Jonah 4
Micah 4 is a chapter containing a message of hope for Israel’s future and peace in the Messianic age. Unlike the prophecies of judgment in the preceding chapters (Chapters 1–3), this chapter emphasizes restoration and hope. Structurally, it can be divided into 1) the restoration of Zion and the peace of all nations (vv. 1–5), 2) the promise of deliverance for the exiles and the faithful remnant (vv. 6–8), 3) present suffering and future victory (vv. 9–13)]]
1verseBut it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
2verseHe prayed to the LORD, and said, “Please, LORD, wasn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.
3verseTherefore now, LORD, take, I beg you, my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4verseThe LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5verseThen Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city, and there made himself a booth and sat under it in the shade, until he might see what would become of the city.
6verseThe LORD God prepared a vine and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the vine.
7verseBut God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine so that it withered.
8verseWhen the sun arose, God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he was faint and requested for himself that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9verseGod said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?” He said, “I am right to be angry, even to death.”
10verseThe LORD said, “You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night and perished in a night.
11verseShouldn’t I be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who can’t discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also many animals?”
The Restoration of Zion and the Peace of All Nations (vv. 1–5)
In the opening portion, Micah proclaims what will happen “in the last days.” He says that all nations will stream to the Lord’s mountain—namely, Zion—and that God’s word will flow out from Jerusalem to reach the entire world. Here it is shown that God will judge the nations, and with the symbolic expression, “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks,” it demonstrates that a time without war and filled with peace will come. There is also a promise that people from every country will sit under their own grapevine and under their own fig tree to find rest.
Restoration of the Exiles and the Remnant (vv. 6–8)
These verses promise that God will gather the scattered and the sick and make them into a mighty nation. They prophesy that not only the Israelites who will return after the exile, but also those who are wounded and weakened will be given restoration and a new beginning. Zion will be firmly rebuilt again, and the message centers on the fact that the Lord will be King forever.
Present Suffering and Future Victory (vv. 9–13)
This section mentions the pain and confusion that Israel is experiencing at present. Even in a seemingly hopeless situation, it says that the present trials—like the pains of childbirth—are connected to future deliverance. foreign nations will rise up against Israel, but ultimately God will judge them and ensure Zion’s victory. In this process, an attitude of trusting in God’s plan is called for.
Meditation Points
- How can I keep faith that remembers God’s restoration and peace that will be accomplished in the future, even amid the difficulties of real life?
- How does the fact that all nations and the weak are included in God’s restoration broaden my spiritual perspective?
Applying It to Myself
- In the trials and suffering of my life, am I trusting God’s greater and good plan?
- Let’s think about what small practice each person can do to bring about peace and restoration in their own place.
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This is the last chapter of Jonah.