Useful Bible Studies > Jonah Commentary > chapter 4

Jonah waits to see if God will punish Nineveh’s people

Jonah 4:5

When someone truly turns from their evil behaviour, God forgives that person. In other words, such people receive a right relationship with God; they will not go to hell. By his death on the cross, Christ suffered their punishment (1 Peter 2:21-24). However, such people may still suffer troubles or punishment in this world because of their evil acts. For example, a criminal who turns from his evil deeds may still have to go to prison.

Let us think about the people who turned to God in the Book of Jonah, and their different experiences.

Firstly, there was Jonah himself, after he chose not to obey God in chapter 1. He was in great danger in the storm, although he seemed hardly to care about it. He only turned back to God after the men had thrown him into the sea. However, after that he still suffered inside the great fish for three days before God returned him to the land.

There were the sailors. They suffered much in the storm – but that storm was because of Jonah’s wrong behaviour, not their evil deeds. They turned to the true God during the storm; and after the storm, they made promises to God.

Lastly, the people in Nineveh turned to God when Jonah declared God’s message to them. In that message, God warned them that he had made a severe judgment against them because of their evil deeds. They had just 40 days before God permitted a terrible trouble, in order to destroy their city completely. So, although they were very wicked people, God forgave them (3:10).

We think that it was now the end of that 40 day period. Jonah could hardly believe that God would forgive such wicked people without even a punishment. He chose a place on a hill above the city. There he made a simple shelter, to try to protect himself from the hot sun. Then he sat down to watch. He wanted to see whether God had really decided not to punish Nineveh’s people.

Next part: A plant with large leaves brings comfort to Jonah (Jonah 4:6)

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