Jonah, the prophet of the Lord is running from the presence of the Lord because he does not want to go to Nineveh in Assyria, and proclaim the word of the Lord. He knows that the Lord is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity" (Exodus 34:6). The Lord hurled a great wind, appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, then commanded the fish to vomit Jonah. The Gentile shipmates feared the Lord after their experience with Jonah. Then Jonah preached to the city of Nineveh, and the Gentile Assyrians repented, and that made Jonah angry. Then he sat to watch if the Lord would destroy the city or not. While waiting, the Lord asked, "Do you have a good reason to be angry?" Nor response. Then the Lord appointed a plant to grow, appointed a worm to attack the plant, appointed a scorching wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah. He wanted to die. The Lord then asked, "Do you have a good reason to be angry about the plant?" He said, yes, I have a good reason, but he did not explain the reason. The Lord said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not have compassion on the 120,000 people of Nineveh, and all their animals?
