Studying Jonah 4
Below is the Studying Jonah Bible Study for Jonah 4.
Our hope and desire is that as you use this Bible Study you will begin to learn how to study the Bible on your own. Throughout the study, we’ll be using questions from the CHARA Bible Study Guide, which will show you how to get the most out of studying the book of Jonah, by discovering what questions to ask and how to stay focused on the original intended meaning of the text. You’ll notice these CHARA questions are BOLDED throughout this Bible Study, so you can easily see where and how this study method can help you discover more of the Bible for yourself.
Also, don’t miss the video that accompanies this Bible Study (below) as the Chara Project team talks about what we can learn from studying Jonah 4 (also available as a podcast!).
In the opening scene of the final chapter of Jonah the focus shifts back to the main character of our story. It’s in these final moments, as we witness a conversation between God and Jonah, that we not only get an up-close look at Jonah’s heart, but of God’s heart too.
READ: JONAH 4
1. CONTEXT - Immediate: How are connective words used to develop a complete thought (e.g. therefore, and, but, however)?
The Bible was not written with chapter and verse numbers. These were included about 500 years ago as a helpful guide. That being said, when a chapter begins with connective words such as “therefore” or “but,” we should go back and look at what came just before it to complete the thought. The connective word “but” at the beginning of Jonah chapter 4 (in most translations) shows contrast.
What is contrasted in Jonah 3:10 and 4:1? Note both God and Jonah’s response to Nineveh’s repentance.
When God turned FROM anger, Jonah turned TO anger. What pleased the Lord, greatly displeased Jonah.
2. AUTHOR - Style/Narrative: What can you learn from the actions and mistakes of the characters in the story?
Although Jonah finally obeyed the Lord, he clearly wasn’t happy about it. And by the mere fact that chapter 4 exists, we know that God still had work to do in Jonah’s heart. That being said, instead of running and hiding when Jonah’s will clashed with the Lord's will, this time Jonah took a different approach.
What do you see Jonah doing in Jonah 4:2-3?
What does Jonah finally reveal is the reason he fled to Tarshish?
Why was Jonah so angry? What was it about God’s nature and His treatment of Nineveh that angered Jonah so deeply?
Jonah’s response when God spared Nineveh revealed what was truly behind his actions. In a moment of honesty, Jonah finally admits the source of his anger to himself and to the Lord in prayer. The Lord could now begin the transformative work in Jonah’s heart, and that’s exactly what we see happening here in chapter 4.
3. CONTEXT - Bible: Does the text quote or allude to another passage in the Bible and what understanding does that give?
Exactly what Jonah feared would happen if he went to Nineveh happened. God remained true to his nature - the very character of God that Jonah knew and that scripture revealed. The Lord had revealed Himself to Moses centuries earlier in Exodus 34:6-7. This particular scripture was well known among the Hebrew people. Jonah, David, Joel and Nehemiah all quote it nearly verbatim (Jonah 4:2, Psalms 103:8, 145:8, Joel 2:13, Nehemiah 9:17 - found using cross references).
How do you see the character of God as revealed in the following verses play out in His treatment of Nineveh? What about God’s treatment of Jonah?
Exodus 34:6-7
Jonah 4:2
2 Peter 3:9
Jonah was grateful when he was the recipient of God’s compassion and salvation (chapter 2), but Jonah didn’t believe Nineveh deserved it. This isn’t the only time we see this in scripture.
4. CONTEXT - Bible: Does another passage in the Bible provide more clarity?
Once again, the Parable of the Prodigal Son shares similarities with Jonah’s story. Earlier Jonah ran off like the younger brother, but this time we see Jonah reflect the attitude of the older brother - the son who stayed home and obeyed the father. The older brother was furious when he returned home from working in the field only to discover that his father had prepared the fattened calf to celebrate the return of his reckless younger brother.
Continue reading the parable in Luke 15:25-31. Why was the older brother so angry (Luke 15:29-30)?
How does the older brother’s anger relate to Jonah’s?
Notice the father in the parable came out and pleaded with his older son to come join the party - to celebrate the return of his lost younger son. But in his anger the older son refused. The father didn’t want his son to remain in his anger. Just like the Lord didn’t want Jonah to remain in his. Our anger creates a chasm between us and the Lord.
5. APPLY - Reflect: What specific questions do you have upon further reflection of the passage?
When we disagree with God’s treatment of others - whether it’s judgment or mercy - we question His goodness and character. By believing we know better than God, we ultimately become our own God–our own moral authority. The Lord’s decision to spare Nineveh seemed “very wrong” to Jonah and he resented God for it (Jonah 4:1, NIV). Much like the older brother resented his father for welcoming his undeserving younger brother back home.
Can you relate? Have you ever questioned God’s goodness or His treatment of others?
6. RESEARCH - Observations & Questions: What observations or questions do you have? What stands out to you when you read Jonah 4:3?
What shocking request does Jonah make in Jonah 4:3?
In the final chapter, Jonah makes this odd request not once, but twice (also Jonah 4:9). Jonah had already learned that he could not run from the Lord, so perhaps he decided he’d rather die than serve a God who would have mercy on people like the Ninevites!
7. AUTHOR - Structure: What is emphasized by Questions and Answers in Jonah 4:4-9?
What question did God ask Jonah twice in chapter 4 (Jonah 4:4, 9)? What point do you think the Lord was trying to make?
What was Jonah’s response both times the Lord asked him this?
The first time God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4), Jonah did not respond, yet his answer came loud and clear through his actions. Jonah found a place east of the city, built a shelter, and waited.
Why did Jonah wait the remainder of the forty days? What do his actions reveal he was still hoping would happen?
With his prophetic mission complete you’d think Jonah would run from the city and return home as fast as he could. But he stayed. He chose to stay in the very place he fought so hard not to come to. Jonah cared deeply what happened to this city. It’s not hard to imagine him waiting, seething with anger, and pleading with the Lord to destroy the city. But could Jonah have another reason for waiting to see what would happen to the city?
8. HISTORY - When did the events take place? What was going on in history at that time?
Jonah was a prophet during the reign of King Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.), a time when Israel expanded both its boundaries and influence. Although a time of great prosperity, it was also a time of spiritual and moral decline as the nation rejected God and embraced idolatry. Because of Israel’s pride and rebellion, God sent Hosea and Amos, contemporary prophets to Jonah, to warn Israel of impending judgment - judgment that would ultimately lead to exile of the Israelite people by none other than Assyria in 722 B.C., 37 years after Jonah was sent to the Assyrians in Nineveh!
Read Amos 5:27 (2 books before Jonah) - Where would Israel be sent into exile?
Read Hosea 11:5 (2 books before Amos) - Who specifically would conquer Israel?
Study Bible maps and charts show us that 130 miles northeast of Jerusalem was the large city of Damascus, and beyond it to the east was the Assyrian (and Babylonian) empire, including Nineveh. If Jonah knew of these prophecies, his anger toward God for saving the very people who would later conquer Israel begins to make more sense. Not only that, but he was the prophet sent to warn them! His reputation amongst Israel was on the line.
9. APPLY - Reflect: What specific questions do you have upon further reflection of the passage?
Jonah had once been the deliverer of good news to his own people - that Israel’s borders would expand - and they did (2 Kings 14:25)! Now the prophet effectively just delivered a message that could pave the way for Israel’s destruction. And he was about to return home to tell them about it.
How might Jonah have been received by his own people when he returned home and told them God had sent him to Nineveh to spare their enemies - the very ones Amos and Hosea had prophesied would one day take them captive?
Have you ever feared obeying God would ruin your reputation?
10. AUTHOR - Structure/Related Text: What is emphasized by Compare and Contrast in Jonah 4:6-11?
When God tried to reason with Jonah, “is it right for you to be angry?” everything about Jonah’s reaction screamed, “YES!” Jonah felt justified in his anger and he wasn’t letting up, but the Lord wanted Jonah to examine his heart and see why he was truly angry. So He sent Jonah a visual lesson by appointing a plant, appointing a worm, and appointing a scorching east wind (Jonah 4:6-8, CSB).
Whose interests does Jonah care about in Jonah 4:6-11?
Whose interests does Jonah not care about?
In contrast, who does God care about?
Jonah did nothing to tend to the plant. He wasn’t the gardener who planted it, nurtured it, or watched it grow. It was there one day and gone the next. His care for the plant was about his comfort and was entirely self-centered. In contrast, God deeply cared for the people (and animals!) of Nineveh. He created them and loved them. His love for them was far greater than Jonah’s love for the plant. And His heartache over their destruction would have far outweighed Jonah’s heartache over the plant.
11. AUTHOR - Speech: What is being communicated through figurative language such as rhetorical questions?
The book of Jonah concludes with a question. Ironically, Jonah is one of only two books in the Bible that ends with a question and they are both about Nineveh (Nahum is the other book).
The final question in Jonah is rhetorical and was intended to make a point.
What do you think the point of God’s final question in Jonah is? What message did the Lord want to drive home?
By ending the book with a question and no response from Jonah, the reader/listener is encouraged to reflect on their own answer. God wanted Jonah and the entire nation of Israel to remember the kind of people He had called them to be.
12. CONTEXT - Bible: How does this passage fit into the big story of the Bible? Why is it included in the Bible?
When God chose Abraham to be the father of the Hebrew people (Jews, Israel), He made a promise that extended beyond the boundaries of Israel.
Read Genesis 12:1-3. Who did God say would be blessed through Abraham’s lineage (Genesis 12:3)?
God set apart Abraham’s family, the Hebrews, to be His people and to bless all other nations. Fast forward 2,000 years and Jesus, born of Abraham’s lineage, was the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Galatians 3:16). Through Jesus all the people of the earth are saved the same way, through faith in Christ, regardless of race or ethnicity.
Given the plan was for all of humanity to have access to God’s saving grace through Jesus, why do you think the book of Jonah, and particularly chapter 4, is included in the Bible? What message did the Lord want Israel to hear?
Jonah’s attitude reflected Israel’s callous heart toward the Gentile nations. Through Jonah’s story, God communicated His love for ALL people and His desire for the nation of Israel to feel the same.
13. CONTEXT - Bible: Does another passage in the Bible provide clarity?
We don’t know how Jonah responded to the Lord’s final question. Similarly, in the Parable of the Prodigal Son we don’t know if the older brother joined the father to celebrate his younger brother returning home (Luke 15). But we do know that the father celebrated.
Read Luke 15:32. Why did the father celebrate his younger son returning home?
Read Luke 15:3-10. What is God’s response to a sinner who repents? (Hint: Repeated two other times in this chapter, i.e. Luke 15:7, 10)
Read Jonah 4:11. How do these relate to God’s response to Nineveh’s repentance?
Jesus told the Parable of the Prodigal Son, particularly the part about the older brother, to get the attention of the self-righteous religious leaders of their day. The scribes and the Pharisees, much like proud and righteous Jonah, completely lacked compassion for the lost.
14. APPLY - Ask: What do you learn about God - His character, attributes, or desires?
Since the beginning - in Abraham’s day, Jonah’s day, Jesus’ day, and today - God has always desired for His people to be a light to the lost. Jesus instructed His followers to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). The same instruction stands for Christ followers today.
How does God’s heart for the lost, on display in the book of Jonah, challenge you today?
15. APPLY - Pray: “Lord, what do you want me to learn and how should I apply this to my life?”
What’s your biggest take away from the book of Jonah and how can you live this out?
We have learned a lot from the mistakes and insights of Jonah throughout this book as we watched a reluctant servant struggle with God and His purpose. We also got a close-up look at God’s sovereignty and love for ALL people. The Lord’s pursuit and heart for the lost should challenge us to have compassion and love others, welcoming all into a relationship with the God of mercy and grace.
Join the Chara Project team as they talk about what we can learn from studying Jonah 4 (also available as a podcast!).
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Podcast: How to Study Jonah
An Overview of Studying the Book of Jonah