398
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
August 1930
through the city, not necessarily in a straight line and not reaching every sec tion. He cried, and said, Yet forty days. Whether these words, monotonously re peated over and over, were all that he said, or whether they were the burden of the message we need not try to settle. The prophecy of approaching doom was effective. V. 5. The people o f Nineveh believed. That, is, they accepted the warning from God, spoken through the prophet. Pro claimed a fast. A fast is always a symbol of sorrow and penitence. Put on sack cloth. Sackcloth is a dark, coarse cloth generally made of goats’ hair—a badge of mourning. Every class o f society, from the king down to the humblest subject, joined in the expressions o f grief and re pentance. ' V. 10. God saw their works. Cries and prayers mean nothing unless they are ac companied by works which prove that the heart has been changed. God repented o f the evil. Some one has said that re pentance with man is a changing of the will, while repentance with God is the willing of a change. The threatened judg ment was turned aside and God was able to show His mercy because the people turned from sin. II. Jonah, the Petulant Prophet (4:1-3). V. 1. It displeased Jonah. His displea sure may have been due to narrow na tionalism and false patriotism. It surely showed that he lacked the spirit of love. He was not a missionary at heart. He thought more o f his reputation as a prophet than he did o f the need of the sin ners in Nineveh. V. 2. He prayed unto Jehovah. Scarce ly a real prayer, indited’ by the Spirit of God, but rather 'a petulant complaint. Was not this my saying. That is, “ I thought that this would be the result of my preaching” (cf. Ex. 14:12). Therefore I hasted to flee. Jonah protested that he had not fled to Tarshish because he was afraid, but because he was sure to de liver a message o f judgment that would finally be averted and he would be ex posed to mortification. I knew that thou art a gracious God. How had Jonah come to have such a wonderful and true con ception o f God’s character (cf. Ex. 34:6; Joel 2:13)? Nothing short o f divine reve lation will explain it. The prophet argues that God was too kind, and perhaps too easy-going, to really punish such wicked sinners' as the Ninevites. V. 3.. Take . . . my life from me. Dis couraged Elijah prayed in the same man ner (cf. 1 Ki. 19:4). Jonah would rather die than livei, if he must be exposed as a false or unsuccessful prophet. III. Jehovgh’s Rebuke (4:4-11). , /V. 4. Doest thou well to be angry ? An other possible rendering is, “Art thou greatly angry?” Adopting either render ing we notice how gentle was Jehovah’s rebuke to the recreant prophet. V. 5. Jonah went out o f the city. We are not told what answer he gave to Jehovah. Perhaps he was too angry to do anything but sulk and complain. Made him a booth. A rude hut o f boughs. What would become o f the city. Evidently he still hoped that some calamity would come upon Nineveh. V. 6. God prepared a gourd. Some plant already growing on the spot. Its
BLACKBOARD LESSON
V. 3. Does Jonah’s prompt obedience prove that he had repented o f his former disobedience? How great a city was Nin eveh? V. 4. How many days did Jonah preach in Nineveh? What was his message? Had he reason to fear that it would arouse hostility ? V. S. What attitude toward God did the people o f Nineveh show? What expres sions o f sorrow and repentance did they give? How many o f the people repented? V. 10. What did God see? What is meant by the expression that God re pented? Does God ever change His mind? Why did He show mercy to Nineveh? 4:1. What displeased Jonah? Had he a right to be angry ? V. 2. Was Jonah’s “prayer” genuine or was it rather a complaint? With what did he charge God? What wonderful revela tion o f God’s character do we see in this verse ? V. '3. What did Jonah ask God to do? Did he have a right to ask that he might die ? What other prophet had asked a sim ilar thing? V. 4. What did Jehovah say? Was Jo nah’s anger reasonable ? V. 5. Where did Jonah go? What did lie make for himself? What was he wait ing to see? Did he hope that the city might yet be destroyed? V. 6. What did God “prepare” ? Did this show God’s gentleness and kindness? Why should God be so kind to a fault finding prophet? V. 7. What did God next “prepare” ? What happened to the gourd? V. 8. What else did God “prepare” ? What was the effect upon Jonah? What did he ask God? V. 9. What question did God ask? How did Jonah justify his feeling? Vs. 10, 11. How did God show to Jonah his unreasonableness and his lack of pity for the sinners of -Nineveh? Why did God love the Ninevites? Does God still love sinners o f every class and na tion? * * * P ractical P oints 1. God is merciful to sinners and re sires their repentance. God is also merci ful to His messengers who fail.' He loves to give a second chance, and a third and fourth chance if necessary. 2. No preacher has a right to search out his own message. He should find God’s message and declare it without fal tering. 3. The preacher has no right to con sider whether his message will please the audience. .It is his duty to “Cry out.” 4. Repentance must be proved by works before it is accepted as genuine (cf.-Lk. 3:19, .20). Jonah proved he was penitent by immediately doing what he was told. 5. Nineveh was a very great and very magnificent city, but the greatest thing about it in the sight of God was its: guilt. Some o f our modern cities would fare no better if God should speak concerning them. 6. Jonah had a very plain, simple mes sage. He was not afraid of repetition. 7. He is a faithless preacher who seeks only to please and flatter his congrega tion. It is far better to appeal to the sin ners’ fear of judgment than to give them
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growth was evidently miraculously hast ened to provide shelter for Jonah. Jonah was exceedingly glad. He was refreshed by the shade and rejoiced because o f this token o f God’s love and tender care. V. 7. God prepared a worm. The word “prepared” is interesting. God had “pre pared” a great fish (1:17) ; He “prepared” a gourd (4:6) ; then He “prepared” a lit tle worm which “smote the gourd.” V. 8. God prepared a sultry east wind. The fourth “preparation” was another evidence of God’s control o f nature. The hot, dry east wind of the desert is very destructive. He fainted. Not necessarily becoming unconscious, but becoming ex hausted. He retained consciousness suf ficient at least to desire death. Requested . . . . that he might die. Discouragement over the apparent failure of his mission and the added discomfort of the heat were too much for the prophet who loved him self supremely. V. 9. Doest thou zvell to be angry? God very patiently repeats this question (cf. v. 4). I do well to be angry, even unto death. So angry because he could not have his own way that death seemed pref erable to life. ,V. 10. Thou hast had regard fo r the gourd. God contrasted the temporary ex istence of the plant with the lives of the men of Nineveh whom Jonah would have been happy to destroy; that is, he would have mercy on a plant but he would show no mercy to sinners. V. 11. Should not I have regard for Nineveh? Nineveh was a great city with a population of perhaps more than a mil lion souls. Should not God show His tender mercy to these helpless ones? * * * L esson Q uestions 3:1. What had Jonah been asked to do? How did he seek to avoid obedience at his first call ? By what discipline was he made willing to obey when summoned the second time? V, 2.. To what city was he sent? What was he told to do? Was he permitted to give any message he pleased?
Beneficial The King’s Business has been a source o f great benefit to me in my daily devotions and also in my Christian work. I am taking advantage o f your generous of fer to introduce it to my fellow laborers for Christ.—From the President o f a Sunday School Union.
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