Jonah: Nineveh Responds to God’s Word [Bible Study]
Jonah 3:3-10
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 reachedthe 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.
“Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown”. This was the message of Jonah when he finally delivered the message God gave him. Maybe the message included more, maybe not, the Bible does not tell us. However, given Jonah’s typical attitude and lack of care for the people of Nineveh, I think it’s very likely those few words were the entirety of his message.
The whole book of Jonah differs greatly from the rest of the Bible, and this part of the story here in Jonah 3 is no exception. Other biblical accounts of prophets have many chapters of words preached in sermons and warnings against people, usually which fall on deaf ears. But in Jonah, we have an apathetic preacher who does not care for others, a short message, and yet it’s received with open arms. I absolutely love this book simply because everything is so backward, compared to the rest of the prophets and their stories. So Nineveh now has finally received the message God has intended for them, now Let’s look at their response.
1. Nineveh Received God‘s Word
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
Verse 5 tells us that they believed God. That alone is noteworthy because of the reputation that Nineveh had. It is a good thing when a person simply believes what God says. Sometimes, the most brutal or savage people you can think of end up being receptive. I remember while out preaching the gospel one time, I was walking down the sidewalk and there were two men that looked like gang members just standing there looking at me. Truthfully, I am not sure if they were gang members or not, maybe they weren't, but regardless they looked like they would hurt you if you looked at them wrong. They ended up being extremely receptive and both of them got saved. You just never know!
Even though Jonah likely preached a short message, even a small amount of God’s word is enough to change someone. The power of God is in His very words, not exactly their quantity. Jonah’s short, and likely half-hearted message, was powerful enough to cut to the heart of these wicked people. They received these few powerful words as the very words of God.
We can’t underestimate the power of God’s word. When I am out preaching the gospel, if the person is in a hurry, or doesn’t have time, I still try and get in at least a verse or two. There is no telling what that seed planted in their heart may bring forth. (Hebrews 4:12) His word has the power to completely transform a person. We can do our best to deliver God’s word to people with catchy phrases, powerful sermons, and cute alliterations, but at the end of the day it’s not us that convinces or moves people, it's God’s word. He does it.
The world would undoubtedly be a better place if people received God’s word as they did in Nineveh. Throughout Psalm 119, which is the longest chapter in the Bible, we see the many positives that come from belief, adherence, and trust in God‘s holy word.
2. Nineveh Repented of Sin
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.
In verse 8 we see the people of Nineveh not only receive God‘s word, but they acted upon that conviction. They not only had repentance, but they brought forth fruit as an outward show of that repentance to God and man. Jesus even makes note of this textbook repentance in Matthew 12:41. Whether a nation is good or wicked, a person is saved or unsaved, God truly is happy when evil is denounced and goodness is embraced. ( Romans 12:9)
Think about how amazing it would be if our president used his position to publicly repent of all our sins. Abortion, sexual immorality, and all the evils we commit daily, in hopes of being spared by God. That’s what happened to Nineveh, all the way from the king and to the animals, everyone acknowledged their sin and outwardly grieved over them, in hopes of receiving grace from God and not being destroyed. God blesses the fact that Nineveh heard and believed His word. (James 1:25)
3. Nineveh Retained Life
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.
V10 is the response by God. The people believed God, and that belief brought about repentance that everyone took part in. God was pleased by this and spared them. God loves when people do right and He desires to show mercy. There are many places in the Bible where God holds back judgment, besides just here in Jonah 3:10. (Genesis 19, Exodus 30, 2 Samuel 24)
I believe that although Nineveh was spared physically from the destruction that God said He bring to Nineveh, some of the population actually got saved spiritually as well. Jesus, in Matthew 12:41 even states that the men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment. So we see there are actually 2 layers to this. The nation was saved from physical destruction, and also we know some were saved from eternal destruction by their faith in God. This may seem confusing, but let me explain.
We must understand that there is a difference between repenting to simply escape immediate and physical danger by God’s judgment, and actually understanding that your sins have eternal consequences also, and trusting God to save you from those eternal consequences. Please understand this important statement: Someone could very well escape God’s swift and incoming judgment by their works, but they could never escape the eternal judgment they deserve by their works. (for more clarification see: “Fruit of Repentance [Clarification on the Topic] “)
Although Nineveh was a wicked nation, we can learn a lot from them. We should have the same response to God’s word with our own sin when it’s brought to our attention. When we realize that, “thou art the man” like Nathan the prophet said to David, we should receive that correction from God’s word. When we receive the warning about our sins, and when incoming doom is threatened before us, as was in Nineveh, we should believe his word, repent, and pray for God’s mercy and reconciliation to himself.
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