Jonah 4:6-11
Big Idea: God teaches Jonah an important lesson about grace. God is directly involved in Jonah’s life and growth and he sovereignly orchestrates the physical circumstances of Jonah’s life to teach him about grace.
God appoints a _______________________
Jonah 4:6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort…
“The castor-oil plant, (Ricinus communis), also called castor bean, is a large plant of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae)… In the tropics the plants reach about 30 to 40 feet in height and bear handsome giant 12-lobed palmate (fanlike) leaves.” –Encyclopedia Britannica
“The bristly, spined bronze-to-red clusters of fruits are attractive but often are removed before they mature because of the ricin concentrated in their mottled beanlike seeds. These oil-rich seeds contain the poison ricin, one of the most toxic substances known, and consumption of chewed seeds can be lethal.” –Encyclopedia Britannica
Ephesians 4:31 (ESV) — 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Colossians 3:8 (ESV) — 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Matthew 5:43–45 (ESV) — 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Jonah is wasting away in bitterness toward his enemies, Christ was made alive through sacrifice for his enemies.
The Lord appoints a _____________ and ________________
Jonah 4:7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind…
Step by step God’s education of the prophet continued. Having prepared the vine (v. 6), as he had prepared the great fish, God then prepared a worm… It may refer to the black caterpillar that abounds in the Nineveh region.
The next clause, “which chewed the vine so that it withered,” shows the devastating action of the worm. The destructive effect of worms on many types of vegetation is well known… Combining the effect of the worm with the torrid heat would cause a plant to wither quickly even without divine intervention… God also provided or prepared a scorching east wind.
Losing precious shade in this harsh environment was one matter for Jonah. Experiencing this horrible wind was yet another. Most identify this wind as the “sirocco.” When this wind is experienced in the Near East, the temperature rises dramatically, and the humidity drops quickly. It is a constant and extremely hot wind that contains fine particles of dust… The Septuagint translates it succinctly as a “scorcher.”
Questions to Consider
What circumstances is God using right now in your life to teach you about grace?
What are some lessons you can take from the prophet Jonah here?
How might we depend upon Christ to deepen our care for others around us?
