Matthew Henry Commentary Jonah 4
Matthew Henry Commentary
Jonah 4
Matthew Henry Commentary
Jonah 4
"But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Jehovah, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. And Jehovah said, Doest thou well to be angry?" — Jonah 4:1-4 (ASV)
What all the saints rejoice in and praise, Jonah makes a subject of complaint against God; as if showing mercy were an imperfection of the divine nature, which is its greatest glory. We all owe it to His sparing, pardoning mercy that we are not in hell. He wishes for death: this was the language of foolishness, passion, and strong corruption.
Jonah showed remnants of a proud, uncharitable spirit. He neither expected nor desired the well-being of the Ninevites but had come only to declare and witness their destruction. He was not properly humbled for his own sins and was unwilling to entrust his reputation and safety to the Lord. In this state of mind, he overlooked the good he had been an instrument in achieving and the glory of divine mercy.
We should often ask ourselves: Is it right to speak this way, to act this way? Can I justify it? Is it right for me to be so quickly angered, so often angry, so persistently angry, and to speak harsh words to others in my anger? Is it right for me to be angry at God's mercy towards repenting sinners?
That was Jonah's crime. Is it right for us to be angry at what brings glory to God and advances His kingdom? Let the conversion of sinners, which is the joy of heaven, be our joy, and never our sorrow.
"Then Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. And Jehovah God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his evil case. So Jonah was exceeding glad because of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. 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. And Jehovah said, Thou hast had regard for the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: and should not I have regard for Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" — Jonah 4:5-11 (ASV)
Jonah went out of the city, yet remained nearby, as if he expected and desired its overthrow. Those who have fretful, uneasy spirits often create troubles for themselves, so that they may still have something to complain about. See how tender God is toward His people in their afflictions, even though they are foolish and stubborn. A thing small in itself, yet coming at the right time, may be a valuable blessing.
A gourd in the right place may be of more service to us than a cedar. The smallest creatures may be great plagues, or great comforts, as God is pleased to make them. People with strong passions are prone to be dejected by any small thing that goes against them, or to be elated by a small thing that pleases them. See what our creature-comforts are, and what we may expect them to be; they are withering things.
A small worm at the root destroys a large gourd: our gourds wither, and we do not know what the cause is. Perhaps creature-comforts are continued to us, but are made bitter; the created thing is continued, but the comfort is gone. God prepared a wind to make Jonah feel the lack of the gourd. It is just that those who love to complain should never be left without something to complain about.
When afflicting providences take away relatives, possessions, and enjoyments, we must not be angry with God. What should especially silence discontent is that when our gourd is gone, our God is not gone. Sin and death are very dreadful, yet Jonah, in his anger, treats both lightly. One soul is of more value than the whole world; surely then one soul is of more value than many gourds. We should be more concerned for our own and others' precious souls than for the riches and enjoyments of this world.
It is a great encouragement to hope that we will find mercy with the Lord, that He is ready to show mercy. And murmurers will be made to understand that however willing they are to keep the Divine grace to themselves and those of their own way, there is one Lord over all, who is rich in mercy to all that call upon Him. Do we wonder at the forbearance of God toward His perverse servant?
Let us study our own hearts and ways; let us not forget our own ingratitude and obstinacy; and let us be astonished at God's patience toward us.
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