Jonah's Gourd
A lesson in God's sovereignty and human pity.
Botanical Facts
sciencecategoryCategory
Herb
translateNombre Bíblico
קִיקָיוֹן (Qiqayon)
scienceNombre Botánico
Ricinus communis
menu_bookBiblical References
1 references
Pity for the Plant
God "appointed" a plant to grow up over Jonah to offer him relief from the heat. Jonah was exceedingly glad for the plant. But the next day, God appointed a worm to kill it.
menu_bookREFERENCE
10Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:11And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
Jonah cared more about a plant he didn't water or grow than he did about the 120,000 souls in Nineveh. The gourd exposes our distorted values. We often mourn the loss of our personal comforts more than we mourn the spiritual death of our neighbors.
Botanical Context
Likely the Castor Oil plant, which grows incredibly fast (up to 10 feet in a season) and has large, palm-like leaves providing dense shade. It wilts just as quickly when the stem is damaged.