that God isn’t meeting his expectations. It’s embarrassing when your attitude toward God gets exposed.
Undeserved Mercy
The truth is, we love it when God lets us off the hook… and we hate it when he does it for our enemies. This proves how little we really understand God’s mercy and grace. That’s embarrassing.
Jonah 4:4 (NLT) The LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
God is patiently trying to help Jonah understand the extent of his mercy. Jesus did the same thing in his parable of the vineyard workers. The landowner invited additional laborers at different times during the work day, but at the end of the story he paid them all the same wage. When the
