Jonah 3: 1 – 10
The Anti Missionary
1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to 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, a three-day journey[a]in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
For those of you just joining us in our study of the book of Jonah, we have learned that our Supreme Ruler had selected Jonah to preach His message to the Assyrians. To a large degree these people were the worse of humanity and yet our Merciful God shows how He cares for every human being. In the book of 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9 we find, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
Jonah had tried to run away from God and His commission to be His spokesman to the Ninevites. Our famous story describes how God stopped His wayward prophet by developing an amazing storm in the sea. He was found out to be the culprit by the sailors and was cast into the sea. The Lord instructed a great fish to swallow Jonah. As we ended chapter 2 we see that God instructed the great fish to vomit him onto dry land. Now we read in chapter 3,
1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”
Jonah’s new commission was essentially the same as the one he had previously received. Remember, if God has given you instructions to do something, He will not relent in its application. He may allow some adaptation to His orders but essentially His commands will be followed to the ‘T’. In the book of Exodus you remember how our Precious Lord appeared to Moses in the Burning Bush. The Lord informed Moses that He had picked him to be his co-deliver of the Israelites from the cruel oppression of the Egyptians. Moses’ didn’t want the assignment and used ever excuse possible. Let’s take a look at this interaction from chapter 4, “10 Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” 13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” 14 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
The Lord allowed a slight adjustment in the application of His instructions, but Moses was not going to weasel his way out of God’s instructions and of using him.
There may be someone who use to serve our Lord but disqualified himself or herself from being used by God because of past sins. I know you have learned that serving our Holy Master is an honor and privilege. In many cases you understand this after everything has fallen apart and you have been set aside in use by the Lord. I also know that you understand that serving God is not earned. He Is the One Who chooses us to serve Him. I would encourage you in the fact that you need to remember that you are still His child and that He still loves you. Perhaps He will give you a second chance like He did to Jonah. This is my prayer for you. If He does give you another chance don’t ever return to the things that put you aside from His work ever again.
Remember you have been called to a great work. You are in essential called to serve the Lord just like the prophets of old. Look with me at the calling of one of His selection in the book of Jeremiah chapter 1, “1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.4 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 5 “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then said I: “ Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me: “ Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: “ Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.”
Besides showing great patience with Jonah please note the Lord’s priority. He said, ‘Go!’ I have learned that there are two significant words in serving our Master – sent and went. Some are sent but never went. Some went but were never sent. The correct choices were sent and they obeyed and went. In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 21 we read about the parable of the two sons in relative to obedience to the father’s wishes.” 28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.” It all comes down to obedience.
Note a key point made by our Great God to his servant, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” Do you notice the significance of this point? Our Lord knew Jonah’s heart. He hated the Assyrians. Our Lord was specific to his messenger to only say the exact message that our Lord wanted said. There are many examples in the Scripture where our Lord Jehovah Repheka – ‘Leads’ His spokesperson to give just the right message. One good example which can really cause a problem for the ambassador of our God is the example of Moses with the Israelites in the Wilderness. We read in the book of Numbers chapter 20, “1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there.2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. 12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.”
Moses did a lot of great service yet this one misrepresentation of our Precious Father’s instructions caused him to be disciplined which resulted in him not being allowed to enter the Promised Land. Now back finally to the book of Jonah verses 3 and 4.
3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
Let’s take a look at what happened on Jonah’s adventure for the Lord. First of all this opportunity came from the Lord Himself.[ 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD] So, if you knew that the Lord had directed your ministry wouldn’t you also know that our Holy Ruler would make it successful?
When our Holy Sovereign gives the command it will be accomplished. Please try to memorize this verse from the prophet Isaiah chapter 55 verse 11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” That is the bottom line. When we pray the ‘Our Father’ we say, ‘Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.’ I change it slightly knowing the truth from Isaiah. I say, “ Thy Will will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Your Holy Adoni Yahweh are the Supreme King.’
Just one more message to encourage you who serve. This comes from the book of Revelation chapter 3, “7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
If our Precious Holy Lord God opens a door of opportunity, no one can stop it from happening. However, with every opportunity you and I both know that is will not be a walk in the park. There will always be obstacles. Please note what Jonah was faced with – ‘Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk.’
Imagine being sent to Manhattan, New York City, and told to preach to the whole city. What do you do? A second problem was the people themselves. In the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 16 we read about how the apostle Paul had the same type of resistance, ‘9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’
In every effective ministry there will be considerable opposition. You should just read the hate mail and verbal assaults that I get.
So, Jonah kept his message short and to the point - “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” In effect he said, ‘Hey folks, it’s all over for you in 40 days!’
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
Our God Is a God of Love. His message of Mercy and Forgiveness is for everyone. Despite the wickedness of the Ninevite people, they were open to the Lord’s message. If we simply proclaim what we know about how Great our God Is, we can be quite surprised at the result. Here in one short message hundred of thousands got saved. Wow!
If Jonah had done a little research regarding the people of Nineveh he could have seen the hand of God preparing his way. The acts of the Mighty Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord our Righteousness were displayed in history. Look at these things the Ninevites experienced prior to our Lord directing a final message of Judgment;
1. 765 BC – a serious plague hit the county
2. 763 BC – A total eclipse of the sun which terrified the people
3. 757 BC – another serious plague hit the country
I think the appearance of Jonah was used by God to scare the people straight. In the Gospel of Luke chapter 11 we read, “30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.” How was Jonah a sign. It doesn’t say in the bible that Jonah’s appearance was changed as a result of being in the belly of the great fish. But I believe was that as a natural result of the fish’s digestive system, Jonah lost his hair and was somewhat bleached. Do you think someone walking around your town having that condition would definitely get your attention? Jonah’s announcement would for sure circulate in the city about this strange guy.
Hey, here is a great point - our God Is All Knowing. He knew the outcome of this action. He knows the beginning from the end. We tend to forget His Awesome Power and Ability.
It is amazing at the entire results. Everyone got saved. I had experienced this same thing personally. I was allowed by our Lord to take a group of 20 people to Russia after they had opened their doors and let outsiders in. Our little group put together supplies and put together a little Christian entertainment of singing, acting, musical concert, and testimony. We scheduled with the Russian Government and went and visited six Gulags for youth throughout the entire Russian country. They were so open to our evangelism we all felt like we were Billy Grahams. At each camp all the kids, teachers, guards, hospital help, and other assigned personnel all committed their lives to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We saw around 6000 people get saved at each camp. Our Lord allowed us to personally witness His ability to change somewhere around 36,000 peoples’ hearts.
Can you see more miracles happening here? First of all everyone accepted immediately the message. Then, which I think is astonishing, is that all these evil people knew they needed to humbly beseech the Lord for Mercy. The high and mighty leaders acknowledged their evil and this affected the entire population. Look at what the leadership said, “5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?’
The king identified with his subjects – Everyone was guilty! He instructed them in a entire national time of repentance and indicated that the only real and living God might possibly even show Mercy to ones who deserve His Judgment. We know the ultimate response of our Great and Merciful God.
10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
His plan to destroy the Ninevites’ was temporarily changed. He responded in Mercy by holding off His Judgment. Perhaps the Assyrians had someone familiar with Scripture for in the book of Jeremiah chapter 18 we read, “7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it..”
God forgave the city of Nineveh just as He had forgiven Jonah. In God’s eyes all sins are the same. His purpose has always been correction not nasty revenge. He has and is always ready to show compassion to anyone who humbly seeks His Mercy. A lesson to be learned is that it is not our hearing His Word that please Him, it is our responding in obedience to it.
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