Bible Text: Jonah 4:1-11 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: Jonah, Three Deadly Attitudes

1.  Several writers capture the atmosphere of the closing chapter of the Book of Jonah:

-“Finally turned around by God and sent by ‘special delivery’ to Nineveh, Jonah reluctantly preaches his message of repentance.  Once again, God does the unexpected by bringing sweeping revival to the city.  But instead of rejoicing over the salvation of lost souls, Jonah withdraws to grumble at God.” (the Daily Walk Bible)

-“Jonah is livid.  He did not come all this way just to see the bane of the ancient Near East forgiven.” (the Bible for Dummies)

-“Had you been writing this last chapter, you probably would have shown Jonah in the city of Nineveh, carefully teaching the people and helping them in their spiritual decisions.  But God does not write it that way.  Instead of meeting a rejoicing preacher, we meet a rebellious preacher, angry at the people and angry at God.  We see an adult acting like a child, a believer acting like an unbeliever.  We see Jonah sitting outside the city, trying to make himself comfort able, and actually hoping that God’sa judgment will fall on the people.” (Warren Wiersbe)

2.  Jonah is an angry person (4:1,4,9).  Out of his anger arise three deadly attitudes:  hypocrisy/self-interest, wrong perspective/self-interest, and lack of compassion/self-pity.

3.  Though Jonah had been a recipient of God’s mercy, he had a hard time extending mercy to others.

4.  The lesson of the book is summed up well for us in the following quote:  “Certainly God’s word pierces our heartrs even today as it confronts us with our prejudices, selfish attitudes, and unforgiving spirits.  Many of us become so concerned with our own vines that we forget the ‘concerns’ of God, people for whom Christ died.” (Ellison)