HEART CHECKUP

Text: Jonah 4:1-11

Background: Why would we need a fourth chapter in the Jonah story? After all, the response of a great pagan city to the preaching of Jonah has been spectacular. From the king on his throne to the street sweeper with his broom, the city has repented of their sins. The threatened judgment has been averted and Nineveh has been saved—and that’s why we are puzzled over the prophet’s response.

In Jonah 1, Jonah is a pursued prophet; in chapter 2, he is a praying prophet; in chapter 3, he is a preaching prophet; but in chapter 4, he is a pouting prophet. Why? The answer is in the heart checkup God is doing in the series of searching questions he asks Jonah. And the fact that there is a fourth chapter reminds us that God is just as interested in the heart attitude of His messengers as He is in the response to the message. Let’s take a look at chapter 4:

1. Jonah’s Prayer (4:1-3)

a. Prayers in contrast

First prayer (2:1-9)                            Second prayer (4:1-3)

• from a broken heart                         • from an angry heart

• Save me!                                          • Take me!

• from the worst place                        • from the best place

b. The death wish (compare to…)

• Moses (Numbers 11:15)

• Elijah (1 Kings 19:4)

• Jonah (Jonah 4:3)
c. Jonah’s theology (4:2)

His review of the attributes of God reveal a good grasp on theology (grace, mercy, love, longsuffering, and forgiving).

d. Jonah’s anger (4:3)

Someone has said we can be theologically correct but dispositionally wrong! This was Jonah’s failure and is often ours. He could list the greatness of God, but he forgot that we are to be image bearers. Jonah pouted because he hated Assyria, the sworn enemy of Israel. He wanted them destroyed!

2. Jonah’s Lesson (4:4-9)
God’s answer to Jonah’s anger problem was to continue using “prepared things” as divine object lessons.

• a storm and a great fish

• a vine, a worm, and a hot wind

In today’s preaching, some can paint pictures with words. Others use an unending list of visuals that underscore the point of the passage. Whether it is a skit, a video clip, or another innovative method, I think we have approval when we consider God’s teaching method in Jonah 4. It was simple but powerful. A fast growing, shady vine brought relief to the suffering prophet, but the worm destroyed the vine just as quickly as it had appeared. Jonah was angry about the “broken air conditioner.” He wished he were dead. He was hot, angry, and in despair.

3. Jonah’s Heart (4:10-11)

a. God and cities

God pitied the children of Nineveh. There were 120,000 children so young they couldn’t distinguish between their right and left hand. God even pitied the cattle. In Matthew, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (23:37). The heart of God for children is central in both passages.

Am I concerned about my city? Is it as violent as Nineveh? If I am simply upset about conditions, I am a Jonah. But if I also act, I have God’s heart.

b. The searching question

No other book in the Bible ends like this one with a question about God’s concern for the people of Nineveh. Today Nineveh is the modern city of Mosul. It once had the largest Christian population in Iraq. But now many of its Christians have fled to Jordan. When my wife and I ministered to Middle East missionaries, we spent some time in Amman, Jordan. There a worker from Malaysia had gathered over 100 refugee children from Iraq. We visited the school and were blessed to see how the children of “Nineveh-Mosul” were loved. I asked the worker about her vision for the future. Her answer? To establish a school for Iraqi children in the capital city. She had a heart like God’s. If we care for our Nineveh, we too will find a way to bring God’s love to the people of our town or city.