Resenting Grace - A Heart At Odds With God’s
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Introduction
Introduction
Resentment is bitter indignation or anger that someone feels about something - usually in regards to unfair treatment (insult, injury or wrong). Essentially resentment is born from undealt with anger creating bitterness and when bitterness has taken root it becomes full blown resentment. What makes you angry? Do you get angry easily? Anger is an important emotion because it is a revealing emotion. It is a warning light indicator of our heart. We get angry because something is not right, and it is something that is important to us. The problem is that we cannot readily discern if our anger is from something not right with someone or something else or within our own self. Our initial assumption is to cast the blame for our anger outside ourselves, but when we take time to track it down sometimes the wrong is within us - wrong information, wrong understanding (miscommunications) or an immature heart. Are you angry about what God is angry about or are you angry about what God is about? One is being angry for the things God is angry about and the other is being angry for what God is doing.
This morning as we conclude the book of Jonah we come face to face with a prophet who just preached God’s message and experienced the greatest revival ever recorded. Technically the most successful prophet, but what we see today is prophet suffering from undealt with anger that has turned to resentment - even the resentment at God’s Grace. Lets dive in and we can see resenting God’s grace puts our heart at odds with God’s heart. Let’s ask ourselves “why is my heart not in alignment with God’s?” Let’s learn from Jonah’s anger so we can work to deal with our own anger before it becomes resentment in our hearts.
1 Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster.
3 And now, Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 Jonah left the city and found a place east of it. He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city.
6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew over Jonah to provide shade for his head to rescue him from his trouble. Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. 7 When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.
8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head so much that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”
9 Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “Yes, it’s right!” he replied. “I’m angry enough to die!” 10 And the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night.
11 So may I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than a hundred twenty thousand people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?”
Angry With God and What He is Doing
Angry With God and What He is Doing
1 Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster.
As I said in my opening if this book had ended at chapter 3 history would have portrayed Jonah as the greatest of all the prophets and certainly the most successful. Preaching one message and seeing hundreds of thousands moved by the word of God to repent and believe. I am thankful for this chapter to be included for the Lord had to reveal the thoughts and intents of Jonah’s heart. We read instead that Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious! God saw their actions and relented but Jonah saw their actions and vented! Jonah was angry and upset seeing the Lord move in their hearts and show the Ninevites grace. Resenting grace is when we are angry with God and what He is doing.
Jonah is recorded as praying even though the prayer doesnt resemble other prayers in scripture. He says please LORD isnt this what I said while I was still in my own country? This is exactly why I ran in the first place.
Jonah ran because He didnt want this exact thing to happen - Nineveh is being saved. As God turned from His anger toward Nineveh Jonah turned his anger for Nineveh toward God! In Jonah chapter 1 Jonah closely resembled the prodigal son and here in chapter 4 he is like the prodigal’s elder brother - critical, selfish, sullen, angry and UNHAPPY.
Jonah’s problem was his heart is at odd with God’s heart. The heart of every problem is a problem found within the heart.
Jonah wasnt angry with God because he was surprised by God’s work in Nineveh. Jonah is angry with God because God did precisely what Jonah knew He would. It didnt surprise Jonah because Jonah displays that he knew God’s character and heart!
I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God. So why is he angry with God acting in grace and compassion? Resentment towards Nineveh. Jonah says God is slow to anger - this is not just slow to get angry but also slow to stay angry in other words God is quick to forgive. So why is Jonah upset that God is forgiving those whom are his enemies? Resentment towards his enemies. Jonah says that God is abounding in faithful love - hesed love. An unfailing love - yet Jonah is angry because God’s love is yet again faithful. God you relent from sending disaster but I angry because you relented from sending disaster! Resentment resents grace and is angry with God and what He is doing.
We pray for God to vanquish our enemies. We ask that He would wipe them out, that He would remove them. Why are we upset when He works in such a way as to eliminate our enemies He changes them to our friends and brothers or sisters?
Jonathan Swift (not related to Taylor) wrote some verses that expresses Jonah’s mindset:
We are God’s chosen few,
All others will be damned;
There’s no place in heaven for you,
We can’t have heaven crammed.
Chooses Death Over Life
Chooses Death Over Life
3 And now, Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 Jonah left the city and found a place east of it. He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city.
6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew over Jonah to provide shade for his head to rescue him from his trouble. Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. 7 When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.
8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head so much that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.” 9 Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “Yes, it’s right!” he replied. “I’m angry enough to die!”
Jonah concludes his venting over the Lord’s actions with the request “and now LORD, take my life from me, for it better for me to die than to live.” Interesting take because in chapter 2 we see Jonah pleading with the LORD to spare his life and let him live. The Lord asks “is it right for you to be angry?” Without answering the question the scene moves on. Jonah has left the city and found a place east of it. He made himself a shelter and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city.
I see in this picture a vicious cycle that plays out in life. When resentment is allowed to grow people choose death over life. No they may not die immediately but the life in them dies. They stop growing or maturing and begin a vicious cycle in which their life goes no where. Because of offense like Jonah they leave where God is working - Jonah left physically, but those harboring resentment and offense leave spiritually. They may still be there, but they are just sitting watching what will happen hoping to see some get their just desserts. They stop living and sit down hoping to catch a glimpse of the demise of the offender. Resentment caused Jonah to desire the demise of an entire city rather than rejoice over their new life. Jonah preferred their death over their life and he was content to sit and watch.
In what God had just done there were 650,00 baby believers within the city of Nineveh. Jonah should have been teaching and discipling them. Instead he disengaged and sat on the sidelines. Church is not a spectator sport and offense is no excuse to stop participating. Want a guaranteed way to begin a spiral into depression choose death over life and distance yourself from people and from the body of Christ. Are you currently in the cycle of no life in your life? No joy, no Spirit, no peace and no love?
Jonah made three choices most angry people make and these choices bring death not life.
choosing to quit
choosing to separate
choosing to spectate
God appoints three things. First He appoints a plant to grow over Jonah and provide shade for his head to rescue him from his trouble. Then God appointed a worm to attack the plant and it withered. Then last God appointed a scorching east wind to beat down on Jonah head until he almost fainted. These three things continued to reveal the deeper depths of Jonah’s heart and the resentment towards grace.
Jonah enjoyed the plant and the shade. It says Jonah was pleased with it or happy. Jonah isnt recorded as happy when God calls him, and he isnt happy to be delivered from the whale and he certainly isnt happy when Nineveh repents at his preaching. The first time Jonah is pleased or happy is when his own comfort is met. A brief pause in his anger and resentment at the blessing from the Lord. At the removal of the blessing of the shade and the discomfort being increased Jonah again turns to anger and wishes to die. Again in his anger choosing death over life.God asks again is it right for you to be angry about the plant? Jonah’s response is yes and I am angry enough to die!
Jonah was intent to sit under that plant and watch Nineveh fall. God in his mercy and grace towards Jonah did not want to leave him there, so God took away the comfort and allowed the plant to wither. God wanted to reach Jonah and reach his heart persisting in his growth and development.
Jonah’s lean-to (shelter) gave him minimal shade. God’s appointed plant gave him a lot. But God’s purpose was more than Jonah’s comfort. There’s word play going on in Hebrew. The word shade has two meanings -- one is "shade" -- the other is "deliverance" or "salvation".
The same is true with the term translated trouble/discomfort; it also can mean evil or wickedness.
So a Hebrew reader would have heard two different ideas simultaneously in each word. Literally, God is sending the plant to shade him from his discomfort under the hot sun; but also to rescue him from his own wicked anger. God’s good gift doesn’t just keep Jonah from sunburn, it’s meant to teach him very personally and practically about God’s undeserved grace and compassion.
God’s Heart Revealed
God’s Heart Revealed
10 And the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. 11 So may I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than a hundred twenty thousand people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?”
The final words spoken in this prophet’s book are the LORD’s. God speaking to Jonah to show the contrast of heart. You cared about a plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in one night and perished in a night.
Jonah you cared about a plant with which you had nothing to do with and which didnt even last very long. How true is it often times we are so concerned with very temporary things and have great care for the temporal.
The contrast is great Jonah’s care was not in the spiritual life of Nineveh, but in his own physical comfort. Jonah’s unconcern with Nineveh and concern for Jonah was absolutely horrendously selfish.
God continues on so may I not care about the great city of Nineveh? Which has more than a 120,000 people (thought to be children which puts the population at 650,000) who cannot distinguish their right from their left as well as many animals.
The implication is clear God did in fact labor and grow as well as knew Nineveh and therefore inclined and entitled to care about them and to show them mercy and compassion. Where is your mercy and compassion Jonah? God was working to get Jonah to see he had no right to be angry over Nineveh or the vine because he didn’t give life to either of them and nothing to do with sustaining them. He wasnt sovereign over them and had no control in the growing or the withering.
Jonah’s affections were misalinged in that he cared more for a plant than eternal destiny of thousands of people. Jonah’s heart cared for the temporal things that brought him comfort, God’s heart cares for the eternal things. Our hearts need to be aligned with God’s heart.
God asked a rhetorical question and no response from Jonah is given, but Jewish tradition says that after God spoke these words Jonah fell on his face and said “Govern your world according to the measure of mercy as it is said, to the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness.”
9 Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him
God’s question is a heart probing question - may I show them grace? - He probed Jonah’s heart allow Him to probe yours as well.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The remarkable thing is the grace and mercy shown in this chapter of how God works with His wayward prophet. After so many times of failing God still works patiently with Jonah as a God of second chances. Probing and questioning to get Jonah to see the truth and to give up the resentment of His grace.
Jonah prayed his best prayer from the belly of the fish and his worst prayer prayed from the place where God was working - resenting the work God was doing.
Jonah abandoned his place in ministry. He became like the elder brother of the prodigal and wouldnt go in and enjoy the feast. It is a tragedy when anger and resentment to God’s grace cause God’s servants to be a vehicle of blessing but miss the blessing themselves.
Unrighteous anger feeds the ego and produces the poison of resentment in the heart. Resentment is like drinking poison and the whole time expecting the other to die. Jonah’s anger came from still having a problem with the will of God.
Left to consider his lack of compassion and God’s depth of compassion. God has made several main points
He is gracious towards all nations - Gentiles and Israelites
He is sovereign
He punishes rebellion
He wants his people to obey
He wants us to place no limits on His love and grace
God love the WORLD and not just the Jews, but also the Gentiles
God is willing to spare us just like He was willing to spare Nineveh but in order to do that He could not spare His own Son. Somebody has to die for our sins or we will die in our sins
32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?
Communion
Communion
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.