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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to the prophet Jonah. Prophet Jonah, you find the first 
of the 12 minor prophets, Hosea. You find Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, 
Jonah, Micah. So he's between Obadiah and Micah. We've taken some time off from 
our studies in the gospel according to Matthew just for these summer 
months and we're looking at the grace of God in the Old Testament. Remember, there are those out 
there that think that God revealed in the Old Testament is only 
a God of wrath, and anger, and fury, and all of those sorts 
of things. And while He certainly does reveal 
those things, and He certainly is those things, there's a lot 
of grace, and a lot of mercy, and a lot of kindness, and a 
lot of compassion. I said that we don't have to 
wander far in the Old Testament before tripping over the grace 
of God. In fact, when we confront certain 
men, God's grace is so conspicuous, we see that it angers even his 
prophets. Of course, I'm referring to Jonah 
chapter 4. at verse 2, when he gives the 
reason for why he departed, or he ran from the presence of the 
Lord God. Basically, he cites Exodus 34.6, 
a passage we have looked at this summer. But to get the gist of 
Jonah 4.2, we're going to read the entire book. And it's only 
about the same size as the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25. It's 
actually shorter than verses 26 and 27. So don't get put off 
in the fact that we're going to read an entire book of the 
Bible today. In my Bible, it's two pages, 
the front and the back. So please pay attention. I'll 
give you the main headings that we're going to look at this morning. 
We're not going to do a thorough investigation of each of these 
headings, but make some observations along the way. What we find in 
chapter 1, verses 1 to 16 is His, we're talking about Jonah, 
His flight from God. In chapter 1, beginning at verse 
17 to chapter 2, verse 10, we read His rescue by God. Chapter 3 deals with His mission 
for God, and then in chapter 4, we find his anger with God. So I'll just pick up reading 
in chapter 1, verse 1. 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 from 
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. 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. And 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. 
Jonah had gone down to 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. Then they said to him, Please 
tell us, for whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your 
occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, 
and of what people are you? So he said to them, I am a Hebrew, 
and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and 
the dry land. 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. 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. 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. 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. 
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord as God from the fish's belly, 
and he said, I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, 
and he answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, 
and you heard my voice, for you cast me into the deep. into the 
heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me. All your billows 
and your waves passed over me. Then I said, I have been cast 
out of your sight, yet I will look again to your holy temple. 
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. 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 the people 
of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a 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. 
Who can tell if God will turn and relent and turn away from 
his fierce anger so that we may not perish? And God saw their 
works, that they turned from their evil way, and God relented 
from the disaster that he had said he would bring upon them, 
and he did not do it. but it displeased Jonah exceedingly, 
and he became angry. So he prayed to the Lord and 
said, ah, Lord, was not this 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 loving kindness, one who relents 
from doing harm. Therefore, now, oh 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? 
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. 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. 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?" Amen. Let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word. We thank you for the prophet. 
We pray that you would guide our study now. We pray that you 
would forgive us for all of our sins and unrighteousness and 
anything that would darken our understanding. May we come face 
to face in this book of Jonah with a gracious God, a merciful 
God, a God who abounds in kindness and in forgiveness. Our Father 
in heaven, for any and all who have come here this morning that 
do not know you, we pray that today would be the day of salvation, 
that you'd open their eyes and open their hearts to behold the 
wondrous things in your word. Cause them to see that Jesus 
Christ saves to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through 
him. How we praise you for your character, 
how we praise you for your attributes, how we praise you for the revealed 
word of God. Guide our study now by the power 
of your Holy Spirit And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
Amen. Well, just a little background 
concerning this man, Jonah. Jonah was a prophet who lived 
in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam 
II. Jeroboam II reigned from about 
793 to 753 BC. Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 
chapter 14. Specifically, he prophesies concerning 
the extension of Israel's territory through King Jeroboam. He was 
from Amittai, which was about 5 kilometers or 5 miles north 
of Nazareth. So again, he hails from the northern 
kingdom of Israel. And here, very specifically, 
he is given instruction to go and to preach to Nineveh, a city 
that represented the Assyrian Empire. It was a massive city. 
It was a powerful city. It was a brutal city. It was 
a viciously wicked group of people. But God the Lord demonstrates 
His heart concerning these people in dispatching Jonah to do His 
will among the Ninevites. Now, unfortunately, when we come 
to a book like this, there's a lot of things that it doesn't 
teach. There's a lot of things that 
it doesn't address. There's a lot of things that 
we will not probably get sufficiently answered this morning. I just 
want to do this overview so that we can appreciate the manifestation 
of God's grace in this prophet, Jonah. So first of all, notice 
his flight from God in chapter 1, verses 1 to 16. The introduction to the book 
is quite instructive. Now, the word of Yahweh, 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." It is called a great city. It is the capital city of the 
world empire at the time. About a hundred years from the 
time that Jonah preaches, it will be sacked. They will fall 
to the Babylonian empire. In fact, some commentators, some 
expositors approach the book of Jonah and say, what we are 
to learn in this book of Jonah is that God loves cities and 
has a wonderful plan for their lives. Well, that's unfortunate, 
because when we get to the book of Nahum, we might have to conclude 
that God hates cities and has a miserable plan for their lives. 
That is not the focus of the book, to highlight that our ministries 
must be within the city, and we ought to forget about the 
rural areas. No, that's not why Jonah's in 
our Bible. Nevertheless, God highlights 
this reality that Jonah is to go to Nineveh. But notice, as 
Dale Ralph Davis says with reference to this introduction, there are 
two assumptions that God makes. First, every nation is accountable 
to Him. In other words, when Assyria 
functions as an exceedingly wicked place, God takes notice of that. God sees and God observes. Righteousness exalts a nation, 
but sin is a reproach to any people. When nations engage in 
abortion, when nations engage in homosexuality, when nations 
rage against our God and His Christ, we are fools to think 
that He doesn't pay attention. that he doesn't take notice of 
it, that he won't bring judgment to bear upon those offenders 
of his holy law. So we see this assumption built 
in. Every nation is accountable to 
him. God may especially be the God 
of Israel, but he assumes pagan nations, like Assyria, are accountable 
to him. And Davis goes on to say he is 
a world-class deity, not the mascot of an Israelite ghetto. But then there's a second assumption 
in the text itself, or in the introduction. Second, every servant 
owes obedience to him. He assumes he has the right to 
command obedience of specific human servants. Jonah, go to Nineveh. Obviously, 
Jonah doesn't respond favorably as we look at this particular 
chapter, but God has crown rights over him. God commands him. God tells him what he is to do. He says, so in two verses, one 
sees Yahweh's sovereignty depicted in the big sweep and in the personal 
dimension. He exercises both international 
and individual sovereignty. just from this introduction. Now notice his flight, the nature 
of it. He goes the exact opposite way. I want you to go to Nineveh, 
what does he do? He goes the exact opposite way. Verse 3, 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. Notice, just in this short compass, 
how many times it's emphasized that he's running from the presence 
of the Lord. That's what he tells the sailors 
later on. They know that he's running from 
the presence of the Lord. We don't get the answer as to 
why until chapter 4, verse 2. Isn't this why I ran from the 
presence of the Lord? Dever says, traveling to Nineveh 
from Galilee would have required him to head eastward over land. 
Instead, he headed south and west to the coast town of Joppa. 
There he paid a fare, boarded a boat, something an ancient 
Hebrew would do only out of desperation, and sailed for Tarshish, a Phoenician 
trading port in Spain at the other end of the Mediterranean 
Sea. That would have been the opposite 
end of the known world. He doesn't just, you know, pull 
the covers over his head and say, you know, Lord, I just don't 
think I want to do that today. He doesn't just go out to the 
golf course and try to swing his problems away. He actively 
and purposely and decisively and determinedly runs from the 
presence of the Lord. This is the prophet of Israel. 
This is a prophet in the covenant community. This is the very mouthpiece 
of God himself. And when given his marching orders, 
when dispatched on a particular mission, he runs the opposite 
direction. And then when he's on the ship, 
the series of contrasts between Jonah and these sailors is absolutely 
amazing. These men, when the tempest falls, 
call upon their gods. What's Jonah doing? He's sleeping. These men cast lots to try and 
determine who's responsible so that they can fix the problem. 
Jonah has to be aroused from sleep by the ship's captain to 
try and come and participate in this particular activity. 
These men bowing to pagan gods, these men bowing to that which 
is not God, are far more consistent with their confession than what 
we find with Jonah. Notice what he says in chapter 
1 at verse 9. So he said to them, I am a Hebrew, 
and I fear Yahweh, that's the covenant name of God, the God 
of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. His orthodoxy is 
impeccable. His confession is sound. He owns 
and honors the sovereign God of Israel, but look at how he 
lives. We considered this in the last 
hour. There are people out there that think there's something 
fundamentally flawed about Christians who spend a lot of time studying 
the Bible. I know that's weird, but they're out there. Why bother 
spending all that time reading the scripture and studying theology 
and listening to sermons and going to church not once, but 
twice on Sunday, going to a Wednesday night Bible study? Is that information 
really doing you any good? I mean, look at Jonah. He had 
impeccable orthodoxy. He had a sound confession of 
faith. But he's living like a practical atheist. That's not because he 
knew truth. It's because he was a wretch. 
What's the converse? Because there are persons out 
there that know a lot and don't live consistently, I'm not going 
to study. I'm not going to obey Jesus. 
I'm not going to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of 
my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's hogwash. It's folly. It's 
foolishness. Study the scripture, live consistently 
with your confession and your profession, and avoid the kind 
of madness that has infected Jonah the prophet. Notice, we 
continue. When he tells them what the issue 
is, when he tells them that he is the one who fears or he does 
fear the Lord, the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry 
land, then the men were exceedingly afraid and they say, why have 
you done this? God, through this particular 
situation, brings these sailors to Himself. God, through Jonah, 
causes His Word to fall upon these particular men's hearts. 
When we come to the prophet Jonah, we see the revelation of God's 
grace, not just in sparing Nineveh, but in sparing these sailors. 
Keeping these men. Notice how the chapter ends. 
Verse 14, Therefore they cried out, Now look, to the Lord. to Yahweh. They're no longer 
calling upon their gods, their pagan deities. Now they're looking 
to the God of heaven and earth, whom Jonah has just said he serves. They say, we pray, O Lord, please 
do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge 
us with innocent blood. Another thing you'll see as we 
move through the prophet Jonah, everybody's reformed. Everybody's 
a Calvinist. Everybody understands sovereignty. What do these men say? For you, 
O Lord, have done as it pleased you. When we get to Nineveh, 
who can tell if God will turn and relent and turn away from 
His fierce anger so that we may not perish? They confess the 
sovereignty of God. They confessed the glory and 
the majesty of God. Verse 15, So they picked up Jonah 
and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 
Then the men feared Yahweh exceedingly and offered a sacrifice to Yahweh 
and took vows. Those men then sang, Amazing 
grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once 
was lost, but now am found, was blind, But now I see, "'Twas 
grace that taught their hearts to fear." See, the point of the 
book of Jonah is that confession of Jonah 4 too. Even though he's 
saying it as a reason for his anger, even he's saying it as 
an expression of complete oddity, nevertheless, that's the point 
of the book. God is gracious whether it be 
to sailors on the sea. God is gracious whether it be 
to an incorrigible prophet of his own, or whether it be to 
a city like Nineveh. God's grace is amazing. Do not 
read the scripture. Do not read the Old Testament 
and miss this. It's as if God is saying, you 
want to know what I'm like? Just look at this ship. Notice, 
secondly, Actually, before we leave, look at verse 12. Jonah 
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. Really, Jonah? Are you serious, 
Jonah? How about confession to the God 
of Israel? How about repentance before the 
God of Israel? How about seeking mercy from 
the God of Israel? Do not miss the implication here. Jonah would rather drown at sea 
than go and preach to Nineveh. Jonah would rather engage in 
probably what is one of the top 10 bad ways to die. I doubt you 
write lists like that, but imagine if you did, top 10 ways that 
you most would not want to die. Drowning's probably up there. 
You've been stuck underwater and there's that panic mode and 
you think you're never coming out again? He would rather accept 
that than go to Nineveh, that city that he despises and loves 
and hates. Now notice, they throw him into 
the sea, brings us to his rescue by God. Jonah was not saved from 
the belly of the whale. The belly of the whale was his 
salvation from drowning. They cast him into the sea. What he rehearses in his psalm 
of thanksgiving, in terms of the weeds and the floods surrounding 
him, he was experiencing that time of panic, that time of despair, 
that time of almost passing from this life into the next by virtue 
of the sea. God dispatches the great fish. The Hebrew word for whale is 
not present. Great fish is what the text specifies. God prepares this great fish 
as the means by which he will preserve Jonah's life. Now, for you New Testament students, 
you ought to be thinking of Matthew 12. Jonah served as a sign. Just as Jonah spent three days 
in the belly of the great fish, so must the Son of Man spend 
three days in the belly of the earth. And by His resurrection, 
and by His power, and by His glory, bring salvation and redemption 
to sinful man. But when we look at what goes 
on in this passage, beginning in chapter 1 at verse 16, 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. 
G. Campbell Morgan made this observation. Men have been looking so hard 
at the great fish that they have failed to see the great God. 
Men have been looking so hard at the great fish that they have 
failed to see the great God. Well, I've never seen a whale 
swallow somebody and have him in his belly for three days and 
then vomit him up on the ground. How could this ever be? The God 
who made this world and everything in it, by the word of his power, 
in the space of six days, out of nothing, is able to insert 
you in the belly of a great fish and preserve you for three days. Dig? You get it? People see this and they say, 
how in the world can God's word be trusted? The God who made 
this earth can't prepare a great fish to swallow a rebellious 
servant and then spew him onto dry ground. Most certainly he 
can't. But consider that this is but 
one miracle in a book full of miracles. Notice the language 
that is used. He prepared a great fish. When you go to chapter four, 
he prepared the plant. He prepared the worm. He prepared 
the wind. Whether He prepares a great fish 
or a little worm, the sovereign God, who is internationally sovereign 
and personally sovereign, controls the created atmosphere, the environment, 
to do His bidding. In fact, as William Gumbrell 
says, the emphasis here, this great fish makes sure that Jonah 
carries out his particular task. Gumbrell says, the word of God 
once announced to a prophet of God will not return void. Remember Isaiah 55 last week? The prophet likens God's word 
to rain that comes down upon the earth. We need rain to water 
the ground so that it sustains life, so that it gives life, 
so that it promotes life. So we need the word of God. And 
God, through the prophet Isaiah, says, my word shall not return 
unto me void. It will accomplish the purpose 
for which I sent it. This is what this great fish 
is doing. He's making sure that Jonah gets 
to his destination. He's making sure that Jonah does 
God's bidding. He's making sure that Jonah delivers 
the goods. The word of God, once announced 
to a prophet of God, will not return void. It will move from 
Israel to Nineveh, despite the reluctance of the messenger, 
and it will break him if he opposes it. Jonah, I want you to go to Nineveh. But I don't want to go to Nineveh, 
Lord. Jonah, you're going to Nineveh. You see, we talk about God's 
sovereignty. We sing about God's sovereignty. We read books about God's sovereignty. Some in their conversations celebrate 
God's sovereignty. Others despise God's sovereignty. But this one thing we need to 
come to grips with, He really is sovereign. This earth does 
His bidding. This earth accomplishes what 
he calls it to do. And if the prophet would rather 
go to Tarshish, if the prophet would rather leave and not be 
in the presence of God, God doesn't say, well, you know, too bad 
for me. God will accomplish his purposes. Jonah will preach to 
Nineveh. Now, Jonah celebrates God's grace 
in chapter 2, verses 1 to 8. Jonah celebrates from the belly 
of the great fish, God's mercy to him. And he underscores it 
all with that confession in chapter 2 at verse 9. But I will sacrifice 
to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay what I have vowed. 
Salvation is of the Lord. Another Reformed Christian. Another 
man who confesses the sovereignty of God. Jonah didn't prepare 
the great fish. Jonah was content to go to a 
watery grave. God dispatched it, prepares the 
great fish, scoops up Jonah, and now he's vomited out onto 
dry ground. And that brings us thirdly to 
his mission. His mission. Another theme. that is put forth as being an 
identifying one in the book is that God gives second chances. God gives second chances. Isn't that delightful? Now the 
word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying, Now, 
God does give second chances, but not universally, not consistently, 
not always. Be very careful of jumping into 
a book like Jonah and grabbing a stray verse and saying, you 
know, Lord, I'll just resist and reject your will this time. 
And then if I see that you really mean business, then I'll act 
upon what you have said. Do not do that. When God commands, 
may I just suggest, you go. When God says, you respond. When God bids, you comply. You don't wait for the second 
chance. You don't invoke Jonah chapter 3 verse 1 and say, but 
Lord, you are the God of second chances. Again, God oftentimes 
is. He's very kind. He's very gracious. It abounds from Him. It oozes 
from Him. But we are not to try that. We 
are not to test that as God-fearing men and women who have the Holy 
Spirit. Our job, our task, our responsibility, dare I say our 
privilege, is to do what God says. That's it. He says, go to Nineveh. Go to 
Nineveh. Notice, Jonah actually will not only 
proclaim, but Jonah himself, according to O.P. Robertson says, 
is a sign of God's grace and mercy. In other words, if Jonah 
is traversing the city of Nineveh, and one of those persons happens 
to say, have you ever seen the grace of God in your life? Yeah, 
let me tell you about it. God called me, I left. Some sailors 
threw me overboard, I started to drown. God sends this great 
fish to swallow me up. If anybody knows what the grace 
of God looks like, certainly Jonah most certainly does. Jonah 
is himself a sign, not only in terms of the messianic promise, 
but in terms of this city of Nineveh. So he goes about the 
city. He goes crying, yet 40 days and 
Nineveh shall be overthrown. That's the emphasis of his message. 
What does the city do? They, by God's grace, respond 
favorably. Now we're not to suppose that 
cattle and animals all repented. I think what we are to suppose 
is that this was a time of national repentance and that only image 
bearers, human beings, repented. They thought differently concerning 
the Lord God. Again, the idea is that they 
cast themselves upon the mercy of the God of Israel. If you 
are not in Christ this morning, learn this lesson from the Ninevites. 
They cast themselves upon the God of mercy. They cast themselves 
upon this one who had revealed himself through Jonah. Who can 
tell if God will turn and relent and turn away from his fierce 
anger so that we may not perish? We have a sure promise in the 
New Covenant Scriptures. We have a sure promise in the 
Gospel according to John. It is the promise of John 6, 
37, where the Lord Jesus says, all that the Father gives me 
will come to me, and the one who comes to me, get this, I 
will certainly not cast out. These men in Nineveh cast themselves 
upon the mercy of God. Who can tell if God will turn 
and relent and turn away from his fierce anger so that we may 
not perish? The New Testament scriptures 
say... Believe on Him. He will receive you. He will 
grant you forgiveness. That exceeding grace that Jonah's 
angry about, that exceeding grace revealed after the calf incident 
in Exodus 34, that exceeding grace that sent the Son of His 
love to the cross, that exceeding grace that brought the sword 
of justice to bear on His Son, that exceeding grace is available 
right here and right now in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. 
One of the purposes behind this series of studying the grace 
of God in the Old Testament is so that those who come in here, 
week by week, that do not know the Lord, that God would use 
the preached Word, that the Spirit would come, that He would bring 
conviction and show you that you're sinful, and show you that 
you're wicked, and show you that you stand in need of the Savior. And that's not preacher talk 
saying, you, you, you. All of us find ourselves in that 
place. The Scriptures are crystal clear. 
There is none righteous, no not one. There is none who fears 
God. They don't seek Him, they don't 
want Him, they don't desire Him. Anybody in this church that currently, 
presently confesses faith in Christ can testify. That is the 
case. Most of us would say, I wasn't 
running to God, I was running from God. I wasn't going for 
Him, I was raising my fist against Him. If there was a Tarshish, 
I wanted to be there. If there was a ship leaving from 
Joppa, I wanted to be on it. I wanted to be as far away from 
this God as I could possibly be. But praise be to Him who 
seeks and saves that which is lost. Let me just appeal to you 
right here, right now. If you're not a believer in the 
Lord Jesus Christ, you're in bad shape. You're in terrible 
shape. John 3.36 says that he who believes 
the Son, he who believes the Son has everlasting life. Isn't that a glorious statement? 
But he who does not believe the Son shall not see life. And then he says, but the wrath 
of God abides on him. Right now, if you're not a believer 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, unbeknownst to the rest of us, unseen by 
the eye, the wrath of God abides on you. The terror and the judgment 
and the anger of God abides on you. Learn the lesson from the 
sailors. Learn the lesson from the Ninevites. 
Learn the lesson from Jonah. Salvation is of the Lord. Do 
not fool yourself and say, well, I'm just a young boy, I'm just 
a young girl. When I'm 60, or I'm 70, or I'm 
80, I'll make peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Because after all, He is the God of second chances. Don't 
do that. As Edwards says, there are innumerable 
ways for wicked men to go out of this world. Innumerable ways 
for wicked men to go out of this world. Bodybuilders, strong men, 
guys who regulate their diet, men who train consistently and 
rigorously still get hit by trucks. People who get up at 5 a.m. and 
eat nothing but spelt and whatever and go out and run marathons 
and have the best functioning cardiovascular systems get cancer. Children die. It is a truism. It is a reality. Again, this isn't preacher talk, 
just trying to get a decision out of you. Contemplate the reality 
that if you believe on the sun, you have everlasting life. But 
if you reject the sun, you believe if not on the sun, you shall 
not see life, but the wrath of God abides on you. It's terrible. These Ninevites under the preaching 
of Jonah said, wait a minute, we're in bad shape. These Ninevites, 
when they heard this statement of God's impending doom and judgment, 
these Ninevites said, let us cast ourselves upon the mercy 
of the God of Israel. If perhaps he will show mercy, 
if perhaps he will take us, if perhaps he will forgive us. Well, 
see, consider all that, but then remove the if-perhaps. I can 
tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you come to Christ believing, 
He will receive you. He will receive and forgive you. He will take you into His arms. 
He will give you life. He will cleanse you from your 
sins. He will give you everlasting bliss. That is the promise of 
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And notice what these 
men find when they call upon the living God. Verse 10, Then 
God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and 
God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring 
upon them, and He did not do it. Now, this touches on what's 
called divine impassibility, simplicity. There's some serious 
theological concepts that we're not going to discuss. Here's 
what Calvin says with reference to this sort of language that 
we find in the prophets when God says He relents. He says 
he accommodates himself to the measure of men's understanding 
when he mentions such changes. He's accommodating himself. God 
doesn't change. God doesn't turn corners. God 
doesn't become something else. The decree is settled. It's how 
God reveals himself in the execution of the decree that is here conveyed. And that brings us finally to 
chapter 4. It was a long introduction, wasn't it? Now we're going to 
spend another hour getting ready. I just got two thumbs up from 
the back, so when your bellies are rumbling and grumbling, you 
can take it up with Mr. Proctor. Notice the prophet's 
anger. It displeased Jonah exceedingly, 
and he became angry. Now, some commentators suggest 
it's because he would have looked like he was wrong. Because what 
does he prophesy? In 40 days, the judgment of God 
is coming. In 40 days, you're going to be 
destroyed. That's not the reason he gives. If that's in the text, 
it has to be implied. What is specifically in the text 
is, I'm angry, God, because you're gracious. I'm angry, God, because your 
mercy is conspicuous. I'm angry, God, because I don't 
think those Ninevites deserve your grace. John Gill makes this statement 
concerning Jonah. Jonah was an amazing man, the 
strangest, oddest, and most out-of-the-way man, for a good man and a prophet 
as one shall ever hear or read of. If I could just read between 
the lines, John Gill is saying, Jonah's nuts. See, most pastors, 
most prophets, most ministers, most evangelists, most missionaries, 
when they see God's word blessed, when they see God's judgment 
stayed, when they see sinners turn to the Lord, they're happy. Huh? Not Jonah. It displeased Jonah exceedingly. So he prayed to the Lord and 
said, Ah, Lord, was not this 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 loving kindness, 
one who relents from doing harm. You want the answer to chapter 
1? Jonah, why are you leaving from the presence of the Lord? 
Because I know God's gracious and he's going to have mercy 
on Nineveh. You see, he knew Exodus 34. He knew, I'm sorry, 
Exodus 36. The Lord, the Lord God, merciful 
and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in goodness and 
truth. That's essentially what he is saying here. He knew the 
law. He knew the attributes of God. He knew his theology, it was 
in place, but his mind seems to run this way. God, when you 
reveal yourself this way in Exodus 36 at verse 6, it's okay for 
Israel. It's perfectly acceptable for 
my people when they dance before a golden calf and they raise 
their fist in idolatrous rage against you. It is right, it 
is mean, it is good, it is acceptable and legit for you to pour out 
grace upon them. But when it comes to these Ninevites, 
when it comes to these brutal ones, when it comes to these 
vicious ones, when it comes to these idolaters, well, Lord, 
I'm not happy about it then. That's what Jonah's saying. That's 
what Jonah is expressing here. That is what Jonah is conveying. Again, Dunbar makes this statement. 
The salvation of Nineveh provides an indication that Yahweh's extension 
of grace cannot be predicted. It cannot be manipulated, and 
it certainly cannot be confined to Israel. You can't tame the 
God of Israel. You can't put Him in a box. You 
don't put Him on a shelf and play with Him as you wish. You 
don't dictate to Him. You don't decree for Him. You 
don't demand from Him. You worship Him. You bow before 
Him. You recognize that the same grace 
that saved a wretch like me can save Nineveh too. Jonah's upset. Jonah's angry. Jonah says, kill 
me. It's the second time in the book. 
He'd rather die than see God's grace poured out upon this pagan 
country or this pagan city. And then God rebukes him. Verse 
four. Then the Lord said, is it right 
for you to be angry? What's Jonah do? He goes to the 
east side of the city. He's not going home yet. If he 
was going home, he'd have gone to the west side because he'd 
have to go that way back to Israel, back to Galilee. He's going to 
go sit on the east side of the city and he's going to watch. 
Some commentators suggest that perhaps he is waiting to see 
if in the 40 days God does judge the city. I don't think it's 
that. I think that he knows God's not 
going to judge the city. He's just stated that God relents, 
that God is merciful, that God is gracious, that God is kind. 
Perhaps Jonah, like Elijah before him, in whom there are parallels, 
spent some time in a deserted place to learn some theology. Maybe this wasn't consciously 
what he's doing, but he goes to the east side of the city, 
gets a place, and he makes a little booth, or he makes a little shelter. 
God prepares a plant. Now, when we read this, you've 
got to remember it's hot. You think it's been hot in Chilliwack 
for the last few days or last few weeks? It's hot there where 
Jonah is. When God sends this east wind, 
we would call that a Sirocco, that would increase the temperatures 
by about 15 or 20 degrees. I get grumpy when it's hot. Irritated. It's almost like your brain is 
going to boil. God, in a sense, puts Jonah in 
this pressure cooker to instruct him. He prepares the plant, and 
it grows. Some say it's a castor oil plant. It would have grown quickly, 
and it would have provided a great deal of shade. Jonah's quite 
happy with this. This is nice. In the heat of 
the day, it breaks the sun, and it keeps his brain from sizzling. And just when he gets happy, 
just when he gets content, God prepares a worm to go and destroy 
the plant. Now Jonah's starting to get upset. 
He's irritable. He's angry. He's just all kinds 
of mad. So then God sends this vehement 
wind to press him, to push him, to teach him. He's setting him 
up, brethren. Notice in verse 8. 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." Now here is the point. God rebukes him. 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. Here comes his theology lesson. 
Here comes the instruction. Here comes the end. This is only 
one of two places in all of the Bible that ends with a question. 
This book and Nahum. Look at what God says, 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. Let this sink in. And should 
I not pity Nineveh? Should I not have compassion? Should I not care? Should I not 
exhibit grace? Should I not pour out mercy upon 
this great city in whom there's 120,000 people that don't know 
their left from the right? Most commentators agree that's 
probably a reference to little children. So the population of 
the city was considerably greater Should I not pity them, Jonah? You cared about a plant? You 
cared about some shade on your head? You cared about your own 
comfort? You cared about your own life? 
You cared about what was acceptable to you? And should I not look 
upon a mass of humanity undone in their sin, undone in their 
misery, undone in their godlessness? Should I not pity them? You just 
expressed that I am the Lord, that I am merciful, that I am 
gracious, that I abound in forgiveness. Jonah, don't you get it? Don't 
you understand? This is the character of God. 
This is the attributes of God. It's not an academic study out 
there. It is an application in time 
and history right here on individuals, on cities, whether they be Assyrians 
or Ninevites, or whether they be Chilliwackians or Vancouverites. God is full of grace. Should 
I not pity Nineveh, that great city? There is an instance in 
the Gospel according to Luke. where Jesus comes into the synagogue 
on the Sabbath day. And there is a lady there who 
has been bound for 18 years. It's always intrigued me, she's 
in the synagogue. 18 years of binding. Where is 
she on Sabbath? She's in church. Which seems 
to indicate you ought to try and be in the presence of God's 
people. I don't say that to bind your 
conscience. If you are providentially hindered, or you're sick, or 
you're hurting, or you're unable to be here, my heart goes out 
and sympathizes. But I do want you to take notice 
to the fact that this particular woman was bound for 18 years, 
and yet, on the Sabbath day, she was in the synagogue. How 
much more for us healthy people? I don't feel like going to church 
because it's so hot there, and then I have air conditioning. 
Let that lady who was bound for 18 years on the Sabbath day in 
the synagogue stand up and say, you know, you ought to go to 
church. Jesus heals her. It's beautiful. He heals her. 
What happens from the ruler of the synagogue? He reproves the 
congregation. He reproves the congregation. Six days you shall labor and 
do all your work. The seventh day is a Sabbath 
rest unto the Lord. He missed the point of the Sabbath. 
What does Jesus say? Jesus says, this daughter of 
Abraham, bound for 18 years. And then he says, think of it. Think of it. I always connect 
that with this statement in Jonah the prophet. Should I not pity 
this woman? Should I not express grace? Should I not convey kindness? Should I not alleviate her pain? Should I not restore her whole 
again? You see, the grace of God may 
not always be acceptable to the people of God, but it's who He 
is. We may be a little put out that 
Rahab the harlot will sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at 
the Merit Supper of the Lamb. We might be a little put out 
that Jephthah and Samson will be at the marriage supper of 
the Lamb. We might be a little offended 
that God Almighty restored onto David the joy of his salvation. You see, we don't tame God's 
grace, we don't box God's grace, we don't activate God's grace, 
and we certainly don't tell Him when to show His grace. This 
was Jonah's problem. Now, let's bring this home. A 
couple thoughts, we close. First, what are the specific 
themes in the book? What is it? Some say missiology, 
the doctrine of missions. The church reads her obligation 
for world missions into Jonah. But you see, there's some problems 
with that particular attempt. Because why just Nineveh? Why 
not other cities? Why not other places? Is it to 
teach that God loves the city and has a wonderful plan for 
their lives? If he does, other passages are 
going to have to uphold that particular truth. Some come to 
Jonah and see sanctification as a major theme. Are you running 
from God or to God? Are you using the second chances 
that the Lord has conveyed upon you? Some say Christology, the 
doctrine of Christ, is the primary theme, based on the Savior's 
statement in Matthew 12, where he likens his descent into the 
earth via crucifixion, his exile, if you will, and his resurrection 
or his restoration, where he likens it to Jonah's descent 
into the belly of the whale. In fact, E.J. Young says that's 
the whole point of the prophet Jonah, is to typically point 
us to the Lord Jesus. You see, that would have been 
difficult for an 8th century Israelite probably to piece together. I'm not neglecting that. I'm 
not saying that isn't present. But I think the point of the 
prophet Jonah is not missiology. It's not sanctification. It is 
Christology, but in light of the New Testament. It's theology. This is another book in the Old 
Testament that we are to open and behold our God. In fact, 
Ellison says it this way, and I think he nailed it. Quite simply, 
the book contains no call to action. Didn't that sound kind of weird, 
kids, when I read the book and we got to the end and I stopped 
up here and then said amen? Look at how the book ends. 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?" So what happened? What does Jonah 
do? Does he bow before the Lord? 
Does he go back to Nineveh? Does he hang out with the people 
there? Do they talk about the grace of God? Do they have Bible 
studies in Calvinism? Does he go back to Amitai? Does 
he go visit Mrs. Jonah and tell her about what 
it was like in the valley? That doesn't matter. That's unimportant. That's not the point. The point 
is, behold your God. The book contains no call to 
action. It is rather a revelation of 
God's character and attitude toward his creation given to 
Jonah and through Jonah to Israel and to us. The sovereignty of 
God is highlighted. He's sovereign over the heavens. 
He's sovereign over the earth. He hurls the sea, or he hurls 
the wind on the sea. He stops the raging of the sea. 
He prepares the whale. He prepares the plant. He prepares 
the worm. He prepares all these things. 
He is sovereign. Everybody in the book testifies 
concerning that. There are no Arminians in the 
book of Jonah. Everybody's confessing his sovereignty. 
Everybody's ascribing it to his good pleasure. Theology is paramount 
in this book. And the capstone is 4-2. What 
Jonah is angry about, what he's upset about, what he is incensed 
about, is what the reader is to behold, what we are to glean, 
what we are to gain, what we are to understand. Who cares 
if he went home and had a study with his wife on how men can 
survive in the belly of a great fish? Should I not pity Nineveh? And when we look at that question, contextually the answer is of 
course, isn't it? Contextually the answer is of 
course. God leads him along the way to 
confess, of course you should pity Nineveh. Jonah, you've had 
pity on a plant that you didn't make. You've had pity on a plant 
that you didn't create. Should I not pity Nineveh? I'd 
be amazed if Jonah said, no, you shouldn't pity that. I suspect 
Jonah would say, yeah, it's right for you to pity. Let's step back 
from the context for just a moment. I don't generally like to do 
this, but theologically, let's ask the question. Should I not 
pity Nineveh? Well, no, you shouldn't. Nineveh 
is a brutal place. Nineveh does murder people. Nineveh 
does have sexual sin. Nineveh has transgressed the 
law of God. And after all, our shorter catechism 
says, what does every sin deserve? Every sin deserves God's wrath 
and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. So, 
you know, theologically, should I not pity Nineveh? No, you are 
the just judge of all the earth. You are the God of absolute sovereignty 
and holiness. You are a God who is righteous. 
As the prophets say, no evil can come into your eye. You don't 
look upon it approvingly. Certainly, God, you ought to 
punish sinners. You ought to punish city-states. You ought 
to punish this entire world. You ought to exhibit the wrath 
of God, the fury of God, the magnificent power of God by opening 
up heaven and sending hell to destroy every single human being. 
But theologically, we have to go one step further. Yes, you 
should pity Nineveh because you are what Jonah confessed. You 
are gracious. You are merciful. You are slow 
to anger. That's the God with whom we have 
to do. He is full of grace. He is full of mercy. He is full 
of forgiveness. He is full of kindness. If you 
stay, if you tarry, if you resist, if you reject, you will one day 
meet His wrath and His curse. Today is the acceptable time. 
Now is the day of salvation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. Let us pray. Father, we thank 
you for this book of Jonah. We thank you for the lessons 
that it gives concerning your glory and your majesty and your 
sovereignty. We thank you for the lessons 
concerning your grace and your mercy. Certainly, our Father, 
we know if we have been saved, it is grace alone. It wasn't 
our works. It wasn't our good deeds. It 
wasn't our merit. It was solely and alone what 
Christ accomplished on behalf of his people. I pray, Father, 
that you'd open hearts here. I pray that Christ would be altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000 among people here today. Bless 
the preaching of the word in Chilliwack. Bless the preaching 
of the word throughout Canada and to the uttermost parts of 
the world. May your word run swiftly and be glorified. And 
we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.