But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
Jonah was deeply displeased and very angry when God spared Nineveh after its people repented, turned from their evil ways and humbled themselves at his warning of destruction. He feared being regarded as a false prophet when the threatened destruction did not come, caring more for his own reputation and embarrassment than for the lives and salvation of the people of that wretched city. Instead of being first to rejoice at God's compassion and mercy and cooperating heartily in His design to save the repentant city, he lost sight of others in concern for himself and resented God's compassion toward them. The warning of judgment was followed by mercy because they repented, and wicked cities in any age would receive such mercy if they repented as Nineveh did. His disappointment over the unfulfilled threat parallels the disappointment after the expected end in 1844, teaching to trust God's wisdom and mercy, rejoice that people have more time to repent, and patiently keep working to bring sinners to salvation rather than yielding to selfish sorrow over personal humiliation.
Jonah's Anger Explained
Jonah was deeply, intensely and exceedingly displeased and very angry when God spared Nineveh after its people repented in response to his warning of destruction. The city had corrupted its ways, but its people turned from their evil ways and humbled themselves, and God's compassion withheld the threatened destruction. His anger was directed at that very compassion and mercy in sparing the repentant city.
He dwelt on the possibility of being regarded as a false prophet because the threatened destruction did not occur. Jealous of his reputation among men, he cared more about his own reputation, embarrassment and humiliation than about the lives and souls of the people in that wretched city. He lost sight of the infinitely greater value of those souls, valuing his standing as a prophet above their lives. Instead of being first to rejoice at God's amazing compassion, grace and mercy and cooperating heartily in His merciful design and compassionate purpose to save the repentant city, he lost sight of the interests of others in concern over himself and resented and resisted that compassion toward them.
He yielded to his inclination to question and doubt and was overwhelmed with discouragement. He felt it better to die than to live to see the wicked city spared. His anger showed events not going according to his will, reflecting the self-will of one unwilling to accept what God is doing.
Mercy and Later Disappointment
The anger at Nineveh's sparing shows that a proclamation of coming judgment can give way to mercy when the warned people repent. As Nineveh was warned and then spared upon repentance, so wicked cities in any age would receive such messages if they repented as Nineveh did. That anger was selfish sorrow centered on personal humiliation rather than gratitude for mercy that delays judgment and grants more time for people to prepare, hear the warning of judgment, repent, and be saved. Instead of rejoicing in the time granted for repentance and salvation, the displeasure came from caring more about humiliation and reputation as a prophet than about the people's lives.
The grief over the unfulfilled threat of destruction parallels the disappointment after the expected end in 1844. In both cases the expected event did not occur, yet that did not make the message false, since the warning still served God's purpose and the world was given more time to prepare. Later prophetic light explained the unfulfilled expectation by revealing Christ's work in the heavenly sanctuary.
The lesson is to trust God's wisdom and mercy rather than dwell on personal humiliation and yield to selfish sorrow. The reprieve is to be accepted as an opportunity for further work, with rejoicing that people have more time to repent. The work to be done is to patiently keep laboring to bring sinners to repentance and salvation.
Jonah was deeply displeased and very angry when God spared Nineveh after its people repented, turned from their evil ways and humbled themselves at his warning of destruction. He feared being regarded as a false prophet when the threatened destruction did not come, caring more for his own reputation and embarrassment than for the lives and salvation of the people of that wretched city. Instead of being first to rejoice at God's compassion and mercy and cooperating heartily in His design to save the repentant city, he lost sight of others in concern for himself and resented God's compassion toward them. The warning of judgment was followed by mercy because they repented, and wicked cities in any age would receive such mercy if they repented as Nineveh did. His disappointment over the unfulfilled threat parallels the disappointment after the expected end in 1844, teaching to trust God's wisdom and mercy, rejoice that people have more time to repent, and patiently keep working to bring sinners to salvation rather than yielding to selfish sorrow over personal humiliation.
Jonah's Anger Explained
Jonah was deeply, intensely and exceedingly displeased and very angry when God spared Nineveh after its people repented in response to his warning of destruction. The city had corrupted its ways, but its people turned from their evil ways and humbled themselves, and God's compassion withheld the threatened destruction. His anger was directed at that very compassion and mercy in sparing the repentant city.
He dwelt on the possibility of being regarded as a false prophet because the threatened destruction did not occur. Jealous of his reputation among men, he cared more about his own reputation, embarrassment and humiliation than about the lives and souls of the people in that wretched city. He lost sight of the infinitely greater value of those souls, valuing his standing as a prophet above their lives. Instead of being first to rejoice at God's amazing compassion, grace and mercy and cooperating heartily in His merciful design and compassionate purpose to save the repentant city, he lost sight of the interests of others in concern over himself and resented and resisted that compassion toward them.
He yielded to his inclination to question and doubt and was overwhelmed with discouragement. He felt it better to die than to live to see the wicked city spared. His anger showed events not going according to his will, reflecting the self-will of one unwilling to accept what God is doing.
Mercy and Later Disappointment
The anger at Nineveh's sparing shows that a proclamation of coming judgment can give way to mercy when the warned people repent. As Nineveh was warned and then spared upon repentance, so wicked cities in any age would receive such messages if they repented as Nineveh did. That anger was selfish sorrow centered on personal humiliation rather than gratitude for mercy that delays judgment and grants more time for people to prepare, hear the warning of judgment, repent, and be saved. Instead of rejoicing in the time granted for repentance and salvation, the displeasure came from caring more about humiliation and reputation as a prophet than about the people's lives.
The grief over the unfulfilled threat of destruction parallels the disappointment after the expected end in 1844. In both cases the expected event did not occur, yet that did not make the message false, since the warning still served God's purpose and the world was given more time to prepare. Later prophetic light explained the unfulfilled expectation by revealing Christ's work in the heavenly sanctuary.
The lesson is to trust God's wisdom and mercy rather than dwell on personal humiliation and yield to selfish sorrow. The reprieve is to be accepted as an opportunity for further work, with rejoicing that people have more time to repent. The work to be done is to patiently keep laboring to bring sinners to repentance and salvation.