在《约拿书》的第四章中，(约拿书4)，先知约拿对他的成功有一个奇怪的反应。他很生气，而且生闷气。他认为自己比上帝更了解。这个故事是关于什么的？

乔治-麦考迪牧师在注释这一章时，在他的《约拿书学习指南》中提供了一个总结，该指南有免费的.pdf版本，供你使用。下面，我们摘录了他的部分总结，并进行了编辑，以便在此背景下使用。

约拿时代的犹太教会的人不想重新考虑他们对 "最惠国待遇 "的信念。他们向主挑战。他们不明白为什么主想拯救他们在尼尼微的敌人。

尽管有第1章和第2章的惨痛教训，以及第3章所述的成功，约拿仍然认为自己比主更了解。他认为神太软弱和慈爱了，太宽容了，他需要接受约拿的强硬观点。

约拿变得如此愤怒和报复，以至于他宁愿死也不同意主拯救尼尼微人的方式。他的自爱希望得到荫庇--对其概念的保护。主需要结束这种想法；虫子从内部给葫芦带来了死亡。然后，主派人吹了一阵猛烈的东风，这代表着吹走了教会停滞不前的思维。

主的天日照在约拿身上，但他感到昏厥。在这里，约拿坚持自己对事物的困扰的看法，使他对主的看法感到不舒服。神圣的指引为他提供了一种方法，让他学会把邻居的成功当作自己的成功来享受，但他不愿意接受。

对我们来说，那么--什么？这个故事告诉我们，我们不能只为自己保留圣言的真理；我们必须到尼尼微去分享它们。然后，如果人们开始听到它们，并利用它们来改变他们的生活，我们就不能允许自己对主接受他们的悔改并宽恕他们而产生怨恨。这是一个非常人性化的反应；想想门徒们在主的指挥结构中争先恐后的样子(路加福音9:46)，或者浪子的兄弟(路加福音15:28-29)，或葡萄园里的工人为了一个银币整天工作(马太福音20:10-12).但是...这不是一个好的反应。主不欣赏约拿的这种反应，当它出现在我们的头脑中时，也不欣赏它。

马丁-潘宁顿牧师推荐了瑞典堡神学著作中的几段解释性段落。

"阴暗或阴影意味着对善和真理的认识处于朦胧状态"。(天国的秘密2367)

"葡萄树是属灵的好处（属灵的教会）"。(天国的秘密217)

"虫子代表虚假的东西在啃噬和折磨人"。(天国的秘密8481)

"'太阳渐渐热起来'在相反的意义上意味着自爱和对世界的爱"。(天国的秘密8487)

还有......这里有一个链接，是托德-贝斯文格牧师关于本章的有趣（音频）布道。

648. As for numbers and measurements in the Word meaning celestial and spiritual things, this becomes quite clear from the measuring of the New Jerusalem and of the Temple in John and Ezekiel. It may become clear to anyone that the 'New Jerusalem' and the 'New Temple' mean the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth, and that the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth is not subject to earthly measurements, even though the size of it - its length, breadth, and height - is specified numerically. From this anyone may conclude that numbers and measurements mean things that are holy, as in John,

I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and the angel stood and said to me, Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it. Revelation 11:1.

And concerning the New Jerusalem,

The wall of the heavenly Jerusalem was great and high, having twelve gates, and above the gates twelve angels, and names written which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the apostles of the Lamb. He who talked to me had a golden measuring-rod to measure the city, and its gates, and its wall. The city lies four-square, and its length is the same as its breadth. He therefore measured the city with the measuring rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height were equal. He measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. Revelation 21:12-17.

[2] Here the number twelve occurs repeatedly. It is a very holy number since it means the holy things of faith, as has been stated above at verse 3 of this chapter, and in the Lord's Divine mercy will be shown at Genesis 29, 30. Hence also the comment added at the end of the quotation set out above about this measure being 'the measure of a man, that is, of an angel'. The same applies with the New Temple and the New Jerusalem in Ezekiel, which are also described according to their measurements, Chapter 40:3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13-14, 22, 25, 30, 36, 42, 47; Ezekiel 41:1-end; 42:5-15; Zechariah 2:1-2. There also, regarded in themselves the numbers mean nothing but celestial and spiritual holiness independent of actual numbers. The same applies to all the numbers giving the dimensions of the Ark, Exodus 25:10, and similarly of the mercy seat, the golden table, the Tabernacle, the altar, Exodus 25:17, 23; Exodus 26; 27:1; and to all the numbers and dimensions of the Temple, 1 Kings 6:2-3, and many other examples.