Questions
Why was Jonah displeased with God's actions?
What does the term "ḥě·sěḏ" (חֶסֶד) signify in the context of God's relationship with humans?1
Who are your Assyrians?
What lesson does the parable of the wicked servant [Matthew 18:21-35] teach that relates to Jonah's situation?
What symbolic action does Jonah take in Jonah 4:5? What does it signify?2
What role does the plant play in Jonah's story, and what lesson does it teach?3
Jonah is a type of Jesus [sleeping on a boat during a storm at sea, commanded by God to take salvation to the nations etc.]. Jesus is also THE Israel stepping into the role in which Israel failed [salvation to the nations etc.].
Read Amos 9:3 and Jeremiah 51:34. How do the prophets use Jonah imagery in talking about Israel?
More
AI-generated summary of Peter Enn’s book “The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our "Correct" Beliefs”4.
Steadfast love, loyalty, mercy, and faithfulness
Genesis 3:24 and 4:16 may help.
The plant may be flagging up the Eden story as a mini garden that Jonah did not plant [Genesis 2. See also Deuteronomy 6:11]. Note also that Jonah flees toward the East. There may be a parallel between the burning sword east of Eden [Genesis 3:24] and the scorching east wind [Jonah 4:8].
Enns, Peter. The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our “Correct” Beliefs. HarperOne, 2016.