JONAH 1-4 EVEN PROPHETS TRY TO RUN FROM GOD2011 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Jonah 1-4 Even Prophets Try To Run From God

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2011.

Well, this morning, or this evening actually, we're looking at the book of Jonah. And we'll be covering all four chapters this week. And I've titled the message this evening, Even Prophets Try to Run from God. Even Prophets Try to Run from God. And this is a message, I think, probably more so than any other message that I've shared that I can remember. This is a message for a lot of people who are not here this evening. And so I want to encourage you. It's

Some of you, this is for you, and for all of us, there's great things that we need to learn. But specifically, that there's some Jonas in our midst, and there's some Jonas that we know, and I want to encourage you to get the CD after the service from George, and

and give it to a Jonah in your life. And if you're a Jonah and if someone gave you this message, someone sent you a link or whatever, gave you a CD, just want you to know they gave it to you, they sent it to you because they love you and they want God's best for you. But the reality is there are people who try to run from God. And it's not just, you know, unbelievers. It's not just baby Christians. It's not just immature Christians. It's not just backslidden Christians.

Even prophets try to run from God, and we see that very clearly here in Jonah's account, in Jonah's story. Now, this, of course, is a very, very famous story. It's a very famous account, and it's often mocked and disputed by skeptics and by the world, but...

Jesus, in Matthew chapter 12, actually talked about Jonah and validates that it is a true story, that this indeed took place. And so, His word is good enough for me. And so, we can look at these things and understand this really took place, this is really something that happened, and we can learn some valuable principles about not running from God or what running from God results in through the story of Jonah.

And although it is a very common story, and you and I have probably heard it many, many times, I want to encourage you to be open to how God wants to speak to you through this. And maybe there's some things that God needs to work on in your heart in regards to being obedient and not running from God. Well, as we pick it up in chapter 1, we look at verses 1 through 3, it says this, Now the

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before me. But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Here as we begin the book of Jonah, we're introduced to this man named Jonah. He was a prophet of the Lord. We know that he was also not just known for this, but there was another prophecy that he gave in the book of Kings.

that was fulfilled, and so we know that he ministered to the nation of Israel, and he was called by God to bring forth his messages. This book here is specifically regarding a message that God gave him, not for Israel, not for the Jewish people, but for the city of Nineveh.

And Nineveh was quite a distance from Israel. It was north and east of Israel. And it was the capital city of the nation of Assyria. And the nation of Assyria was a very wicked nation, a very cruel nation. And it's actually going to be the nation that God will use always.

later on in history, to conquer the nation of Israel, the northern kingdom. And we talked a great deal about that in the book of Amos. And so I'm not going to get into that. But this was the capital city. This is earlier in Israel's history compared to what we've been studying for the past few weeks. And so Jonah is now sent with a message to Nineveh. God says, I want you to go to Nineveh and deliver this message for me.

Jonah, however, had some other ideas in mind. And so instead of packing up and heading out to Nineveh, he packs up, goes to Joppa, and catches a boat to...

to Tarshish. Now, the geography is such that Assyria, Nineveh, was north and east. Tarshish was west. And so, Jonah is going the exact opposite direction that God has asked him to go. He's not just taking the scenic route. He's not just taking the long way. But it says there that Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish. And it says several times, his...

His objective is to get away from the presence of the Lord. And so we see here that even prophets like the prophet Jonah try to run from God.

And I would ask you to consider, have you ever tried to run from God? I don't need a show of hands because all of us would raise our hand. We have all tried at different times and seasons of our lives. We've all tried in certain areas and subjects of our lives to try to run from God, to try to not obey God anymore.

Either in totality or in certain things in our life. There's those areas that we've fought with God and tried to hide from the presence of the Lord because He's asking us to do something that we are not particularly fond of. Now, as we see this account here of Jonah trying to flee from the presence of the Lord, I would ask you,

Why did Jonah run? Why was he in such a hurry to get out of there? Why would he go the opposite direction? Why was he trying to get out of the presence of the Lord? Was it because that he was afraid of the Ninevites? That is a reasonable thing because the Ninevites were known for their cruelty, for their brutality. They were very vicious and they were enemies of Israel. So,

You could understand how someone would be afraid to go into the city that was your enemy and announce a message from the Lord. But that's not why Jonah fled. Was it because he was afraid of prophesying? He didn't like public speaking and that was a big fear for him and so he didn't want to go to Nineveh for that reason? No, that wasn't the reason either. It actually tells us the reason that Jonah ran from God

It's found in Jonah chapter 4 verse 2. Just jump ahead just real quick. Look at chapter 4 verse 2.

This is at the end, after Jonah has announced the message and after Nineveh has repented. In verse 2 of chapter 4, Jonah prays to the Lord and says, Ah, Lord, was this not what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish, for I know that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, one who relents from doing harm.

Why did Jonah flee? Because God is gracious and merciful. Now normally those are good qualities. We like that about God. He's gracious and merciful and abundant in loving kindness and He relents from doing harm and we praise the Lord for that. But Jonah fled from Israel because that's who God is. That's His character. That's His nature.

He's gracious and merciful. And you see, Jonah did not want Nineveh to experience the grace and mercy of God. He didn't like the idea that they would be forgiven. He didn't like what God had in mind. And so he fled. He ran from God really because of an anger and a bitterness in his heart towards the city of Nineveh, towards the people of Assyria.

And so he's trying to flee from the presence of the Lord. Now we've talked about that for the past couple of weeks, and we have made reference to Psalm 139, where David proclaims, where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, if I go as fast as the morning covers the earth,

I can't outrun you, I can't escape you. If I dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me. David, similar to Jonah, tried to run from God. And he found out that no matter how hard he tried, no matter how fast he ran, he could not get away from the presence of the Lord. Well, Jonah is going to learn this same lesson the hard way. He's trying to flee from the presence of the Lord.

It's amazing because we all know that it is impossible to run from God, but we still try. We all know it's impossible, but we still attempt it. We still have those areas and those seasons of our lives where we try to flee from the presence of God when He gives us some instruction or command that we do not like.

Well, as we go on in verses 4 through 10, we'll continue to see the story develop. It says in verse 4, But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried out to his God and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him and said to him, "'What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God. Perhaps your God will consider us so that we may not perish.'

And they said to one another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

Verse 10. Verse 10.

Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, Why have you done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord because he had told them. Here's the story develops now. As the account unfolds, God now proves to Jonah that it's impossible to run from him.

And he does so by sending a great storm. Now, as you came in this evening, you were given a little paper with nine points on it. And I want to share with you nine points.

Nine things about running from God. Nine things that we learn from Jonah's example about running from God and really why we should not run from God. And so the first thing we find is actually here in verse 4, and that is that running from God will bring a storm.

You can know, you can trust that when you run from God, it will always bring a storm. And so Jonah, he's fleeing from the presence of the Lord. He gets on the boat. They're headed towards Tarshish. But there in verse 4 it says, the Lord sent a great wind on the sea. And there was a mighty tempest. And now the ship is about to be broken up.

God brought a mighty storm upon them. When you run from God, when you try to flee from the presence of God, you can be guaranteed, you can count on it, there will be a storm in your life. God will bring a mighty wind, a great tempest, and things will begin to rock very wildly.

And that's what Jonah's experiencing. He's learning you can't run from God. Even if you get on a boat and head west, far from where God's called you to be, even there on the sea, you're within His reach. And He brings a great storm upon that boat.

Well, the second thing we find about running from God is that running from God will be costly for others. Look at verse 5 again. It says, Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried out to his God. And notice what they did. They threw cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the load. And so here's Jonah on this boat. These guys, they're not believers. They're not Jewish men.

They don't follow the Lord. They worship false gods, as we see here, but they're not walking with the Lord. And they're taking Jonah. All they know is he's paid the fare, and he told them, yeah, I'm fleeing from the presence of God. But for them, that was no big deal, because, well, for them, the gods that they worshipped were...

First of all, they were idols. They weren't real gods. But they believed in these gods and that they had, you know, like a jurisdiction. So that, you know, this god had authority over this area. This god had authority over that area. And so it wouldn't be, you know, a real strange thing to, you know, flee from God because, yeah, I just need to get away from this area where this particular god has jurisdiction. That would have been their mentality or mindset as Christians.

they get Jonah on board and head out for Tarshish. But now as they're in the midst of this storm, it's beginning to cost them. They're fearing for their life. I mean, the boat's about to break up, they're in danger, and so they begin to cast their cargo overboard. Whatever it was that they were carrying, whatever it was that they were taking to trade or to sell, they've now cast it overboard.

And this is something that you need to understand. Running from God is costly to people around you. In the same way that these guys lost all of their cargo, other people around us, when we run from God, will have to pay a price. It affects the people around us. We are very good at convincing ourselves that our sin does not affect others. But the reality is that it does. It can greatly affect others.

when we're living in sin, when we're running from God. It has a dramatic impact, and other people have to pay the price for our rebellion, for our running from God. And so you can be assured that running from God will always bring a storm, and in the midst of that storm, not only will you be in the storm, but others will be in that storm, and it will be costly for them. Well, we see the third thing in verse 6.

Running from God puts you to sleep. Look at verse 6 again. It says, So the captain came to him and said to him, What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God. Perhaps your God will consider us so that we may not perish. The captain goes down to the lower part of the boat, and there Jonah is fast asleep. Kind of makes you wonder, how could you sleep asleep?

in the midst of a storm where these experienced sailors are afraid for their lives. I mean, this isn't just a little bit bumpy. These aren't just, you know, these guys who are used to land and, you know, they're getting a little bit of seasick. No. I mean, this was their trade. This was their livelihood. They were used to the ocean. They were used to the waves. They were used to the motion. And these guys are fearing for their lives. They've never seen a storm like this ever. And in the midst of that...

He goes downstairs and Jonah is there asleep. Running from God will put you to sleep. What I mean by that is when we run from God, it's kind of like we do that ostrich thing. You know, you stick your head in the sand and pretend nothing's happening. It doesn't really matter what's going outside. It doesn't really matter the storm around because it's calmer than the storm within.

When you're running from God, you're asleep to all of the effects, to all the devastation,

The storm does not bother you. What bothers you is within. And so, when you're running from God, you're asleep to those outward effects. And instead of paying attention and taking heed, you keep running and you push harder and faster because you're trying to make sure that God doesn't catch up. You're making sure that, hey, I don't want to have opportunity for God to speak to me again. I don't want to have opportunity for God to...

To tell me to do what I don't want to do. I already know what God wants me to do. I don't want to hear it. And so you run from God, but it puts you in a state of slumber.

So that you fill your mind with, you fill your time with entertainment or partying or work or whatever may be the case. You're trying to fill your life with as much as possible so that you don't have time for God to catch up, for God to grab hold of your heart because you already know what He wants. You already know what He's commanded and you don't want to obey it. You don't want to do it.

And so running from God puts you to sleep. And so even though it's destroying your life, even though it's destroying the lives of people around you, you don't even really notice. Because you're so caught up in trying to escape that still small voice of the Lord and trying not to hear what God is speaking to you.

So running from God will bring a storm. Running from God will be costly for others. Running from God will also put you to sleep. The fourth thing we see is that running from God will be revealed. You can count on that as well. Look at verse 7. It says, And they said to one another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell to Jonah. It's revealed now. Jonah's the issue.

He's the problem. This is why this storm has come upon them. God reveals to the men on that boat that it is Jonah that he is dealing with. He's running from God. And now, everybody knows. So many times when you and I are running from God, we try to keep it secret. Because we know that we shouldn't.

And we don't want to hear it from anybody else. And so we kind of keep on the outward show. We kind of keep up the outward things. We still go to church, perhaps. We still put on the show of, hey, everything's fine, I'm doing good. At first, at least. But the reality is, it will be revealed. You can't hide it.

In fact, many times when we think that we've got it cleverly hidden, other people around us, they look on and they can see it's clear. You're running from the Lord. We think we've got them tricked. We think we've got them fooled. But they can see right through it. And again, maybe you can see right through some people around you. And they're running from God. And make sure you get a copy of the CD and give it to them. They're not here because they're running from the Lord.

They're fleeing from the presence of God because they already know what God has said and they don't want to follow for whatever reason. And we'll get into that a little bit later.

Well, it's revealed now that Jonah is the issue, that God has singled out Jonah. This is why this storm is here. This is why they're in the situation that they're in. It's because of Jonah. And so they begin to kind of grill him with some questions. Who are you? Where do you come from? What is it that's going on? Why is God so upset with you? And now Jonah explains, I'm a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who created the sea and dry land.

And now the guys begin to get really freaked out. They really begin to get scared there in verse 10. It says they're exceedingly afraid. And they say, why have you done this? These unbelievers now are rebuking the prophet who is fleeing from God, running from God. The unbelievers are rebuking the prophet because they recognize if God created them,

the earth and the sea, how is it that you think you can run from Him? And why would you get on our boat and put us in danger trying to run from the God who created everything? So now they're really afraid because they realize this isn't just some, you know, false god that like we worship. They realize this is the Creator. This is the true and living God. And why have you tried to run from Him? Now it's revealed. It's clear.

This is why they're in the situation that they're in. Well, we see how they resolve it in verses 11 through 17. It says, "...then they said to him, What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us? For the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that this great tempest is because of me."

Nevertheless, the men rode hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you. So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. Verse 17, Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Now that they understand that Jonah is the one, the reason why this is happening to them, now they asked Jonah, well, what do we need to do?

Since you're the problem, since it's you who's running from God and you put us in this situation, what do we need to do? And he explains, well, you just got to cast me into the sea. These guys are very reluctant to do that. They feel like, hey, you're a prophet. We don't want to add to...

what we've done already by putting you to death. And so they're trying hard, they're rowing hard, they're trying to get to land, they're doing everything they can, but the sea is getting more and more tempestuous. That's not a word you hear a lot. That's for a reason, because it's pretty dramatic. It's getting pretty crazy. It's getting worse and worse. The storm is growing even more. And so they finally give up and they finally say, Lord, please forgive us.

We're just doing what He said to do. And so they cast Him overboard. And then verse 15, it tells us, the sea ceased from its raging. Can you imagine that? So there's this great storm where seasoned, experienced fishermen, or whatever, seamen, they're fearing for their lives.

sailors, that's what I was looking for, seasoned sailors are fearing for their lives there in the sea because the storm is so great. They cast over this dude, Jonah, and then all of a sudden it's just calm, nice. Maybe the sun comes out. Nice breeze. Just a real miraculous, dramatic change. It really hits them to the core because in verse 16 it says, they feared the Lord exceedingly.

And so what we see is amazing about this is God used it for good. Even though Jonah put them in danger and caused them to lose all their cargo, God used it for good because through this they got to see that God indeed is real. That He is the Creator and that you cannot run from His presence. And so they began to follow God, to worship God, to sacrifice to Him and take vows in His name.

What we see in verse 17 is they cast him into the sea that God has prepared a great fish. Now, we don't know if it was a whale or a shark or a special kind of fish that God created just for this event. But whatever the case is, God prepared a great fish. And that fish comes and swallows up Jonah. And here we see the fifth thing. Running from God will swallow you up.

Running from God will bring you to a point where you are swallowed up, where you're stuck, where you have nowhere else to go. Running from God will bring you to the same position that Jonah finds himself in, in the belly of this great fish for three days and three nights. If you keep running from God...

After the storm, after the loss of all the cargo, after people's lives are in danger, after God has revealed, you keep running from God, God will bring it to a point where you're swallowed up and it's like you're just enveloped in the stomach of a great fish. Where you have nowhere else to turn, nowhere else to go. You're not able to run any longer. Because God loves you. And He wants what's best for you. And so He's...

Calling out to Jonah, just like we've seen with the other prophets, as God was calling out to the nation, calling them to repentance so they wouldn't experience the judgment. The same thing has been happening here in Jonah's life personally.

But he's insisted. He's persisted. And so now it's brought to the point now God has swallowed him up. He's prepared a great fish just to pin him down and hold him there for three days and three nights so that he can't run anymore, so that he has no more distractions, nowhere to go where he has to, he's forced to listen to the Lord and do business with God. Well, he does business with God. And at this point,

He turns back. He repents. And we see that as we go now into chapter 2. Chapter 2 says in verse 1, Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly. It's at that point, finally, after he's been swallowed up, after he's been taken captive, he now prays to the Lord from the fish's belly. Running from God, this is number 6 now,

Jonah stops by crying out to the Lord. The only way to stop running from God is to now cry out to the Lord and begin to seek the Lord. And that's what we see here recorded for us in the rest of chapter 2. It's Jonah crying out to the Lord and praying to God and seeking the Lord finally after God has pinned him down there in the belly of that great fish. Verse 2.

And he said,

The waters surrounded me even to my soul. The deep closed around me. Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains. The earth with its bars closed behind me forever. Yet you have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer went up to you, into your holy temple. Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy.

But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. So the Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. And so Jonah now repents. He prays to the Lord. He cries out to the Lord. He turns his heart back to the Lord.

He recognizes, it took me this far. It took me, I had to hit rock bottom, where I had nowhere else to go, and I'm there at the bottom of the sea, and now swallowed by this great fish. That's what it took. But I'm turning back to you. I'm crying out to you. And he says, I've cried out to the Lord, and He answered me. And so, God is working in Jonah now. As he cries out to Him, God is answering.

And sometimes, you know, we imagine that God is like us. And after, you know, running from God, that He would be saying to us, well, you're on time out and I'm not going to speak to you. You know, you got yourself into that mess. You can get yourself out. You know, we kind of project those ideas upon the Lord. But we see here, as Jonah's crying out to God, God is answering. And He's speaking to Jonah.

And he's giving him hope, he's giving him confirmation, he's saying, "I'm going to deliver you, I'm going to bring you out." And then we see it take place in verse 10 as God speaks to the fish. And sure, it's not the way that we'd like to be delivered, but the fish vomits Jonah up onto dry land. Running from God stops by crying out to the Lord. And when you cry out to the Lord, He will answer. Jonah says there in verse 4, "I will look again toward your holy temple."

There's a change taking place instead of running from God. Now he says, I'm going to look to you. I'm going to look towards your temple. In verse 9 he says, I will sacrifice to you. Salvation is of the Lord. He recognizes his need. He says, I need you, Lord. You're my Savior. You're my salvation. He's repenting. And so now God causes the fish to vomit Jonah, to deliver him to dry land. Well, now as we go forward into chapter 3...

We'll see the command comes again. Look at verse 1. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.

And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So here's Jonah on dry land, and now the word of God comes to Jonah a second time. And here we see point number seven. Running from God will not change God's command. This is something you need to come to terms with.

Jonah started running from God because he didn't like the command that God gave him. Just like you and I, we start running from God when we don't like the command that God gives us. But, when you run from God, it's going to bring a storm. It's going to be costly and devastating to other people. It's going to be revealed. It's going to swallow you up and pin you down. That's what's going to happen.

And when you finally stop running and cry out to the Lord, understand the command has not changed. And so you can try to run, but you're just bringing hurt and destruction to your own life and to the people around you. You're not escaping the command. You're not escaping what God has instructed. You're not escaping His will. Because when it's all said and done, when you finally cry out to the Lord after He's pinned you down, you're not escaping the command.

The command will be the same. And so he receives the second time this command, "Go to Nineveh and deliver the message that I will give to you." Now Jonah has a choice. What is he going to do? Is he going to try to run again? Or is he going to be obedient to the instruction that God has given? What we see in verse 3, it says, "Jonah arose and went to Nineveh." And here we see the proof of his repentance.

The prayer was good as he was pinned down there in the great fish. And he's crying out to the Lord. He expresses these things. And those are some good markings of repentance. But the real proof of repentance is here in verse 3, that when God gives him the instruction, now he arises and he is obedient. He goes to Nineveh to deliver the message that God has given to it.

Now we get a little bit of insight about Nineveh here in verse 3, how big this city is. It was a three-day journey in extent. So to go from one side to the other would take three days of travel. And so we're not talking about like a little town, a little suburb, but this was a massive city. Even as we'll see at the end of the book of Jonah, as God gives a little indication about the population. But running from God will not change God's command.

And so he receives that same command, and now he goes to Nineveh. He begins that three-day journey, traveling through the city, saying, Simple message. You can say it in about two seconds, but it had a very powerful impact, as we see in verse 5. It says this,

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed the fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles saying, "Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock taste anything. Do not let them eat or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily to God. Yes, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands."

Verse 10, Here as we look at verses 5 through 10,

we find that running from God does not hinder God's work. That's point number eight. Running from God does not hinder God's work. And so although Jonah ran, although he tried to flee, although he tried to escape, although it took for God to pin him down in the belly of the great fish before he would finally cry out to the Lord, when he is obedient to what God has commanded him,

The message is effective. The work is accomplished. Jonah, even though he fled, did not hinder the work of God. In verse 5 it says that the people of Nineveh believed God.

The message brought revival, massive revival to the city. As the people are responding, as they're believing God, the word is now traveling up to the king. The king of Assyria now. He hears. He believes God. He calls for everybody. Hey, we need to repent. We've got to turn. We've got to mourn. We've got to cry out to the Lord. We've got to stop doing wickedness. People are responding now.

and repentance. There's a massive revival taking place. Now, what's interesting about this is, as we'll see as we go into chapter 4, Jonah's not very excited about all of this. He has a real bad attitude through it all. And so we get some insight, again, running from God does not hinder God's work. People responding to the message does not have much to do with the attitude of the person who's bringing the message.

It doesn't have much to do if, you know, the message is perfectly delivered. Jonah's message was really short. "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Sometimes we give too much credit to the messenger and not enough to the message. It's the Word of God that changes hearts and lives. It's the Word of God that is living and active. It's the Word of God that is powerful and that does not return void.

Not that we should not care and purposely be distracting and deliver the message poorly, but recognize, first and foremost, it's God's Word that does the work. And it's not so much the delivery or the passion or the jokes or the popularity. It's the message that is powerful. It's the message that changes lives.

And as he delivers the message, as God's word goes forth to them, they're responding to God, they're believing God. And they're repenting. It's interesting to me that we learn more about repentance from these heathens than we do from the prophet. We see here that repentance begins with believing God. There in verse 5. They believe God as the message is given. Then we see in verse 8 that repentance involves crying mightily to God.

They're crying out to God. Crying out upon the Lord. Repentance involves, there in verse 8, turning from sin. So they're not just crying out to God. They're not just praying. But they're stopping the violence. They're stopping their sinful practices. They're turning away from the things that are not of God. But then also, a very important point in verse 9, repentance involves hoping in God's mercy.

They're hoping in God's mercy. In verse 9 it says, "Who can tell if God will turn and relent and turn away from His fierce anger so that we may not perish?" They're not making excuses. I like what David Guzik says. He says, "So much of modern 'repentance' with its claim of excuses and reasons why we sinned is really not repentance at all. It's only attempt to justify and excuse our sin."

They're not making excuses and saying, "Well, this is why we sinned because the prophet didn't come earlier." Or, "This is why we sinned because we didn't have this message." Or whatever. They're not making excuses. They're not trying to justify their sin. They're not trying to convince God, "It's not right for you to bring judgment." Instead, they're recognizing, "Yeah, we're doing wickedly. We're turning from it and we're hoping that you'll be merciful. We're hoping."

We're praying that you will not bring to us what we deserve. That's real repentance. Where they're agreeing with God about their sin. So repentance begins with believing God. It involves crying mightily to God. It involves turning from sin. But it also involves hoping in God's mercy. Well, God sees their response. In verse 10 it says, "...he saw their works, that they turned from their evil way."

He saw their works. This is something that's kind of been a theme for the past few weeks. He saw it. What does that mean? It was action. It was outward. It was visible. It wasn't just emotion. It wasn't just internal. But there was a lifestyle change. It was visible.

Again, as James says, faith without works is dead. If there's not action that accompanies faith, if there's not action that accompanies repentance, it's not real. It's not valid. It's fake. And God is seeing their works. He's able to see that they've repented. It's not just emotion. It's not just sorrow. It's action.

And as God sees their action, it says that He relented from the disaster. Now He's turning away. As I've often said, we've often seen throughout the prophets, when God announces judgment, it's an opportunity to repent. When God announces judgment, it's an opportunity to repent. And when you and I study the book of Jonah, it's an opportunity for you and I to stop running from God.

We don't have to go to the end like Jonah did to where we're pinned down in the belly of the great fish. You don't have to wait till then. This right now is an opportunity to stop running from God. It might be a whole lifestyle that you've just been all out running from God. Or it might be certain areas of your life that you're not allowing God...

to be the Lord. You're not allowing Him to be the Master. You're closing off and saying, no, you can work in this area, but I'm not giving this area to you. And whenever God speaks about that, you're stopping up your ears, you're running from God, you're trying to not receive because you don't like what God has to say. It's a dangerous position to be in.

But the good news is, the announcement of judgment, the study of Jonah, it's an opportunity to repent. And we can do that right now. It begins with believing in God. It involves crying out mightily to God. It involves turning from that sin and hoping in God's mercy. Well, as we finish it up in chapter 4, now we see Jonah's response to

to what God has done with the city of Nineveh and relenting from the disaster. Verse 1,

It says,

Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live. Then the Lord said, Is it right for you to be angry? Here we get to see Jonah's response. And we find the ninth point about running from God. And that is that running from God is a heart problem.

You see, the real issue here is Jonah's heart. There's an issue in his heart that brought about the fleeing to Tarshish. And it wasn't that he was afraid of the Ninevites. It wasn't that he didn't like public speaking. The issue in his heart was bitterness, anger. He knew God is gracious and merciful and

Loving kindness abounds with the Lord. He knew this is who God is. This is the character, the nature of God. And he could not stand the thought of those people receiving the grace and mercy of God. Running from God is a heart problem and it reveals the darkness of our hearts. It shows where we really stand. It shows really how wicked we are.

Here we see in verse 1, it displeased Jonah exceedingly. This massive revival takes place as a result of his message. And he's so upset. He's angry. He's so angry, he says, I wish I would just die and not live. Now listen, if I gave an altar call and there was this massive revival, I don't think that would be my heart. I don't think that would be my response. That would be exciting. Yeah! Bring it! But Jonah's heart...

It's twisted. There's an issue there. His heart is far from God. So he's really upset. He's angry because he wanted them to receive judgment. Normally we consider these qualities of God good. He's gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness. But when they're applied to people that we don't care for that much, when they're applied to people that we're bitter against,

that we have some anger issues about. Well, then we become like Jonah, displeased exceedingly. Running from God is a heart problem. And so now God's going to work on this issue of bitterness in his heart. Verse 5, So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade till he might see what would become of the city.

And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned, the next day God prepared a worm.

And it so damaged the plant that it withered. And it happened when the sun arose that God prepared a vehement east wind. And the sun beat on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself and said, It is better for me to die than to live. Verse 9. Then God said to Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry about the plant? And he said, It is right for me to be angry even to death. He's pretty upset. A little dramatic. Verse 10.

God is dealing with some bitterness in Jonah's heart. And He's going to teach him about this bitterness with a very simple illustration. He prepares a plant. And so there's Jonah sitting on the cliff overlooking Nineveh, you know, arms folded, waiting. God, you better bring that judgment. Can't wait to see them receive the fire from heaven like Sodom and Gomorrah. He's all angry. He's all upset. Oh, can't believe God's going to relent and not give them judgment. They deserve it.

And God prepares a plant. So while he's sitting there watching the city, this plant grows up behind him and now offers shade. And this is the only time in the book of Jonah that we see him happy. He's all pleasant. He's like, oh, this is nice. Oh, shade, all right. Oh, kill him, God, kill him. Nice shade, you know. So he experiences a little bit of joy by this plant that God prepared. But then God prepared a worm. The worm goes and eats the plant. And now the plant withers. Now he's angry again.

And God prepared an east wind. See how much God is preparing? He prepared a great fish. He prepared a plant. He prepared a worm. He prepared an east wind. This is all for Jonah's sake that God is preparing these things. Because he's dealing with Jonah's heart. He ran from God initially because of this issue in his heart. And so now God's saying, all right, now it's me and you. We're going to do business. I'm going to show you what's wrong with your heart.

So he gives him this experience of a plant that brings shade, that brings him a little bit of happiness, a little bit of joy. But then, that is taken away. And God essentially says this to him. He says, Jonah, is it right for you to be happy about the plant? He says, oh yeah, it's right. It's right for me to be angry unto death because the plant is no more. Is it right for you to be angry? God basically tells him, you are attached. You are happy about the plant.

And then you wanted to die when the plant was gone. Jonah, now do you understand?

Well, he explains it to us in verse 10 and 11, just in case we don't get it yet. Verse 10, "But the Lord said, 'You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city in which are more than 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, and much livestock?'" You see the point God's making?

As he explains his mercy, he says, Jonah, you were happy and then angry about one little plant that you did nothing to bring up. You didn't invest anything to bring up this plant. And it was just a plant. It was only here for one day. And you were so angry about this plant. He says, should I not be concerned about 120,000

People who don't know their right hand from their left. Now what kind of people don't know their right hand from their left? Maybe drunk people, but God's referring to children.

It's kids. He's talking about they're not even old enough to discern their right hand from their left. So it gives us a little bit of an indication of the population of Nineveh. There's 120,000 babies. We don't know how many adults there were. But just innocent little children. There's 120,000 of them.

Not only that, there was all the livestock. God says, look, if you're so concerned about one little plant that you had nothing to do with, isn't it right for me to be concerned with 120,000 innocent babies that I love, that I brought into the world, as well as their parents and everybody else involved? Don't I have the right to be concerned for these people and to reach out and show them grace and not bring judgment upon them?

And here, God, using this illustration, gets right to the heart of Jonah and He says, "Look at the evilness, the vileness, the wickedness of your heart. You don't care about the people. You're bitter. You're angry. You need to forgive them." He didn't want to deliver the message because of this bitterness in his heart. God says, "Look, even if all the adults are corrupt, it's worth it to me for the 120,000 B's who don't even know their right hand from their left.

He's dealing with the heart of Jonah. What's going on in your heart? Whenever you run from God, it's an issue of the heart. It's always the case. And it's vile and it's wicked and we don't like to deal with it or admit that it's there, but that's the reality. I would ask you to consider, is there bitterness in your heart like there was in Jonah's heart? I mean, this was a prophet of God and yet he had this bitterness. And it's amazing to me

In order to deal with the bitterness of his heart, God called him to go and minister to the people he was bitter towards. Kind of rubbed this the wrong way, right? Is there someone that there's bitterness in your heart? Maybe God's calling you to go love them and bring the grace and mercy of God into their lives as a way to deal with your heart. Yeah, sure, he's going to minister to them. You're running from God. It's not going to hinder God's work. We learned that.

But it's also God working in your heart to deal with that issue. Their sin is paid for. God forgives them and you need to as well. Just as God has forgiven you, you must forgive them. But maybe it's not bitterness. Maybe it's another issue. Maybe there's something else going on. But I would ask you this evening, are you running from God? I want you to consider that. Rodney's going to come up and lead us in a song and as he does, it's like we're sitting right there on the cliff.

As we're sitting here in service. It's time to do business with God. Don't get up. Don't leave. Now's not the time to hit the restroom. You can wait. God's kind of tightening things. The ushers are locking the doors. You have nowhere to go. You need to deal with God. You need to let God deal with your heart. Are you running from God? Hey, even prophets try to do it.

And even though we know better, we still try. And it might be because of bitterness, it might be because of pride, it might be because of sin, it might be some type of fear that you have. You need to do business with God. Was this message... This is for the people who aren't here, who have been Jonas. Hey, was this message given to you by someone? Because often we can't even see the condition and the state of our heart. We can't even see that we're running from God.

So much so that often unbelievers are able to rebuke those who are running from God, like the men on the ship did with Jonah. Whoever gave you the message is someone who loves you and sees that you're running, sees that there's some issues that God wants to work with. And God is giving this message to you through them as an opportunity to stop running, to cry out to God.

To let God show you His grace, His mercy, His abundant loving kindness. Running from God will bring a storm. You can count on that. Running from God will be costly for others. It's a sad truth. Running from God puts you in a state of slumber. It puts you to sleep.

Running from God will be revealed. You can't hide it. Running from God will swallow you up and pin you down. Running from God stops when you cry out to the Lord. Running from God will not change God's command. Running from God does not hinder God's work. And finally, running from God is a heart problem. So let's take this time to let God work in your heart. Let's worship the Lord together.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.