19.
The plant that the Lord prepared for Jonah, He just as quickly destroyed. Jonah 4:7 Jonah failed to be thankful unto the Lord for the blessing of the added shade which had been provided for him. A lack of recognizing the gifts of the Lord by way of thanksgiving and praise can result in their loss. Nothing that the Lord does for us should ever be taken for granted. Advantages gained, may be removed, because of a failure to give praise unto the Lord, for all that He has done. Consider, Mark 4:24-25.
The worm spent the night feasting on the roots of the plant that the Lord had so graciously supplied. Like the little foxes, its actions would spoil the vine. SOS. 2:15 This brings to mind the parable spoken by the Lord Jesus of the sower who sowed good seed, but some of it fell on stony ground and its root withered in the heat of the sun. Mark 4:5-6 Jonah. Even though a prophet of the Lord, is not manifesting a very pleasant attitude. There is a root in him which will bring destruction to his spiritual life if it is not corrected. It is also a problem that each of us face in life. There are so many things which wound and hurt us in this life. Consequently, the possibility of developing a root of bitterness, toward a person, or a group, exists. Whole families and churches can be greatly effected by a root of bitterness. Heb. 12:15
With the dying of the plant and the rising of the sun, Jonah faced yet another great problem. Here too, it was an act of God which created a predicament in his life. The Lord usually deals with us according to our nature. Not all would have to face the difficulties that Jonah faced. However, if it be necessary, very dire circumstances may develop as in the life of Jonah. Once again the Lord took action and commanded the wind to blow from the east. The sirocco, or the exceedingly, dry hot wind that is common to the area is well known. As devastating as the usual hot wind might be, this was a special wind from the Lord. A wind of judgment and correction. From the force of the wind and the terrific heat of the sun, Jonah passed out after having a death wish and praying to die. He was in the throes of a mighty correction from the Lord. His attitude toward the repentance of the people of Nineveh and the subsequent stubborn spirit manifest by him was totally displeasing to the Lord. While correction, or chastisement is a sign of Lord’s love, Heb. 12:6. It is at the same time a fearful thing to find oneself in the hands of the Lord and in the process of correction. Heb. 10:31 It is far better to hear the Word of the Lord and respond to the call of the Spirit of the Lord than to have to go through a process such as the Lord brought upon Jonah. It is time to take stock of our Spiritual standing before the Lord and do some self correction. Not forgetting that to him that knoweth to do right and doeth it not, it is sin. James 4:17.