The book of Jonah is filled with irony. A prophet receives a call by God and runs. He runs away from God and is found. He is plunged into the sea only to be rescued in the nick of time by a great fish. The prophet spends three days in the fish's belly only to be spit out on dry land. The prophet had rebelled but God gave him a second chance. The most wicked city imaginable experiences an awakening. That which every preacher longs to see happens and Jonah becomes angry that it does. Irony!
We could label the fourth chapter, "The Pouting of Jonah." We would imagine that Jonah would be elated at the response of the Ninevites to his preaching. Yet he only pouts, complains, prays in anger, and desires to die! What was his problem? Jonah had plenty of theology in his head but all too little had penetrated his heart.
The same problem can be ours. It may be manifested somewhat differently than Jonah's, but it surfaces nonetheless. It shows up in our complaints, worries, fears, angry, and bitterness in life. When our knowledge of God merely fills our brain without capturing our hearts, then we have an unapplied theology. Along with this, we have a deficient spiritual life.
Why should our theology go beyond our brains to the heart? Let us consider this issue by looking at Jonah's experience of theology unapplied.
I. Theological aptitude
We must understand that Jonah was a good theologian. He learned his theology long before he entered the fish's belly. For years he was groomed to think rightly of God. We saw in an earlier study that Jonah was likely part of the 'school of the prophets' under Elijah or Elisha, being a contemporary. He had engaged his mind upon the deep truths of God. He had entered into discussions on the being and nature of God. But Jonah had a theological problem common to all men. Though we know some truths about God, we want God to somehow fit into our own slant. As Leslie Allen put it, "His complaint is not that he has lost his prophetic reputation but that God's behavior does not conform to Jonah's theology" [NICOT, 229].
I believe this is a battle which we must constantly fight. We are shaped by a multitude of influences from the time we are in the cradle. All of these things work on our minds as we form our views of God, i.e., our theology. We can stand back and see how Augustine's early days of immorality shaped his rigid, unbiblical view of marriage and marital intimacy. Or we can look at Luther's rearing in the Catholic tradition influencing his view of the sacraments which caused him to look upon his fellow-evangelical, Huldrych Zwingli, with contempt.
Let us cautiously point fingers, for we may find that some of our theological ideas have more kinship with experiences on the playground than biblical revelation. Such may have been the case in the life of Jonah. Let us see his theological convictions.
1. Revelation of God
It is in the context of Jonah's prayer of anger, petitioning God to take his life, that we see unfolding a wonderful understanding of the nature of God. "Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore, in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that Thou art a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity." This was no weak statement about God! Jonah had given thought to the whole nature of God and was able to articulate in prayer his understanding.
How did he come to know these things about God? It is obvious that you do not come to this knowledge merely by common ability. Jonah had experienced revelation from God. The revelation may have come while sitting at the feet of one of the other prophets. Or it may have been from his own study and meditation upon God. What he knew of God came because God made himself known. We see this same reality in the story of Samuel. As a young lad he was brought up in the temple, serving the Lord. Yet the Scripture tells us, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him" (I Samuel 3:7). He was regularly in the presence of the Lord and around holy things, yet his knowledge of the Lord came only when God revealed himself to Samuel.
In a similar vein, our Lord spoke as well of the necessity of revelation for a person to know God. "All things have been handed over to me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Luke 10:22).
Jonah's knowledge of God displayed a grasp of his compassion. He mentions particular aspects of the divine character. "For I know that Thou art a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity." Had Israel not known this same truth? We read so often in the Old Testament narratives of Israel's willful sin against the Lord, yet over and again the Lord would show forth the hand of his grace and mercy toward them. When the Lord revealed himself to Moses, we find this same combination of words used by Yahweh to make himself known, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth" (Exodus 34:6). Only shortly before, Israel had bowed to the golden calf and engaged in pagan rituals in idolatrous defiance of the Lord. Yet the Lord extended grace and mercy to them, showing compassion to the sin-bound people.
During the reign of Jehoahaz in Israel, the Arameans oppressed them with a heavy hand. Though Jehoahaz did not have a godly reign, following in the same sins of his fathers, the Word declares, "But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now" (II Kings 13:23). These truths display the reality that the Lord does not deal with us as we deserve; that he withholds his anger in order to give way to mercy; that he is willing to suspend his judgment upon the repentance of sinners.
These examples and many more stood out in Jonah's mind. He knew these truths of God concerning his compassionate treatment of sinful men. Perhaps the words of David in Psalm 103 were fresh on his mind. (Psalm 103:6-14)
2. Experience of God
But Jonah not only knew these things, he had experienced this knowledge of God on a first-hand basis. Our context helps us to see this. For Jonah the rebel deserved only the severe hand of God's judgment. Instead, he called out to the Lord in his distress and the Lord answered, not in wrath but in mercy, compassion, and grace (2:2). This man knew what it was to face that reality of not deserving anything from God, then by divine mercy, he was delivered from bondage, given new life, and restored into God's favor. His sins had been removed as far as the east from the west. The waves of divine love and compassion had swept over his soul, washing him clean, and bringing him into new delights of the living God.
We would have to conclude that Jonah was an impressive theologian! He knew detailed truth concerning the Lord. He had experienced these truths in his own life. But there were areas of his life in which his theology had not penetrated. God's mercy and compassion was not just for Israel, for the Lord God is Lord over all creation, not just a small plot of land in the Middle East.
Our theology is not just for selected areas of life. Instead it should invade all facets of life.
II. Self-justification
At issue in our text are two very significant matters. First, what Jonah knew about the Lord by means of revelation should have framed his theology. Second, what Jonah wanted the Lord to be had an undue influence on the shape of his theology. There is almost the "I told you so" attitude on Jonah's part in his prayer to the Lord. "Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country?" 'Did I not tell you this but You would not listen to me?'
Jonah had gone through the incredible experience of the storm at sea and three days in the fish's belly. He expressed deep repentance and a desire to go on in obedience to the Lord. And he faithfully delivered his prophetic oracle to Nineveh. Now he is seeking to justify his previous act of running from the Lord! Who is the one who is infinitely wise in this matter? The actions of God which confounded the misshapen ideas of Jonah's theology exposed the coldness of his heart. He was more than willing for God to deliver judgment to Nineveh rather than to deliver them from their idolatry and wicked ways. He was glad God showed compassion on him, but he did not want the Lord to show compassion on Nineveh.
1. Misshapen theology
Though he could articulate a good theology, there was something wrong at its base. Jonah conveniently sought to twist and re-arrange his theology in order to fit his views toward the Ninevites. "...Was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore, in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish...." Jonah thought that for the Ninevites to repent, being a wicked, pagan people, it would tarnish the glory of God. So he was the protector of God! Hugh Martin wrote, "This was substantially Jonah's sin;--the sin of pretending to be more careful of God's glory, and more qualified to advance it, than God himself" [The Prophet Jonah, 352]. Jonah thought, 'God, if you cannot look out for yourself, then you are going to have to listen to me. I know what I'm doing. I can protect your glory from being trashed by all of these Gentiles.' Jonah intentionally lowered his view on God's sovereignty in order to accommodate his bias.
Do you ever attempt to take such a place before God? Oh, it is arrogant, is it not? It is a view that God cannot get along without my counsel. If God is going to get the job done, then he needs to consult my plans so that he can stay on schedule with the making of human history! The Lord reminded Job of this very thing in chapters 38-41. In rapid succession the Lord asks Job if he was available to give him counsel when God created the world. Then, correcting the problem of Job's own self-justification, the Lord asks, "Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?" (Job 40:8). Jonah was doing this very thing; offering the opinion that God should never have moved him out of his own country. Since God is compassionate and relenting, then as the great Sovereign, he could have changed Nineveh without Jonah ever getting involved. He lashes out at God's counsel in sending him forth to preach to the Ninevites. His complaint against God shows that at root, he has not applied to his own heart what he knows theologically to his own heart. To think that he could speak this way to the Lord was evidence that Jonah's theology had taken an odd shape, one formed by his own prejudices.
Jonah's sin had affected his theology. He bent his thinking in order to accommodate himself. Men still do the same thing. I have heard on numerous occasions of men in notable pulpits who were living secret lives of immoral behavior, changing their theology in order to accommodate their sin. But it is not just in the pulpit. It takes place in the heart of those who would theologically excuse cheating and fraud with a Robin Hood mentality. Frequently men will have some kind of emotional experience and twist their theology in order to fit the experience. It is almost amusing to see how those who have had experiences of barking like a dog or strutting like a chicken or unconsciously quivering on the floor, things which the Scriptures do not address as evidence of the Spirit, yet they claim to be valid theologically. Add to this prejudice and hatred which has been considered "spiritual" and "Bible-based" by those who twist their theology to accommodate their dark hearts.
Are you manipulating your theology to fit your lifestyle? It may involve your work-life or marriage, it may be your decision-making or social life, it may be your priorities or politics, it may even involve issues related to your salvation or sanctification; any of these areas can be affected by a twist here and there in our theology so that we feel justified to do whatever we desire or believe whatever we want. Amazingly, Jonah knew so much about the Lord that was theologically correct, but his hatred for the Ninevites caused him to twist his thinking in order to justify his running from the Lord.
2. Anger, bias, nationalism
To say that Jonah did not like the Ninevites is too weak. The last thing he wanted to happen was for these pagan idolaters to receive the same mercy, grace, and compassion which the Lord had been showing to Israel for hundreds of years. The Lord belonged to Israel! Or at least Jonah thought this was true. He was doing the very same thing the other nations were doing; localizing their gods. Though he recognized the attributes of God we find in 4:2, he failed to see that he is not the God of the Jews only. Centuries later the Apostle Paul expressed this in terms of a question, "Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the one uncircumcised through faith is one" (Romans 3:29-30).
Jonah was more concerned about Israel keeping God to themselves than in God's glory and redemptive work being spread throughout the world. Notice the emphasis on his country and himself. Over and over he exposes the egotism of his heart by the use of "I" in his comments to God. "Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country?" "I...I...my own," all these words expose a man whose vision included no one else.
The prophet was so warped in his efforts at self-justification that he preferred death over change! "Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life." Let's consider this one for a moment. God is showing Jonah that he alone is Lord of all creation and that he can work redemptively on behalf of all the nations. Jonah does not like it. His bias against everyone else, his raging nationalism, keeps him from adjusting his theological understanding of God to one of truth. He would rather die than change! He did not want to face the theological reality: Yahweh is Lord of the nations and as Lord he will redeem people from the nations to be his own.
Maybe there are some things about the Lord and his work which you refuse to believe. You argue in your mind against the teaching of Scripture. You make excuses for the Lord as to why certain doctrines cannot be true. You refuse to change, even though the Word of God clearly posits against you. Recognize that a refusal to believe what God has revealed about himself is not a problem on God's part. It is you and I who must face truth and either be shaped by it or be broken by it.
III. Fear of theology
As long as Jonah could keep his thoughts about Yahweh under control, then he was okay. But we must see that theology, our whole understanding about the Lord God, is not a simple exercise. Theology affects the whole fabric of life. Every part of your day relates back in some fashion to the way you think about God. It may be that you think very little of him. Or it may be that you think improperly of him. Your life will be directed by the neglected understanding of God. The way you treat others, the way you approach decisions, the way you plan for the future, your attitude in the circumstances of daily life, the way you use your mind all relate directly to your views of God and his work.
Jonah was angry about God's decision to bring an awakening to Nineveh. "But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry." He knew that the Lord alone is God and that he does what he pleases, and that he always acts consistent with his nature. But Jonah refused to accept this about God. He wanted God to be more like himself. He wanted this God of compassion to be a God of non-pardoning hatred toward everyone but Israel. As Jonah admits, his understanding of God led him to believe that in all likelihood, the Lord would show mercy to the wicked Ninevites. Jonah was afraid of his theology at this point. He wanted it to change. He wanted the Lord to change and somehow act inconsistent with the revelation of his character; a revelation which Jonah understood quite well.
1. Right theology, wrong conclusions
Have you ever attempted to correct the Lord's actions? That's what Jonah was doing. His hope to "forestall this" work of grace among the Ninevites precipitated Jonah's rash decision to flee to Tarshish. Yes, yes, yes, he understood all about the living God! He knew that the Lord demonstrates mercy and compassion on the undeserving. Israel had been on the receiving end of this kind of compassion countless times. But in Jonah's mind, God was making a strategic error to show compassion to Nineveh. So he runs the very opposite direction of God's call on his life. Perhaps the Lord would come to his senses, Jonah thought. Perhaps he would see that the Ninevites do not deserve to be treated with any kindness or for God to "relent concerning calamity" which he intended. It was as though Jonah was praying, 'Lord, I know who you are and I know how you deal with sinners, but it is high time that You stop all this and start acting like the God I want you to be. Reserve your compassion for Israel alone and forget the other nations'; that is theology according to Jonah.
Jonah made some faulty conclusions even though he had a fairly good theological understanding of the Lord. First, he was mistaken to think that the Lord could go against his nature. The Lord does not change his essence or being to accommodate man's desires. "Even they [earth and the heavens] will perish, but Thou dost endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing Thou wilt change them, and they will be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end," the Psalmist wrote (102:26-27). James spoke of the Lord as being one "with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow" (1:17).
A second wrong conclusion was that others are less important than oneself. For Jonah, he thought that it was all right for the Lord to show compassion on him but not on the Ninevites, for they were not as deserving or important to the work of God as was himself. Jonah had thought "more highly of himself than he ought to think," so that he did not exercise sound judgment (Romans 12:3). When our hearts are puffed up with the idea that we are more important to the divine scheme than are others, then we will twist our theology to suit our thinking. It is an arrogant pride that lives with such an attitude!
A third wrong conclusion drawn was that God's warnings offer only judgment and never hope. The man honestly wanted judgment to fall on Nineveh! There was not the passion of a broken heart for the souls of the Ninevites weighing Jonah down. Instead, there was the thirst for their eternal harm. He sat down outside the city in hope that fire might rain down from heaven and consume them! But bound up in the character of God is the wonderful reality that when he sends a message of judgment through his servants, he is only offering a message of hope for those who repent of their sins and trust in him alone.
2. Correcting question
Twice in this chapter we find the Lord asking Jonah a simple question: "Do you have good reason to be angry?" First he asks Jonah if he has the right to be angry about the Lord relenting of judgment upon Nineveh. Jonah thought he had every right to be angry since he was the one who hand announced judgment. Then the Lord asks him if he has the right to be angry that his shade had withered. In this case Jonah thought he had a good reason to be angry (4:9). Jonah was ready to die because he was so angry! He was seething over the fact that the Lord did not destroy the Ninevites. Then he seethed over the fact that his comforts were diminished.
Jonah was angry with God for being God. That is the essence of his anger. He fully understood the compassionate nature of the Lord God. And though he was the recipient of divine compassion, he did not think the Lord should have treated others with such grace. So he was angry with God for being God.
Do you ever find yourself being angry with God for being God? Maybe the reason is that you want to take that place over your life. You think that you have better judgment on what is good for you and what is not. Or you think you know what you need in life and the Lord seems to be withholding it from you, so you are angry; angry with God for being God. Or perhaps you are angry with God's demand for your repentance for your sins and his demand for you to cast aside your personal self-righteousness and trust in Jesus Christ alone. You want to trust in yourself and live as you want to live, but God demands otherwise. Do you have good reason to be angry?
Conclusion
What if Jonah had only put into practice what he had known in his head about the Lord? He had a reasonably good theology, that is until he began to twist it to fit his own plans, prejudices, and biases. Jonah was a good case of theology unapplied.
What about you? What are you doing with your own understanding of God? Do you find yourself trying to ignore certain matters concerning God's attributes and actions so that he will fit into your mold? Do you know truth about the Lord but you have hope that he will change?
The whole book of Jonah reminds us that the Lord alone is God. Our anger, our running, our attempts to thwart him never deter the Lord from being God and exercising his prerogatives as God. Therefore, you must meet him on his terms alone: trust in his Son as your Redeemer and turning away from your sin unto Him as your Sovereign.
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