When the forty days of Jonah’s warning from God came to an end and the judgment did not fall, Jonah was very disappointed. There stood the same buildings, the same wall and the same people. Jonah was so angry because God didn’t bring down His judgment on Nineveh that he asked God to take away his life.
Why was Jonah so miserable? Because he knew that God is merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and Jonah did not want this kindness shown to his enemies. But no matter what we think or how angry we might be, we can’t change the character of God.
Jonah went up to a hilltop overlooking the city and waited to see if it would be destroyed. Perhaps you remember that Jesus, the Son of God, did that too and looked over the doomed city of Jerusalem with tears upon His loving face. He would gladly have spread out His arms like the wings of a mother hen and covered them all safely from judgment. But they would not come to Him. They chose instead to crucify Him, and the city was destroyed. All the people, even the children, lost their lives.
Jonah had no tears for Nineveh. He felt terribly sorry for himself and his reputation, because the city was not destroyed as he had said. And now the hot tropical sun was burning down on his head.
God cared about Jonah even though he was angry, and God prepared a gourd vine to grow very quickly over his head. Jonah was glad, very glad for the shade over his head, but he was still very far from the heart of the God of love. God still cared so much about Jonah’s wrong attitude that He prepared a worm to chew right through that vine so that it withered and died. And Jonah was again left with the hot sun beating down on his head and a strong east wind blowing against him, till he was so miserable he just wanted to die. Now Jonah was angry about the gourd vine.
What is it that is making you angry right now? Is it because God is sending troubles into your life? He certainly did this to Jonah. If it makes you angry in your heart, then you have not learned to know the God who loves you with perfect love. He is the same loving God who sent His only Son to die for sinners like you. If you will answer His call, you will hear Him say, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:33The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jeremiah 31:3)).
We cannot tell you the end of the Jonah story because God does not tell us. But He does remind Jonah that, in that great city that Jonah wanted destroyed, there were more than 120,000 persons who could not tell their right hand from their left. Those were very young children that He must have cared about very much! He still does care about every child very much, because Jesus said, “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:1414Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:14)).
And He cares very much about you. Have you accepted His mercy and love?