Jonah 3 - A Relenting God
- Alan Salwei
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Repentance brings about God's relenting.
Jonah 3 (NASB95)
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.”
3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk.
4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.
6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.
7 He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water.
8 “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.
9 “Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
Canons of Dordt
Point III/IV, Article 8: The Serious Call of the Gospel
All who are called through the gospel are called seriously. For seriously and most genuinely God makes known in his Word what is pleasing to him: that those who are called should come to him. Seriously he also promises rest for their souls and eternal life to all who come to him and believe.
Summary
In the first chapter of this book Jonah was disobedient to God’s instructions.
Instead of going to Ninevah as he had been commanded, Jonah ran away from
God. This resulted in a great storm and Jonah being swallowed by a great fish.
The second chapter of Jonah details Jonah’s prayer from within the great fish. At
the end of the chapter 2, Jonah was vomited up onto dry land by the fish.
Being caught in a storm, thrown into the sea, swallowed by a great fish, and
being vomited onto the shore seems to have softened Jonah’s rebellious heart. In
the third chapter of Jonah, God once again commands the prophet to go and
preach against the great city of Nineveh. This time Jonah was obedient.
When the people of Nineveh heard the words of Jonah, they repented of their
sinful ways. When word had reached the king of Nineveh, he too repented and
ordered others to do so also. Seeing the way that Nineveh had turned from their
evil ways, God spared them from the coming disaster.
Dig Deeper
When Jonah came to Nineveh as a prophet and shared God’s message that the
city would be overthrown in forty days, there are many ways the residents could have responded. But instead of doubting or even attacking the prophet, the people
of Nineveh believed him.
Hearing of the destruction that was coming to their city, the people responded
with humility. They placed on sackcloth and fasted. Even the king joined in by
trading in his fancy clothes for sackcloth and his bed for a pile of ashes.
The people of Nineveh responded to God’s warning by changing their ways. A
prophet might not walk into your town declaring God’s judgment, but the Bible
is full of warnings about the dangers of sin.
The motivation for the Ninevites’ change of heart was the coming destruction of
them and their city. You might not have a forty day ultimatum, yet the spiritually
destructive power of sin is no less dangerous for you. Trust the warnings against
sin found in scripture, repent, flee from your sin, and pursue a relationship with
our loving God who stands ready to extend grace and forgiveness.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who calls all people to repent and believe;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that like the Ninevites, you will heed God's call and turn from sin;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
