Jonah and the Withered Tree - The Book of Jonah

In this Bible Story, we meet the prophet Jonah, who refuses to obey God’s calling because of his prejudice against Nineveh. However, God uses Jonah’s life as a lesson. A lesson in caring about the lost. A lesson about humility and responding to the voice of God. A lesson on what truly matters. This story is inspired by Jonah 3-4. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Jonah 4:11 from the King James Version.

Episode 144: Returning to the Kings of Judah we find the story of Amaziah, the son of Joash. His father was assassinated by his servants yet Amaziah did not hold their children responsible for his father's death, only them. One day in preparation for a battle with Sier, Amaziah hired one hundred thousand soldiers from Israel to fight with him. But a man of God came to Amaziah telling him to send the men home. However, those men of Israel were wicked and burned the cities of Judah in repayment for being sent home. Amaziah forsook God because of this and would hear no more words from God.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, and should not I spare Nineveh, that
great city wherein are more than six score thousand persons
that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand,
and also much cattle Jonah four eleven. Lord, protect my

(00:23):
heart from casting judgment on others who may not be
where I am in life. Lead my thoughts and my
heart in the direction of your grace. When I feel
angry and upset because others seem to be receiving blessings
and grace even though they may be living counter culture

(00:43):
to your word, help me to realize that even in
our brokenness, you still have a plan of redemption. As
I listen to Jonah expose his prideful heart, I have
decided to continue to live in humility, understanding that I
am only one bad decision away from needing the same

(01:06):
grace that Nineveh received. Because of this, I declare that
I will not allow the worm of sin and despair
to eat away at the shaded protection of God's grace
for those who are in need of it. Thank you
for second chances, Lord in Jesus name, Amen, Thank you

(01:33):
for praying with me today. Continue listening for an incredible
Bible story brought to you by Bible in a Year dot.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Com Jonah and the Withered Tree. In our last story,
Jonah was appointed to preach to the great and wicked
city of Nineveh. However, Jonah's hatred was deep. He would

(02:03):
not help the people of Nineveh. He wanted them to perish.
So Jonah ran from the will of God and bordered
a ship towards Tarsish. God sent a storm to catch
up to Jonah, and Jonah was taken by the sea
in the deep. He was then swallowed up by a
large fish and remained in its belly for three days.

(02:24):
After crying out to God, Jonah was spat out onto shore.
Now Jonah reluctantly completes his mission to go and preach
repentance to Nineveh. Jonah expects them to continue in their
wicked ways, but instead comes face to face with true humility.
The wicked nation of Nineveh is about to display more

(02:45):
holiness than the prophet of God himself. Inspired by the
book of Jonah.

Speaker 3 (02:53):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year. In our previous episode, we heard
how Jonah ran from God's call to preach repentance to Nineveh.
He first ran away from God, but then he ran
to God as God reached out and saved him. Though
Jonah's heart was not merciful toward the Ninevites, God's grace

(03:14):
to Jonah in the form of a fish who swallowed
him and kept him from drowning in the sea, was
truly amazing and supernatural. Jonah cried out in praise and
adoration of God, acknowledging that salvation comes only from the Lord.
After three days, the fish vomited, the prophet out safely
onto the land. Today, we'll discover how Nineveh responded to

(03:38):
God's word and see if Jonah's heart towards these wicked
people had indeed changed. Let's now hear this remarkable story.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Jonah lay on the beach, exhausted and unable to move.
He lay with his face towards the sun. He never
thought he would see it again. For three days, he
was trapped in the belly of an underwater beast. His
garments still smelt of rotten fish, and his skin was
scarred from soaking in stomach acid. Although Jonah was thankful

(04:10):
to be alive, he was not excited for the journey
ahead there. As Jonah lay on the sand, feeling the
water caress his bare feet. The Lord spoke to him again.
Rise up, Jonah, go to Ninevah, the massive city inland,
and tell them that judgment is coming if they do
not turn from their wicked ways. Jonah was still filled

(04:33):
with hatred for Nineveh, but he would not run from
the will of God again, so he picked himself up
and traveled towards Nineveh. He traveled for three days, huffing
and puffing his way to the great city. Ninevah represented
many great nations of Jonah's day. It was hundreds of
miles long and had massive towers looming over the people below.

(04:56):
Jonah entered the city's gates. Walking the street, he could
see traders bartering in the alleys. He saw soldiers roughing
up thieves, and women beckoning young men into their brothels.
Jonah hated them. He could not fathom such a wicked
and debased people turning from their ways.

Speaker 3 (05:15):
They would always be the.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Same, they would never change. Jonah huffed his way through
the city streets for an entire day, making his way
towards the main part of the city. Jonah glared at
everyone he saw. He would make his message brief, and
then leave to watch the city burn. Nineveh has forty days,

(05:37):
and forty days only the city shall be overthrown. He
yelled for all to hear. He yelled it for word
to spread, and spread it did. Word immediately reached the
king of Nineveh. What followed was beyond Jonah's comprehension. Jonah
watched as the entire city began to weep. Those short

(05:59):
words struck a collective chord in the heart of Nineveh.
It was almost as if the words of God had
been speaking to them for years, and now all they
needed was a little push. Jonah was amazed as the
culture of Nineveh switched in a matter of hours. People
began to worship God and cover themselves in ash as

(06:19):
a sign of mourning. People fasted and prayed to the
Lord for forgiveness. Brothers who fought reconciled, and past wrongs
were forgiven. The most powerful and the poorest of the
city were repenting, and Jonah could hardly believe it. The
king himself arose from his throne, removed his robe, and
clothed himself in sackcloth as a sign of repentance. He

(06:43):
stood in front of his city and said, by my decree,
let no man or animal eat or drink during this time,
and let us cry out to the Mighty God for forgiveness.
Jonah watched among the crowd as the king spoke. The
once wicked tyrant of NINEVHS seemed to be broken and humble.

(07:05):
He was a new man, preaching to his people a
message of faith and humility. Let us all turn from
violence and hatred. Perhaps then God may relent and turn
his anger away from us. The King's words filled God
with joy and gladness, yet they filled Jonah with rage
and displeasure. Jonah's blood boiled, and he set his gaze

(07:28):
towards a hill overlooking the city. He climbed in and
sat on a rock with his arms crossed. There he
waited to see if God would destroy the city. He
did not. Jonah threw a stone towards the city. In anger.
He beat his chest and looked up to God. Do
you know why I fled from you on that boat
to Tarshish, Jonah asked, accusingly. Because I knew you were

(07:52):
loving and patient and willing to forgive, and I did
not want to see you spare such a wicked people.
Jonah raged in front of God. Is it right for
you to have this anger? God asked gently. A deep
anger infected Jonah's heart. He tired himself out, yelling at God,

(08:12):
and then fell beside a tree. He rested his back
against its trunk and looked up to see it produced
wonderful shade to escape the heat. The tree provided covering
in peace for Jonah's raging mind. He breathed in deeply
and closed his eyes. In that moment, he loved that
tree more than anything else on earth. He let his

(08:34):
mind wander, dreaming over simpler times. The tree enveloped him
in shade, shielding him from the scorching sun above. As
Jonah rested in its arms, he fell into a deep
and peaceful sleep. That night, the Lord appointed a little
servant to visit Jonah and the tree. A tiny worm

(08:54):
was sent by God to gnaw the tree's roots under ground.
It infected the tree and caused its leaves to wither
and fall. The once beautiful tree crumbled into itself while
Jonah was asleep. Morning came and Jonah was awakened by
a scorching east wind. It blew hot air, churning up
dust and leaves to choke Jonah's breath. Jonah stumbled to

(09:18):
his feet and looked up at the tree. His beautiful
safe haven was destroyed. The sun beat down on Jonah's
head and his neck began to burn. The hot wind
made his lips crack, and the sun was growing more
and more hot. Jonah yelled to the sky and fell
to his knees. He beat his fists at the dusty

(09:38):
earth and wept. It would be better for me to
just die, Jonah screamed. The sun was still beating down
on Jonah and he missed the tree shade by the second.
Are you justified in your anger about the plant? God
asked Jonah. Jonah glared up at God. Yes, he screeched.
Jonah's eyes were deep red and his breath ow furrowed

(10:00):
as he spoke. I am angry enough to desire death.
God replied to Jonah, this time with more force behind
his words. You pity this plant for which you did
not plant. You did not help it grow, You did
not water it or care for it. Yet you loved
it and wanted it to live. Should I not care
more for Nineveh? It is not a plant, but a

(10:23):
city with more than one hundred and twenty thousand people
who do not know what is right or wrong? Shouldn't
I care more for them than your precious tree.

Speaker 3 (10:37):
In this incredible passage of scripture, Jonah now is back
on dry land. After three days of the belly of
the great fish, Jonah was restored by God so that
he could accomplish the mission the Lord had given him.
But though he was grateful for the Lord's protection of him,
Jonah was still not ready to take a message of
repentance to the Ninovites. He could not understand or see

(11:00):
and why God would want to rescue these terrible, gentile people,
these evil people, or how God could deliver salvation to
these people. Jonah was indeed a reluctant prophet, but finally
he began his journey to Ninevah. It was not a
small village. It was a major metropolis for the time,
a huge city filled with many people, and the wickedness

(11:23):
was so great that one could only imagine. It was
disgusting to Jonah as he walked from one side of
the city to the other. Giving voice to God's warning,
you have forty days, then Ninevah will fail. He said
it again and again, you have forty days then Ninevah
will fall. These were dangerous words for a Hebrew prophet

(11:45):
to shout out for all to hear in a very
pagan city, a city known for their evil against their enemies.
Jonah was sure his warnings would fall on deaf ears.
More than that, it seems like he was counting on
it and wanted it. Unlike God, who desired true repentance
and revival among these people, Jonah wished only to do

(12:07):
his job, sit back and watch God destroy the city.
This is a good time for us to all reflect
upon our heart towards people that are far from God.
Do we have the heart of God to share the
good news of salvation and repentance? Are we willing to
take the message of Jesus Christ to the world, even
though none of us deserve it? As Christians? May we

(12:29):
never be content to keep this good news to ourselves,
But may we always bring the message that God has
given us. God has called us to be ambassadors for Christ.
May we be faithful ambassadors for him. This was the
condition of Jonah's heart as he went through Nineveh declaring
God's impending judgment. But to his amazement, the Ninevites heard

(12:52):
the warning, and they were convicted, and the king ordered
the people to fast and mourn. He then called all
the citizens to turn from evil and violence, in hopes
that God would relent and not bring judgment to the city.
God saw the condition and contrition of the Ninavites, He
had mercy on them and spared the city from his wrath.

(13:16):
God did what he always does when people cry out
in repentance in faith. He has mercy and forgiveness available.
But Jonah didn't like it. He was bitter and angry.
He prayed to God, telling him that this was why
I didn't want to come in the first place. In
Jonah four to two, we hear the words from this
pouting prophet, Jonah, for I knew that you are a

(13:38):
gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in
steadfast love and relenting from danger. Rather than praising God
for his greatness and his grace, Jonah spoke these words
as an accusation. He was angry, he was bitter, but
he even went further. Rather than rejoice in hearts changed

(13:59):
by the power of God and lives spared from destruction,
Jonah asked God to take his life rather than leave
him to see what was happening in Nineveh. It appears
that too often we want justice for others, but mercy
for ourselves. This is, in essence, what Jonah wanted. He
wanted God's mercy, but was unwilling to share God's forgiveness

(14:22):
to others. We must always make sure in our own lives,
who have received God's grace and goodness, that we are
open to sharing the Gospel with anyone and everyone. There
is no person too far gone for God to save
when that person repents and receives the Lord Jesus Christ.
God confronted Jonah for his attitude, asking if he felt

(14:44):
justified in his anger. Jonah was too exhausted to respond
or fight, and he fell under a plant to rest.
The plant's leaves gave him shade from the brutal sun,
and he slept. But early in the morning hours, God
sent a worm to eat away at the plant, exposing
Jonah to the sun and wind that beat down upon him.
Once again, Jonah cried out to God, asking to die.

(15:09):
God asked if it was right for him to be angry,
and Jonah said yes, he felt completely justified, and again
he pled to die. But rather than give Jonah his
wish God mercifully but firmly, like a loving parent who
corrects a spoiled child, used this to show Jonah why he,
the God that created both the plant and every person

(15:31):
living in Nineveh, cared so much for the one hundred
and twenty thousand souls who needed to be turned to
the Lord. Think about it, an entire city of one
hundred and twenty thousand people revived, repentant, and changed. At
this point, we don't hear Jonah's response or really know
where he went from there. This is no accident. God

(15:55):
shows us in Jonah that we're to care for those
for whom He cares, that we're to love the people
that He loves. That we should always pray. God, give
me a broken heart for broken people. If we are
to follow the heart of God and to share the
good news of Jesus Christ, his death and burial and resurrection,
we should have a great desire to see people saved.

(16:18):
Dear God, give us a heart like yours to love people.
May we be willing to extend your love and grace
to those who so desperately need you. We ask this
in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's
Bible in a Year podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.

(16:38):
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(17:01):
Christian walk and life. God bless you and have a
great day.