1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
God commanded Jonah a second time to go to Nineveh and deliver His message to them. This time Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to the city. Nineveh is described as three days’ journey in breadth. This area probably includes the surrounding fields and small towns. Jonah went into the city and preached on the first day (the likely explanation for “going a day’s journey”). He proclaimed the Lord’s message that in forty days the city would be destroyed. Forty days provided them with an opportunity of grace to repent before the judgment was meted out. And the Ninevites believed God and everyone from the greatest to the least responded in repentance by fasting and wearing sackcloth. They heard God’s message, believed it, and responded appropriately. When the message reached the king of Nineveh, he got off his throne and replaced his robes with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Their response is interesting because it was not typical of their religious practices. Typically they would try to appease a god through rituals but they appear to have tried to respond to the Israelite God in an appropriate manner. The king issued a decree for the entire city to respond appropriately to this message from God. He ordered that all people and animals fast and wear sackcloth and that they turn from their evil and violence. This was done in the hope that God would turn from His anger and they might escape death. Jonah’s prophecy was not stated to include any conditions but God saw their response and did relent from destroying the city. The actions of the people delayed God’s destruction of the city for another 150 years. They evidently fell back into sin and the city was destroyed in 612 B.C.
Jonah initially disobeyed God. The Ninevites believed God and immediately responded in repentance. God spared Jonah and God spared the Ninevites. God’s mercy is undeserved. God’s grace is never earned. But, when we respond appropriately to His prompting, we are more likely to receive His favour. Do you need to change your response to what God is working to teach you today?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
The Tower of Babel: Genesis 11