Charles Spurgeon Commentary Jonah 4:1

"But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry." — Jonah 4:1 (ASV)

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

A fine prophet this was! Jonah was a man of a somewhat difficult disposition, yet I think he has been misunderstood. He was the true spiritual child of Elijah, the prophet of fire. Elijah was a rough, stern servant of the Lord, who felt that the indignities done to Jehovah deserved instant and terrible punishment. He seemed almost to wish to see that punishment inflicted, as he accused the people to God, saying, the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. He was bravely stern for God, and Jonah was cast in a similar mold.

He seemed to feel, "I have been sent by God to tell these people that they will be destroyed for their sin. Now, if they are not destroyed, it will be thought that I have not preached the truth, and, what is far more serious, it will be thought that God does not keep his word." His whole thought was taken up with the honour of God, and his own honour as involved in that of the Lord.

There are many people nowadays who seem to think everything of humanity and very little of God; consequently, they fall into serious errors. Jonah, on the contrary, thought everything of God and very little of human beings.

He fell into an error by doing so, and there was a lack of balanced judgment. Yet Jonah's error is so seldom committed that I am half inclined to admire it in contrast with the error on the other side.

He felt that it would be better for Nineveh to be destroyed than for God's truthfulness to be jeopardized, even for a single moment. God would not have us push even concern for his honour too far; but we are such frail creatures that, very often, when we are within an inch of the right course, we fall into a snare of the enemy.

It was so with Jonah, when he was exceedingly displeased and very angry at what God had done in sparing the repentant people of Nineveh.