God's Vehement Wind Jonah 4:8

As Jonah sat pouting and watching to see what would happen to the city of Nineveh, the LORD prepared a “gourd” to shade him and to “deliver him from his grief”. Jonah was “exceeding glad” for the “gourd”, but the next morning “God prepared a worm” to destroy the “gourd”. In chapter four and verse eight of this prophesy we see how “God prepared a vehement east wind” where we read:

And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

The verse begins, “And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind;” The author began with the phrase, “And it came to pass when the sun” which is all one Hebrew word “shemesh” and refers to “the sunrise, or east-side window of the sky” “did arise” or “come forth, break out or shine”, “that God” who is “the ruler, judge and divine One” “prepared” or “reckoned, numbered, assigned, told and appointed” “a vehement” which means “harsh, hot and sultry” “east wind” or “coming from the east a breath, animation, vivacity, vigor, courage, temper, anger and troubled disposition”. When the “gourd” died, God sent a ferocious and “sultry” “east wind” to blow upon Jonah.

The verse goes on to say, “...”and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.” The author continued, “and the sun” which refers to “the sunrise, or east-side window”“beat” or “struck, smote, hit, slayed and scourged” “upon the head” which means “the top, upper part, height and front” “of Jonah” whose name means “dove”, “that he fainted” which means “Jonah covered, encrusted, en-wrapped and disguised himself”, “and wished” or “asked, inquired and begged” “in himself” which means “inside Jonah” “to die” or “to be killed, have himself executed or put to death”, “and said” or “spoke, uttered, answered in his heart, thought to command, promise and intend”, “It is better” or “good, pleasant, agreeable, rich, valuable and right” “for me” which means Jonah “to die” or “be dead and in a state or place of death” “than to live” which means “be alive, flowing, lively, and active”. Jonah despaired so deeply that he wished himself once again to be “killed” rather than live through the “vehement” heat that was sent upon him.

When we consider the words in this verse, we find Jonah a man easily discouraged and desperate. He felt without hope as he suffered from the “vehement east wind” the LORD “prepared” for him which is the second time Jonah wanted to die. So many people become despairing of life who do not turn their lives over to Jesus Christ who promised that “he came to give life, and life more abundantly”. Perhaps we find ourselves in the same state as Jonah. Life has been hard; Things have not worked out the way we planned or maybe something went terribly wrong along the way. Let us remember that we can respond to our circumstances like Jonah or we may turn all our concerns and worries over to the LORD Jesus. When we turn them over to Jesus, He is willing and able to bring “hope” to the “hopeless”, “strength” to the weak and “life” to those who have felt “destroyed” and despairing of life.

Next time we see the LORD ask Jonah if he did well to “be angry for the gourd”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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