December 11
Jonah 3-4
Psalm 139:19-24
Proverbs 29:15-17
Revelation 5
Never Too Late
“The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.” Jonah 3:5 NIV
The story of Jonah is an amazing picture of God’s love and mercy. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria located on the Tigris River. The Ninevites were evil, wicked people who were enemies of Israel. Their destruction would be a victory for Israel, and they deserved God’s wrath so Jonah probably believed that punishing them would provide justice. The story of Jonah is unique for several reasons. All the other Old Testament prophets provided warnings to Israel. The Israelites followed a pattern of disobedience that began with a period of obedience and serving God, then they were led astray and worshipped the gods of the people around them, God allowed them to be taken into bondage, they cried out to God, He sent a deliverer, they repented and turned back to God and then the cycle repeated. God used the prophets to warn Israel of the consequences of their sin and to give them an opportunity to repent. This cycle has happened over and over throughout Israel’s history. The book of Jonah is different because Jonah was not told to preach to Israel and warn them of coming destruction. He was told to go to a foreign city, filled with wicked people and warn them that if they did not repent of their evil ways and turn to God, they were going to be destroyed. This would have been like God telling us to go to Syria or Iran and tell ISIS that they need to repent and turn to God. Jonah wanted them to get what they deserved so he was not excited about this assignment. This is the first example of foreign missions we find in the Bible. For some reason God had compassion on the Ninevites.
The other thing that is unusual about this event is that this pagan nation listened to Jonah, repented and the whole city turned to God. The only clue about the timing of this event is found in 2 Kings 14:25 which places Jonah during the reign of Jeroboam II. We know from historical writings that he ruled Israel from 786-746 BCE. There was a famine from 765-758 BCE. There was a large earthquake around 760 BCE and during this period the Assyrians lost several battles and were forced to give up territory to their enemies. On June 15, 763 BCE there was a total solar eclipse over northern Iraq which would have passed over the city of Nineveh. We do not know the exact date that Jonah went to Nineveh, but it seems likely that he went to the city right after all these things happened and warned them that God was going to destroy them. God had prepared their hearts and then He sent Jonah at just the right time when they were scared and desperate and would be willing to listen. There are several lessons we can learn from Jonah. God loves all people. He wants everyone to repent and turn to Him. No one is too far gone. If God sends us to tell someone about Him, we need to trust that He will prepare them to hear what we have to say. At that point, it is up to them to respond. We are responsible to tell them and then let the Holy Spirit work on their hearts. We cannot assume anyone is impossible to reach. If they are alive, they still have a chance. We just need to keep praying for them.
God will go to great lengths to get our attention. He sent a famine, an earthquake, war, and a solar eclipse to soften the hearts of the Ninevites, a wicked, pagan people. He knows what it will take to reach us, and He will use whatever is necessary because He loves us and doesn’t want anyone to perish. Jonah was not happy when the people repented. He wanted his enemies to get the punishment they deserved. We need to be careful to remember who our enemy is. People are not our enemies. Satan and his demons are our enemies. We may have to ask God to soften our hearts so that we see people the way He does, with mercy and compassion. Throughout the Bible, we find that God gave warnings before He punished. He would have been completely justified if He decided He had had enough and just sent fire from Heaven and annihilated them all. But instead, He gave them a chance to turn from their evil ways and come to Him. He does the same for us. He is the God of second chances and third chances and fourth chances. It is significant to note that just over a hundred years later, the Ninevites returned to their former ways. God sent Nahum to them to warn them, but they failed to listen, and they were destroyed by the Medes. God is longsuffering and patient, but if we reject Him, we will face His wrath.
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