Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Jonah 4:5-11
5 Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
7 But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. 8 And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.
9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
10 Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. 11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness,[a] not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
5 Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
7 But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. 8 And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.
9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
10 Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. 11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness,[a] not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
Commentary:
4:6 the LORD God appointed. This is the second use of the verb “appoint” (see 1:17). The kind of plant appointed is not known; the term (Hb. qiqayon) occurs nowhere else in the Bible, but a castor oil plant or a gourd plant, both of which have large leaves, are the most common suggestions. Discomfort (or “evil,” Hb. ra‘ah; see ESV footnote and note on 1:2), refers both to Jonah’s outer “discomfort” and to his inner “evil.” Jonah was exceedingly glad. The grammar of this phrase is identical to that at the beginning of 4:1 (“It displeased Jonah exceedingly”) and underscores the contrast between Jonah’s anger at the salvation of the Ninevites and his joy at his own salvation.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1690–1691.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1690–1691.
Questions:
When God provided Jonah with a leafy plant to shade him from the scorching sun, Jonah was finally happy. But as quickly as the plant appeared, God appointed a worm to destroy it, exposing just how attached Jonah had become to his comfort.
Jonah grieved the loss of a temporary plant more than he grieved the spiritual condition of more than 120,000 people in Nineveh. Through this, God was revealing the misplaced priorities of Jonah's heart.
The things we depend on for security, identity, comfort, or happiness can quickly become idols when they take God's rightful place. God lovingly exposes those idols, not to harm us, but to free us so that our hope rests in the only One who never changes.
Jonah grieved the loss of a temporary plant more than he grieved the spiritual condition of more than 120,000 people in Nineveh. Through this, God was revealing the misplaced priorities of Jonah's heart.
The things we depend on for security, identity, comfort, or happiness can quickly become idols when they take God's rightful place. God lovingly exposes those idols, not to harm us, but to free us so that our hope rests in the only One who never changes.
- What temporary thing do you find yourself relying on most for your happiness, security, or identity? If God were to remove it, how do you think your heart would respond?
- Why is God unwilling to allow anything or anyone to take His place in our hearts? How does His unchanging nature make Him a better foundation than anything this world can offer?
- Has God recently exposed an area where your trust has shifted from Him to something temporary: a relationship, career, finances, success, comfort, or approval from others? What step of surrender is He asking you to take?
Prayer Topics:
- Thank God for being your unchanging source of hope, security, and identity.
- Pray for discernment to recognize where your affections have drifted and ask God to reveal any idols that have taken His place in your heart.
- Ask God to help you treasure Him above every comfort, achievement, possession, or relationship.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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