Jonah Goes to Nineveh
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
A Second Time
The Lord had previously come to Jonah with a message for him to give to Nineveh (a city in what is now modern-day Iraq), but Jonah refused. He, thus, ran away from the Lord, and he headed (sailed) for Spain. The Lord didn’t take “No” for an answer, though. He sent a great wind and a violent storm to come against Jonah and the ship in which he was sailing. The sailors eventually threw Jonah overboard, he was swallowed by a big fish, he called on God in prayer, and he told the Lord he would fulfill his vows to the Lord. God then gave him a second chance to obey. I am so thankful we serve a God of second chances! Grace!
Jonah obeyed the Lord, yet his heart attitude did not change toward Nineveh. He said what God told him to say, though, and as a result Nineveh believed God and repented of her sins. The king even declared a fast, and he called upon the people to call urgently on God and to give up their evil ways. So, he believed God, too. He hoped that, by their obedience, and their taking God seriously, God would show them mercy, and that he would relent. When God saw that the people of Nineveh had humbled themselves, that they had called fervently upon His name, and that they had turned from their evil ways, he had compassion on them, and he did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. I am so glad we serve such a loving, compassionate and merciful God! Mercy!
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” ~ 2 Tim. 2:19
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” ~ 1 Peter 3:10-12
Questioning God
Jonah, nonetheless, was not overjoyed that God had been merciful to Nineveh. He still wanted God to destroy her. He became so angry, in fact, that he told the Lord that his knowledge of God as a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, is what led him to run away from God, and to run from this assignment. And, he asked God to take his life, because he felt he would be better off dead than alive if Nineveh was to be spared this calamity. Wow! But the Lord replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”
Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
“Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand. ~ Job 38:1-4
“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!” ~ Job 40:2
Jonah was not the only servant of the Lord to question God’s justice. Although Job initially responded with strong faith to God’s testing of his faith, his faith began to waiver as the burdens began to increase in severity. He began to question God’s sovereignty over his life, and to question God’s justice, too. And he, too, wanted to die. In fact, he wished he had never been born. Yet, at God’s rebuke, Job repented of his sin of pride, and he humbled himself before Almighty God. And, in turn, God blessed him, even more than he had before. I am thankful I serve a God who is both just and merciful! And, I am glad he tells me the truth about myself, even if it hurts, so that I have the opportunity to change.
Selfish Will
Jonah, after he got angry over God’s mercy toward Nineveh, found a place east of the city, with a view of the city, where he made a shelter for himself, and sat and waited to see what would happen to Nineveh. Evidently, he still hoped God would destroy the city. Then the Lord provided a vine as shade for Jonah’s head, which pleased Jonah. The next day, though, God provided a worm, which chewed on the vine and the vine withered. And, then God sent a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head. Again, Jonah decided it would be better for him to die than to live. And, again God asked Jonah if he had the right to be angry, only this time about the vine, and this time because something bad happened to Jonah, whereas before he was angry because something bad didn’t happen to Nineveh.
But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” ~ Jonah 4:10-11
Making it Practical
Jonah was the Lord’s servant. We, as followers of Jesus Christ, are the Lord’s servants. God had a mission (assignment) for Jonah. He was to be God’s messenger. God has a mission and an assignment for each one of his children today, too. He has called all of us to be his witnesses, to share the gospel, to be lights for the gospel in how we live our lives, to make disciples of all nations, to teach them what Jesus Christ has commanded us, and to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus to walk faithfully in obedience to Christ, so that they may grow in their faith and in their relationships with Jesus, as their Lord and Savior.
We have also all been given specific and individual spiritual gifts, too, which we are to use for the spreading of the gospel and for the edification of the body of Christ. As well, God/Jesus may give us very specific assignments that are unique just to us, because he wants to use us in very precise ways, and perhaps even in the lives of very definite individuals or groups of people. And, we must obey, yet not reluctantly, as did Jonah, but with willing hearts and attitudes, and out of love for our Lord.
When we obey, though, we must leave the results to God. All throughout scripture we read about how the Lord’s servants obeyed him and often said things people did not want to hear or had to do something that was not most popular. I recall how the Lord often told the prophets of old that they were to say whatever God told them to say whether the people listened or they failed to listen. Our job is to do our job, and then to trust God with the results, even in those times when we may be hated, persecuted, rejected, abandoned, and mistreated, and/or even falsely accused because of our testimony for Christ.
Our job is to do our job, even if things don’t turn out exactly like we think they should, or we had hoped they would. And, our job is never to question God’s justice, decisions or actions. He is God! And, it is not our place to get upset with him, although we have been obedient, when he does not act, provide, answer or respond in a way we think he should. We have to trust God that he is God and that he knows what is best. He sees things we don’t see. I am so glad that I serve a God that I can trust with my life and who does what is best for me always.
Sometimes, though, we get to see the positive results of our obedience immediately, and that is such a blessing when that happens! Although Jonah did not appreciate what took place in Nineveh, he got to see immediate results. The people repented and God relented. And, those are the results we should always hope for! And, they are such an encouragement when they happen, too, because seeing such positive results does help motivate us and spur us on to keep obeying God. Yet, we must not count on them, and we must continue in faithful obedience to God even when we can’t see the results. This is called faith. We believe God, we do what he says, we trust him with the results, and we keep pressing on. Faith!
Jonah was more concerned about what he wanted, than he was about what God desired. He was more worried about his own comfort, than he was concerned about the salvation of human souls. He was more anxious about “saving trees” than he was about saving lives. He was selfish and he wanted his own way. If he couldn’t get his way, then his answer was to either run away or to die (another form of escape). Jonah demanded his own way instead of humbly and willingly going God’s way.
I’ve been there! I know! I have questioned God, I’ve run away from him, disobeyed him greatly, and even wanted to die before, because life did not go the way I had hoped it would, and because God did not rescue me in the way I thought he should, or because I did not get the response to my obedience to God that I thought should accompany such obedience. Yet, it never pays to run from God! The only path to peace, to a right relationship with God/Jesus, and to true joy and fulfillment in life is to yield oneself to the will of God, to obey him, to do what he says, and then to leave the results to him. I know!
I am so thankful that I serve a God who is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and mercy, and that he never gave up on me, but he still desires to use me, even in spite of my past failures. Praise God! He is such a great God!!
Jesus, Lead Me / An Original Work / July 22, 2011
Jesus, lead me all the way.
Be my hope and be my stay.
Gently lead me where I should go,
So Your Spirit, I want to know.
Open up my heart to You.
Fill me with Your love and truth.
Make my heart want to obey.
Be my Lord today. Gently lead always.
Jesus, lover of my soul,
Cleanse my heart, and make me whole;
Be transformed in my heart today,
As I turn from my sin and pray.
Make Your will known to my heart.
May I not from You depart.
How I long to hear You now,
As I humbly bow. Jesus, hear me now.
http://www.godcares.tv/video/1190/Jesus-Lead-Me
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