Jonah 4:9 (ESV)
But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”
This is the second time that God has asked Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry.” He’s challenging Jonah’s thinking.
Of course, Jonah doesn’t do well to be angry—about Nineveh’s repentance or about the plant. But this hasn’t dawned on him yet.
Jonah’s pout has gone nuclear. His whole perspective has zoomed down to a single plant. He loses the plant, and he starts talking like he’s suicidal.
Jonah’s problem is deeper than just hating the Ninevites. The silliness about the plant shows that something else is at play here.
The bit with Nineveh is over, and yet Jonah is still trying to have everything go exactly the way he wants. He doesn’t understand what it means to be a prophet.
It’s a magnificent, precious position, but it’s one of service.
The book is almost over and Jonah still doesn’t get it. He thinks he should get to call the shots.
Jonah has been through a series of trials, some large, some small. Through it all, he never seems to realize that God planned the whole thing.
It all started with the “trial” of being called to preach repentance to a city he hates. That wouldn’t be a trial at all but for Jonah’s sinfulness.
Jonah’s spoiled brat attitude sets him on a long road to repentance. He’s learning a tough lesson, which wouldn’t be so tough if he was interested in learning.
The lesson for Jonah, and for us, is that God is in charge—and that He’s qualified to be in charge. So, trust Him.
Trusting God is easy when times are good. Too easy. You can memorize this doctrine until you’re blue in the face but not really know it. Doctrines only become real through trials.
That’s why we have trials. Sure, it’s good to memorize the truths of scripture; that prepares you to correctly interpret life’s events.
But it’s through these events that the doctrines hit us in the face—and we realize that they’re really true.
You don’t learn that the great doctrines are true; you discover that they are.
