Jonah 3:1-10

Jonah’s prayer of repentance brought him to dry land once again, but God was not done with Jonah yet.  Once again God calls Jonah to go to the very same task he had been given to do before all of the trouble in Jonah’s life.  God was determined to have His message preached in Nineveh and He was determined that Jonah would be the one to preach that message.  This is clearly a demonstration of God’s grace on both the city and Jonah.  God could have easily just turned His back on Jonah and called another preacher to go do His work.  However, that would have left Jonah in a place of rebellion against God.  As always, God is longing to have men restored to fellowship with Him.  Bringing Jonah to obedience and Nineveh to repentance are illustrations of God’s grace.

JONAH’S OBEDIENCE: This time when God called Jonah to go and preach against the city of Nineveh; he went.  The city of Nineveh was a massive place that took three days to walk across.  Jonah does not try to argue with God or rationalize his way into another discipline from the Lord.  He is resigned to the fact that he must obey the Word of the Lord.  Jonah’s message was very simple, clear and to the point: in forty days God would destroy the city.  Jonah does not seem too excited about doing this task to which God had called him; but he did obey.  There are times when we may be called to do things we are not very excited about doing.  We cannot fool God, as He sees our hearts and knows our motives in all we do.  It is better for us to obey God independently of our feelings than to allow our actions to be guided by feelings that do not line up with the Word of God.  Of course it is always best for our feelings to be in line with God’s Word and our actions, but when this is not the case, we must follow God’s Word.


NINEVEH’S REPENTANCE: Surprisingly, the people of Nineveh hear the message of the Word of God and His promise of destruction and respond with clear repentance.  The warning of Jonah spreads through the entire city and the people fall on their faces in fear of the Lord.  When the king gets word of the message, he too strips off his royal robes, puts on sack cloth and sits down in ashes to cry out to the Lord for mercy.  He declares that all the people should follow his lead and declares a fast for all people and animals to not eat or drink for three days.  This is the maximum time a human can survive without liquid.  They demonstrate true belief in God’s Word as well as the fear of the Lord and a commitment to change.  Jonah’s message has a tremendous impact on a nation that knew no fear of the Lord before this time.  If only Israel and all of us were so sensitive to the call of God to turn from our sin and trust in His Word so we can live a life of obedience.  God saw the repentance of Nineveh and relented of the judgment He was prepared to release on the people.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 2:1-7

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and   dignified in every way.    This is good, and   it is pleasing in the sight of   God our Savior,   who desires   all people to be saved and   to come to   the knowledge of the truth.    For   there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,   who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is   the testimony given   at the proper time.    For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying),   a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.   Prayer is one of the greatest privileges believers have and it should be one of our greatest priorities.  Too often our lives are more often marked by complaining about our circumstances and our political leaders than by prayers for them.  The government in Paul’s day
Read more