BITTERNESS AND ITS FRUIT!

BITTERNESS AND ITS FRUIT!

          Jonah, whose name means “a dove”, was very effective as a prophet to his own people. He animated the patriotism of Israel under King Jeroboam who restored the northern and eastern boundaries and cast off the bonds of the Syrians.

2 Kings 14:25 KJV

25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.

          Amittai’s name means “truth” and we have some indication that this was the force of Jonah’s preaching. It was a patriotic time and Jonah fit hand-in-glove with his calling until God called him to share the truth with the enemy. That Jonah was unwilling to do!

1. Jonah skulked away in Rebellion!

Jonah 1:1-3 KJV

1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

2. Jonah caused trouble for others!

Jonah 1:4 KJV

4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

Jonah 1:10 KJV

10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

3. Jonah prayed when in distress!

Ø     In the belly of the ship Jonah SLEPT.

Ø     In the belly of the great fish Jonah PRAYED!

4. Jonah was effective only when submitted!

Jonah 3:1-5 KJV

3:1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

5. Jonah sulked when God was merciful!

          Jonah had been the recipient of God’s merciful pursuit and salvation but now he is angry because this same God was merciful toward his enemies. He climbed a hill to joyfully watch the destruction of Nineveh. He built a booth from which he could watch the carnage but destruction never came. In the meanwhile God allowed a gourd vine to grow up and provide shade for Jonah – and then a worm to destroy the gourd.

Jonah 4:8-9 KJV

8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

          Wow! Can you feel the emotion here? He wished that he might die! He was angry – even unto death! Anger was about to kill him – but why?

Jonah 4:1-2 KJV

4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

          Jonah was angry because God refused to hate the people he hated. God refused to destroy the people that he would have destroyed. God acted in mercy and Jonah became violently angry. He threw a tantrum – and Jonah is not heard from again!

Dear Jesus, I was worthy of destruction but you spared me! Help me to not be bitter towards you when you spare others – even my enemies. AMEN