Jonah 4 - Unwanted Providence
- Chad Werkhoven
- Jun 3, 2022
- 2 min read
God provides ALL things - both the good and the bad.
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Jonah 4 Summary
When God's Word came to Jonah the second time, the freshly vomited Jonah had learned his lesson about pushing against God's will. Jonah had been called to preach to Nineveh, the wickedest city in the world, so he preached... a total of six words.
Amazingly, God used the power of that preached word to bring a city of over 120,000 people (and don't forget the cattle in v11!) to repentance. And that really upset Jonah.
In protest, Jonah headed out of Nineveh to the east, which is often the direction people in Genesis would go to get away from God.
One of the key themes of Jonah is that God's will will always be done. All throughout this humorous story, Jonah wants to die. It was his idea to jump into a stormy sea, not God's. He preaches an inflammatory sermon, hoping to incite violence against himself. And now we find him huddled under the shade of a plant, asking God to take his life.
But that's not God's will. So once more, Jonah needs to learn that no matter how hard he pushes back, God will always win.
How different this story would have been had Jonah simply aligned himself with God's will!
Dig Deeper
We often think of God's providence in terms of the good things He gives to us, but Jonah helps remind us that all things are given by God.
Here's a quick review of what what God provided Jonah:
1:3 - a ship to flee on
1:4 - "The Lord hurled a great wind" upon Jonah
1:7 - The pagan lot fell upon Jonah
1:17 - God appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah
2:10 - God spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah out
3:5 - God blessed Jonah's awful sermon
4:6 - God appointed a plant for shade
4:7 - God appointed a worm to eat the plant
4:8 - God appointed a scorching east wind to bake Jonah
Be reminded that everything that happens to you today, be it good or bad, as been appointed by God and will be used for your good, even if you don't know how.
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father is a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting upon disaster.
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will recognize God's providence in all things and that unlike Jonah, you'll be fully aligned with God's will.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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