Creekside Church, Sunday, June 18, 2023
Chapter 4 - I'd Rather Die
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
JONAH CHAPTER 4
1But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
---
FIRST READING
Notice what Jonah is angry about (vs 2)
Jonah isn’t just angry at what God has done, he’s angry at who God is.
God then tries to teach Jonah a lesson about grace (vs 6-11)
---
ADDING CONTEXT
How would Israel read this story?
Jonah builds a sukkah.
This would activate in the readers mind Sukkot.
Sukkot was supposed to be an extended 7 day Sabbath where the people would live in tents (sukkahs).
Read Leviticus 23 for a full description.
Sukkot was a time to remember how God provided for Israel during their wandering in the desert.
It was also a time of welcoming the outsider and showing extreme hospitality.
Deuteronomy 16:13-15
13 Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.
Zechariah 14:16
16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
Sukkot was a time to remember, "But for the grace of God, where would we be!"
---
Jonah’s having his own little Sukkot outside the city in his sukkah
Except his Sukkot is upside-down or a reversal.
He not welcoming, he’s awaiting, hoping for their destruction.
He’d rather be dead than welcome his enemy.
---
God provides a worm to destroy.
Worms in the manna (Exodus 16)
Worms eating your vineyards if you are dis-obedient (Deut 28)
Worms are a type of judgement for not trusting God.
God provides an East wind.
East wind in the Old Testament is metaphor for judgement
Famine is caused by the east wind (Gen. 41:6)
The locusts are brought to Egypt by an east wind (Exod. 10:13)
God sends an east wind to part the waters (salvation) and destroy the Egyptians (judgment) (Exod. 14:21)
Israel’s scattering to Babylonian exile is metaphorically caused by the east wind (Jer. 18:17)
The line of David is like a vine withered by the east wind and car- ried to Babylon (Ezek. 17:10; 19:12)
The ships of Tarshish are broken by the east wind (Ezek. 27:26; Psalm 48:7)
---
Twelve Ten Thousand instead of One Hundred Twenty Thousand
Likely a link to Gen 17:20 where God blesses Ishmael and says he will be the father of 12 rulers and a great nation.
All the way back in Genesis God was blessing other nations. He cares about all nations. God once again pointing out that this is who he has always been.
---
"People who cannot tell their right hand from their left"
Israel has this special knowledge from God. They have been taught by him good and evil and the straight path to walk on. And now they look down on other nations who are behind the curve instead of wanting to help them.
---
JESUS READING
Read John 7 for a fascinating description of Jesus as the festival of Sukkot (also called Feast of Tabernacles).
There is a stir around Jesus because of his healing of a man on the Sabbath (John Chapter 5) – They think God’s grace needs a box!
John 7:37-38
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
What is Jesus doing here? He is being the true Sukkot.
He’s being the true Jonah.
The festival was always just a foreshadowing of the one who would come and be the pure shade, the great gift, the great welcoming.
---
Read Luke Chapter 15 and consider how well Jonah maps onto this whole chapter and Jesus' parable of the prodigal son.
The pleading father is the same as the questioning God in Jonah.
Can’t you just hear those words being said to Jonah – "My son Jonah, you are always with me and everything I have is yours, but we have to celebrate because the Ninevites were dead but are alive again, they were lost but have been found!"
---
APPLICATION
Do you really love who God is?
What kind of party are you throwing?
Will you love your enemy?
Luke 6:27-28
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
1But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
---
FIRST READING
Notice what Jonah is angry about (vs 2)
Jonah isn’t just angry at what God has done, he’s angry at who God is.
God then tries to teach Jonah a lesson about grace (vs 6-11)
---
ADDING CONTEXT
How would Israel read this story?
Jonah builds a sukkah.
This would activate in the readers mind Sukkot.
Sukkot was supposed to be an extended 7 day Sabbath where the people would live in tents (sukkahs).
Read Leviticus 23 for a full description.
Sukkot was a time to remember how God provided for Israel during their wandering in the desert.
It was also a time of welcoming the outsider and showing extreme hospitality.
Deuteronomy 16:13-15
13 Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.
Zechariah 14:16
16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
Sukkot was a time to remember, "But for the grace of God, where would we be!"
---
Jonah’s having his own little Sukkot outside the city in his sukkah
Except his Sukkot is upside-down or a reversal.
He not welcoming, he’s awaiting, hoping for their destruction.
He’d rather be dead than welcome his enemy.
---
God provides a worm to destroy.
Worms in the manna (Exodus 16)
Worms eating your vineyards if you are dis-obedient (Deut 28)
Worms are a type of judgement for not trusting God.
God provides an East wind.
East wind in the Old Testament is metaphor for judgement
Famine is caused by the east wind (Gen. 41:6)
The locusts are brought to Egypt by an east wind (Exod. 10:13)
God sends an east wind to part the waters (salvation) and destroy the Egyptians (judgment) (Exod. 14:21)
Israel’s scattering to Babylonian exile is metaphorically caused by the east wind (Jer. 18:17)
The line of David is like a vine withered by the east wind and car- ried to Babylon (Ezek. 17:10; 19:12)
The ships of Tarshish are broken by the east wind (Ezek. 27:26; Psalm 48:7)
---
Twelve Ten Thousand instead of One Hundred Twenty Thousand
Likely a link to Gen 17:20 where God blesses Ishmael and says he will be the father of 12 rulers and a great nation.
All the way back in Genesis God was blessing other nations. He cares about all nations. God once again pointing out that this is who he has always been.
---
"People who cannot tell their right hand from their left"
Israel has this special knowledge from God. They have been taught by him good and evil and the straight path to walk on. And now they look down on other nations who are behind the curve instead of wanting to help them.
---
JESUS READING
Read John 7 for a fascinating description of Jesus as the festival of Sukkot (also called Feast of Tabernacles).
There is a stir around Jesus because of his healing of a man on the Sabbath (John Chapter 5) – They think God’s grace needs a box!
John 7:37-38
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
What is Jesus doing here? He is being the true Sukkot.
He’s being the true Jonah.
The festival was always just a foreshadowing of the one who would come and be the pure shade, the great gift, the great welcoming.
---
Read Luke Chapter 15 and consider how well Jonah maps onto this whole chapter and Jesus' parable of the prodigal son.
The pleading father is the same as the questioning God in Jonah.
Can’t you just hear those words being said to Jonah – "My son Jonah, you are always with me and everything I have is yours, but we have to celebrate because the Ninevites were dead but are alive again, they were lost but have been found!"
---
APPLICATION
Do you really love who God is?
What kind of party are you throwing?
Will you love your enemy?
Luke 6:27-28
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.